To Infinity and Beyond: An Astronomer's Tale

Bee Branch, Arkansas...that's a cute name for a town, but most people have no clue where that is.  But for one woman, growing up in it's wide open spaces and under it's magnificent night sky caused her to become enamored with the mystery of the universe and the science behind it.

Amber Straughn, a graduate of South Side High School, turned her dreams into reality.  Now an Astrophysicist at NASA, she is currently working on the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Telescope.  This new device that she describes as a "giant transformer" will have the capacity to gather data that was previously unattainable. At 100x more powerful than it's predecessor, this telescope, when launched in 2018, will bring answers about black holes, colliding galaxies, and star formation that will change the world of science as we know it.

Currently our 8th grade Science students are completing a unit on Astronomy.  After talking with our Science teacher, Mrs. Tresse Glover, we decided this would be the perfect time to bring Amber in via Skype, have her describe what she does and how she got there, and let the kids ask any burning questions they had about space. Questions ranged from "Do you believe there is life beyond our planet?" to "Do you ever get to come back to Arkansas?"  to "What is the time frame for star formation?"

This opportunity to collaborate proved to accomplish both Science and Library Media standards, as well as remind students from this small town that all they need is a dream and a plan to reach for the stars.

This small town, and this small school, can in fact be a launching ground for such great things.

Until next time,

Amy Hutto
SSHS Library Media Specialist
Bee Branch, AR
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For More Info:
James Webb Space Telescope Live Web Cam