Events & Outreach

Events & Outreach

LASP hosts regular seminars for scientists and occasional public events. Please visit this page regularly for updates.

International Observe the Moon Night

LASP’s IMPACT Lab will once again host a sky-viewing party for International Observe the Moon Night. Members of the public are invited to come to the courthouse lawn at the Pearl Street Mall on Saturday, September 14 from 7:00-10:00pm. There will be a variety of telescopes as well as several IMPACT scientists to help give you a guided tour of the Moon, planets, and other celestial objects, as well as answer questions.

This free event is part of a worldwide public event that encourages observation, appreciation and understanding of our Moon and its connection to space science, exploration, and human culture. This annual celebration connects scientists, educators and lunar enthusiasts from around the world.

Astrotopophilia: A love of place with maps of space

October 10 at 7pm
Sam Cartwright
Whether a trail map of a serene forest or a plot of historical markers in a bustling city, maps help us understand and connect to the spaces we inhabit. In so doing, maps can express or even inspire topophilia (that is, “love of place”), a powerful way to understand ourselves in relation to the ecology, culture, and other riches that surround us. But what if a map shows a place that no human has ever been to? Can we ever truly know—much less love—a distant, alien landscape with the help of a mere map? In this talk, we’ll trace the history of planetary cartography from the earliest telescope sketches to today’s high-resolution imagery and explore the indelible link between maps and humanity’s fascination with space, whether in the pages of science fiction or guiding our boldest quests into the final frontier.

Sam Cartwright is a PhD candidate with the Department of Geological Sciences and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. His research focuses on the composition of icy landscapes at Mars’s south pole and what this can tell us about the planet’s evolving climate. Sam previously earned degrees in Geology from Middlebury College (BA, 2018) and the University of Nevada Reno (MS, 2021) and joined SciDome as a Facilitator in 2023. He discovered his passion for space history and public outreach while interning at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but his love of maps goes back much further. He is a co-curator of the Topophilia exhibit now on view at the Jerry Crail Johnson Earth Sciences & Map Library.

LASP Science Seminars

LASP seminars are generally held every Thursday at 1:00 PM on Zoom and in person.
If you are interested in attending, please contact one of our Science Seminar Committee members (see below) to be added to the mailing list.

We are currently seeking speakers for our Spring 2025 seminar series. If you or a colleague would like to give a seminar, please contact one of our Science Seminar Committee members:

Sonal Jain (Planetary)
Yi Qi (Space Physics)
David Wilson (Solar/Stellar)
Chihoko Cullens (Earth Atmospheres)

December 5, 2024
The Role of the Polar Vortex in Sun-Earth Coupling
Lynn Harvey
(LASP)
Dec. 5, 2024
The Role of the Polar Vortex in Sun-Earth Coupling
Lynn Harvey
(LASP)

LASP Magnetosphere Seminars

The ‘Friends of the Magnetosphere’ (FOM) Seminars focus on space physics and plasma research relating to the magnetospheres of Earth and other planets.

Dec. 5, 2024
The Role of the Polar Vortex in Sun-Earth Coupling
Lynn Harvey
(LASP)
No upcoming Magnetosphere Seminars. Check back soon.

Upcoming Launches

*All launch dates should be considered “no earlier than” dates, as launches can be delayed from their planned times for many reasons.

Outreach

Space science research is exciting! LASP’s Office of Communication Management conveys what’s happening in our lab and across the universe through a regular newsletter, tours, and special events. We also partner with many groups on the CU Boulder campus who organize a wide variety of outreach programs.