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Nancy Lebofsky

About Nancy Lebofsky

Nancy Lebofsky has worked in education outreach since 1990, first at the University of Arizona and then with the Science Center for Inquiry and the University of Arkansas summer teacher training workshops. She wrote a monthly newsletter for the latter two programs which later became the newsletter for Astronomy Camp for Girl Scout Leaders.

She has presented at both state and national science education conferences as well as the first three Faith and Astronomy Workshops. She and Larry edited Meteorite magazine for five years. She is currently serving a second term as a board member for the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

In 1995 the small bodies nomenclature committee of the IAU named an asteroid, 5052 Nancyruth, in recognition of her contributions to science education outreach.
Asteroid 5052 Nancyruth

“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”

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In Walt Whitman’s poem, “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” the speaker—perhaps Whitman himself—concludes his description of an astronomy presentation with these words: Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself, In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars. This reaction would bring joy to innumerable astronomy Education and Public Outreach presenters. A student who trades a passive experience to go outside, look up, and observe firsthand the complexity and beauty of the night sky—Yippee! Active and Passive Learning The National Training Laboratories’ “Pyramid of Learning” has been around for decades, attracting both fans and skeptics of its reported results. However, the overall structure is worth considering. Simply summarized, the Pyramid divides methods of learning into passive (lecture, reading, audio-visual, demonstration) and active, or participatory, (discussion, practice doing, teaching others). The Pyramid of Learning also assigns average retention rates to each method of presentation, with the small tip of … Continue reading →

Multiple Intelligences — An Introduction

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Those of us engaged in Education and Public Outreach (EPO) find out very quickly that not everyone processes or responds to information in the same way. Especially important to presenters is the realization that audience or workshop members do not necessarily share our “individual competences,” and because of this disparity, our well-prepared lessons and our expectations for student responses may not be compatible with all learners. In 1993, Professor Howard Gardner published Multiple Intelligences, The Theory in Practice. Gardner was a member, later Co-Director, of  Harvard University’s Project Zero and an Adjunct Professor of Neurology (Boston University School of Medicine). Gardner’s specialty was human cognition, and 25 years later his theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) is said to have “revolutionized how we understand intelligence” (edutopia.com, George Lucas Educational Foundation). Gardner’s original theory posited seven types of MI, with an eighth added later. Each “intelligence” gives insight into how learners process information. Which MI best describes your style, your comfort zone, … Continue reading →

Adventures in EPO – Tucson Festival of Books

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The world of EPO (Education and Public Outreach) is an amalgam of formal education, informal education, and public outreach, with frequently blurred lines between the last two categories. Dr. Sanlyn Buxner, an Education and Communications Specialist and Research Scientist at Planetary Science Institute, described the categories for us as follows: “Education is about increasing someone’s knowledge or skills (whether it is in a formal or informal setting). Outreach is more about letting people know about things, talking about a mission, etc., but is not necessarily about teaching them anything.  It may be about having fun, raising awareness, etc.” In nearly 30 years of science education outreach, we’ve experienced all three EPO components. Tucson Festival of Books The Tucson Festival of Books (FOB) takes place at the University of Arizona (UA) in March. FOB began in 2009 with an estimated 50,000 visitors; 2019 was the Festival’s eleventh year, with an estimated 140,000 visitors over two days. FOB includes literary awards, food, … Continue reading →