I attended a very diverse, economically disadvantaged high school outside of Boston, where pursuing astronomy (or for that matter, attending college) was oftentimes seen as unattainable. At the same time, professional astronomers have the skills to work jobs that earn well over six figures. Astronomy is dominated by white men according to datausa.io. My goal with ASTRO365 is to diversify astronomy while providing students at diverse, low-income high schools the opportunity to learn about astronomy and the careers that it can offer.
ASTRO365 is an initiative that I started at BU as a second year grad student. It aims to educate high school students on how and why to become an astronomer— the salary, the cool research, the free travel! To achieve this, we host Q&A panels at high schools, and invite students to attend Interactive Nights at BU. This is possible through the volunteer work done by the grad students, faculty, and staff in the BU Astronomy Department, and through the collaborative efforts with the high school teachers.
If you’re interested in bringing ASTRO365 to your high school, please contact elovett@bu.edu.