Kyle K. M. Kabasares

I have been involved with science outreach since I was an undergraduate at UC Merced. Outreach has played a pivotal role in my development as an educator in the classroom as well as a science communicator wherever I am. Seriously, I enjoy sharing my love for science wherever I am, whether it’s on campus grounds, the grocery store, the local pool, or at an SF Giants baseball game, just to name a few places I’ve gotten into scientific conversations at. On a more serious note, I know that not everyone, especially those who come from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM, are not always exposed to the beauty and power of science from a young age. This is why I enjoy going out into the greater community and sharing these aspects of science.

As an undergraduate at UC Merced, I was a member of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), where I participated in multiple outreach events in the local community. Examples of this include going to elementary and middle schools and performing science demonstrations for the students, or speaking to students on panels about what going to college is like, and how students can better prepare themselves when applying to colleges.

At UC Irvine, I have volunteered at “star parties” as part of UC Irvine’s Astronomy Club. This has involved traveling to various schools in the Orange County area and bringing 8-12 inch telescopes for students and their families to look at the night sky. I’ve also participated in star parties held on UC Irvine’s campus, where the Astronomy Club occasionally holds viewing nights for astronomical events such as eclipses. I love seeing the awe and excitement that kids and their families display when observing the moon, planets, and stars in the night sky. Their curiosity and wonder remind me just how amazingly mysterious our universe is, and how lucky I am that I get to discover something new about it as a PhD student.