Grey Bird Explorations

It is now a week into the start of my Fall term at College of the Canyons here in the Santa Clarita Valley. The main campus is just to the east of I-5 (“the 5” in LA speak) and a stone’s throw from the fictional “Wally World” amusement park.

After the end of this year, I will have completed 2 years as an Adjunct Professor in Astronomy. This has been my first encounter with teaching, and doing so in the community college context has taught me about the complex and multi-varied background of the lives of students.

We don’t offer a major in Astronomy so these are General Education courses but our offerings are transferable into the Cal State and University of California systems. Given that California community colleges are open enrollment,  this presents a unique opportunity for the community. For students who do not proceed on to a STEM discipline, these courses are often an important opportunity to encounter the scope and nature of the universe around them, and to understand how the scientific method.

In that context, here is the video I use at the end of my first day’s class: Introduction to Astronomy video.