Author: Cara Battersby

UConn STARs Brings Physics to Hartford Public High School

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The UConn STARs program has been visiting local Hartford public schools every Spring since 2022, bringing physics demos and enthusiasm directly to Hartford students!

In 2026, as part of the UConn STARs program, 18 UConn undergraduate students visited Hartford Public High School (HPHS) over the course of the week of May 18-22, 2026. These students taught eight classes in the classrooms of Mr. Joe Scalercio and Mr. Dave Babbitt and also held two lunchtime solar observing sessions. We estimate that the STARs outreach program reached about 150 high school students total, with many exciting conversations about space and careers in the sciences.

During the academic year, the STARs program ran 27 events on professional development, community building, and mentorship for the 20 members of the program. Members of the STARs program developed four interactive physics lesson plans in coordination with the HPHS teachers on the topics of: 1) Mechanics, 2) the Physics of Sound, 3) Thermodynamics, and 4) Electricity. The lesson plans were designed to cater to a variety of student learning needs and background levels. Each lesson plan had a short lecture component, hands-on demos, and stations for small group activities. STARs also hosted a table at the Hartford Public Library at an event on June 6th, 2026, engaging with many members of the local community.

Below are some photos highlighting the events, please see more on our webpage.

  • UConn STARs Outreach at HPHS Spring 2026

UConn STARs Visits Hartford Public High School in May 2025

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The UConn STARs program had its annual outreach event at Hartford Public High School (HPHS) during the week of May 12-16, 2025. We taught four specially-crafted lesson plans to eight classrooms of students and hosted two lunchtime solar telescope observing sessions. The outreach event was a huge success. We estimate that we reached about 170 students at HPHS during our visit, sparked many curious minds and encouraged considering a career in STEM.

During the academic year, the STARs programs ran 27 events focused on professional development, community building, and mentorship. Members of the STARs program also developed four engaging lesson plans for high school students on the topics of: 1) Mechanics, 2) Light as a Wave, 3) Light as a Particle (Quantum), and 4) Electricity. These topics were selected in consultation with the teacher to re-enforce important concepts from each class. The lesson plans were designed to cater to a variety of student learning needs and background levels. Each lesson plan had a short lecture component, hands-on demos, and stations for small group activities. STARs also hosted a booth at the Hartford STEM fair on May 5, 2025, engaging with many members of the local community.

Below are some photos highlighting the events, please see more on our webpage.

  • STARs group photo
    PXL 20250513 151734872

 

UConn STARs visits Hartford Public High School

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The UConn STARs group visited Hartford Public High School (HPHS) to teach physics for a total of eight class periods from May 6th-9th, 2024. UConn brought 16 undergraduate students from the STARs program to HPHS for our annual outreach program, during which we interacted with about 100 high school students. We collaborated with physics teacher Dr. Thomas Longyear to develop four lesson plans on topics of: 1) Phases of Matter, 2) Waves, 3) Electrostatics, and 4) Gravity over the course of the academic year. During our visit to HPHS, the STARs participants led these engaging lesson plans with hands-on demos and activities, over the course of four days. The goal of the STARs program is to improve the retention of students from Historically Excluded Groups (HEGs) in physics at UConn by addressing key factors responsible for their attrition. We have academic year events that focus on social engagement, professional development, and community building. The STARs program just concluded its 3rd year, with consistent progress and growth, and is looking forward to continued growth in our fourth year!

Pictured below are the STARs participants and the HPHS students during our May 2024 visit.

UConn STARs Visit Hartford High School

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The UConn STARs visited Hartford High School on May 8th and 11th, 2023. We visited junior engineering students in the classroom of Mrs. Melissa Adams and the high school football team lead by Coach Jackson. We taught them all about quantum mechanics, solar telescopes, gravity, and of course electricity and they taught us as well. We had a blast with these bright young scientists in the making!

The UConn STARs program is for undergraduate students in physics, aimed to recruit and retain students from historically excluded groups in physics (including gender identity, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, first generation status, documented status, disability status, as well as additional categories). We hold regular meetings throughout the academic year to build community, offer academic and advising submit, as well as professional development opportunities. Each Spring, we visit a local classroom in an under-served community to inspire the next generation of STARs.

The Milky Way Laboratory Contributes to Art Exhibit at the University of Hartford

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Prof. Cara Battersby’s researcMilky Way Lab at UHart Art Exhibith group, the Milky Way Laboratory, was invited to collaborate with Genevieve de Leon, the 2022-23 Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Painting Department at the University of Hartford, for an exhibition focused on the intersection between the Maya calendrical cycles and scientific studies of the cosmos.

From the Milky Way Laboratory, H Perry Hatchfield, Jennifer Wallace, Dani Lipman, and Samantha Brunker contributed scientific figures that are displayed as part of the exhibition.  These figures demonstrate the ongoing research focused on understanding the universe around us through the use of data and scientific analysis.  These figures balance well with Genevieve de Leon’s original, large-scale paintings of constellations in the Maya Zodiac which were created in a methodical, focused way similar to how large-sky surveys are observed.  Genevieve has studied Maya timekeeping extensively, and, through this exhibit, focuses on the intersection of various systems of knowledge.

Additionally, the exhibition includes multimedia work made by indigenous artists in the Native Youth Arts Collective and students at the Hartford Art School which focus on personal connections with the night sky.

Milky Way Lab at UHart Art Exhibit - Orion

Milky Way Lab at UHart Art Exhibit - GalleryMW Lab UHart Art Exhibit - group2

The exhibit, “To Order the Days/Para Ordenar Los Días”, is located in the Donald and Linda Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford, and will be available from February 23, 2023, to March 25, 2023.

More information can be found at:

https://www.hartford.edu/academics/schools-colleges/art/galleries/whitney-koopman-2023-exhibition.aspx#accordion-group-2-section-4-label

Post written by Dr. Samantha Brunker

Prof. Cara Battersby Awarded an NSF CAREER grant

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Cara Battersby CAREER AwardProfessor Cara Battersby has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant! “The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”

Prof. Battersby’s CAREER Award is entitled “CAREER: Shining STARs Amidst the Turbulence” and is an ambitious project to complete the first-ever systematic study of turbulence in an extreme environment, the center of our galaxy. Turbulence is poorly understood yet plays a pivotal role in the setting the Initial Mass Function (IMF), which underpins all of modern astrophysics. The results from this research will be brought into under-resourced high school classrooms through lesson plans jointly developed by K-12 teachers and undergraduate students from traditionally under-represented groups. Battersby aims to recruit and retain students from under-represented groups in STEM through a new mentorship program UConn-STARs.

U.S. Senators introduce a resolution to recognize the Arecibo Observatory Telescope

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The massive dish at Arecibo Observatory as seen in spring 2019. (Image credit: Arecibo Observatory/University of Central Florida)

On Friday December 3rd, a group of U.S. Senators, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan a resolution to recognize the significant scientific, educational, and economic contributions made by the Arecibo Observatory telescope.

“The telescope at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory was a scientific marvel, extensively expanding our understanding of the universe,” said Blumenthal. “Its collapse left a significant educational void for our country and the scientific community across the world. I’m proud to recognize its important contributions alongside my colleagues and express our strong support for further studies for how best to replace—and build upon—this telescope’s capabilities at the world-class Arecibo Observatory.”

Read more here, including a link to the full resolution. The research of several UConn physicists has greatly benefited from the Arecibo telescope over the years.