This talk will interactively explore why we have eclipses, and why we don’t have them every month. We will explore the perfect triangles that allow for eclipses, our unique place in space and time which caters to this observation, some fun stories of eclipses in the past and connections to civilizations (and colonization) and finally learn how and where to see the eclipse in April.

Christine Hirst Bernhardt is a National STEM education leader and PhD candidate at the University of Maryland. In 2021-2022 she served in Congress as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow to advance education policy initiatives. Her passion for all things space fostered the Excellence in Astronomy Teaching award and participation on NASA’s SOFIA mission. Christine identifies and addresses national needs in Earth and Space education as the chair of the National Astronomy Education Coordinator team and US member of the Global Leadership in Earth Science Education. Christine has developed programs and curricula such as a high-altitude balloon program, student space symposium and international space camp. She holds Master’s in both Space Studies and Science Education. Her Doctoral research centers on international astronomy education and teacher learning with a social justice lens. She is interested in international science education and using Earth and Space topics as a gateway to STEM in early learning.