Planet UTSA

Joining us in the studio for the last podcast in our eclipse series is Cody Cly, a doctoral student and a graduate research assistant in the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy. Cly, who was raised on a Navajo reservation in the small community of Nageezi, New Mexico, chats with UTSA’s John Elizondo about the unique spiritual tie that Navajo communities and Indigenous people have with eclipses.

Joining us in the studio this week is Ferhat Ozturk, assistant professor of practice in the UTSA Department of Integrative Biology, who discusses his buzzing research on bee behavior. Using acoustic and visual recording devices, Dr. Ozturk and his team will observe how bees behave during the progression of the total solar eclipse, building on research he started during last October’s annular eclipse.

Joining us this week is Dr. Lindsay Fuller, UTSA eclipse project manager and lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her work with the national LightSound project is making eclipses more accessible to those with no vision or low vision, allowing them to enjoy the event through sonification tools that convert light into sound.

Joining us in the podcast studio this week is Chris Packham, a professor of astrophysics in the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy. Dr. Packham joins UTSA’s John Elizondo to share his excitement about the upcoming total solar eclipse and what people can expect from the cosmic phenomenon passing over San Antonio and the Texas Hill County on Monday, April 8. The UTSA researcher will also discuss an ongoing STEM outreach project aimed at educating local K-12 students about the eclipse and his work with the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a next-generation telescope.

In the series opener, Dr. Angela Speck, professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, discusses the science behind eclipses and what makes them an incredible phenomenon to experience. We'll dive into why it’s important to view the upcoming total solar eclipse from the path of totality, a 100-mile stretch that will include the UTSA Main Campus, and more.