rising star
Outreach educator fuels her passion at Yerkes Observatory
rising star
COURTESY OF Yerkes Observatory
Brittnay Struble stands inside the historic Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay , Wisc ., where she is involved in multiple astronomy outreach efforts .
Astronomy advocate :
Brittnay Struble and her four sisters grew up in the shadow of the legendary Yerkes Observatory , where their father still serves as building and grounds supervisor . “ I don ’ t think that there has been one time when this observatory hasn ’ t been an aspect of my life ,” Struble recently reflected . “ My sisters and I used to run around the outside of the building all the time , or we would come inside the building just for a few minutes to see my dad while he was working . We could actually see the building itself from our kitchen window . That ’ s how close we were .” But while the observatory has always been a part of her life , astronomy was not . Instead , it was her younger sister Molleigh who was the family astronomer . From a young age , she was active at the observatory and devoted to sharing the joy of astronomy . At 9-years-old , Molleigh even helped write a grant that started a summer outreach
6
Outreach educator fuels her passion at Yerkes Observatory
program at Yerkes . In 2010 , Molleigh tragically passed away at just 16 years old , and Struble ’ s life took an unexpected turn . “ I wanted to keep her memory alive , make sure she wasn ’ t forgotten and make sure that what she started was able to continue ,” Struble said . “ I wanted to honor her by helping others learn about astronomy . In the process , I became very passionate about it .” For the last six years , Struble has worked at Yerkes Observatory . During her tenure , she has witnessed first hand the ways in which astronomy outreach efforts can inspire . “ With the younger students I work with , I will say that once they ’ ve worked in some of the outreach programs that I do with a few other teachers that helped spark their interest and they want to come back for more ,” she said . In this “ Rising Star ” Q & A feature , Struble discusses her outreach work at Yerkes Observatory .
Sky ’ s Up