Spring 2021 Virtual Evening Talks and Planetarium Events

Penn State Mont Alto announces 2021 Spring Evening Talk Series and Virtual Planetarium Shows

MONT ALTO, Pa. — During Penn State Mont Alto’s 2021 Spring Evening Talk Series, four Penn State alumni speakers will share their experiences and expertise in various topics. The first three speakers were enrolled at the Mont Alto campus between 2015 to 2017.  All talks and virtual planetarium shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Events will be held via Zoom.

Spring 2021 Evening Talk Series schedule:

  • 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24: "Journey to becoming a Pennsylvania State Game Warden,” presented by Dillon GruverGruver is a 2019 graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. He is expected to graduate from the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in February 2021, after which he will serve as a Pennsylvania game warden in Monroe County. Dillon will share experiences applying for a position as a game warden, as well as the training process.
     
  • 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 10: "Changing the Law, One Crime at a Time," presented by Alyssa Clever and Sammi Deibel
    We all know the heart-gripping sound of an amber alert; however, you probably do not know the story of Amber Hagerman, which led to the alert’s creation. Join Clever and Deibel for a deep dive from a criminology and forensics perspective into some landmark cases that have led to the creation of laws. Clever and Deibel are both 2019 graduates: Deibel has a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science, and she is employed as an analyst with Lonza; Clever holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology.  
  • 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 8: "Heritage Science at the National Archives and Records Administration: Science in Support of the Preservation of the Records of the Federal Government,” presented by Jennifer K. Herrmann, Ph.D. 
    Herrmann will provide an overview of certain projects central to the protection of different federal records, including the continued preservation of the Charters of Freedom, documents that have played an important part not just in history but also in recent events. Herrmann graduated from Penn State Behrend as a Schreyers Scholar in 1999 with a bachelor’s in chemistry. She earned her doctorate from the University at Buffalo in analytical chemistry, and she is currently one of three scientists working at the National Archives.

Usually, presentations in the Penn State Mont Alto Evening Talk Series are followed by a star party (weather permitting). Unfortunately, COVID-19 safety measures make it impossible for star parties to occur, and events in the Penn State Mont Alto portable planetarium must also take a COVID-19-related hiatus due to safety precautions.

To fill the gap, Kim Herrmann, associate professor of Physics and Astronomy, will offer three virtual planetarium shows via Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 11, Thursday, March 25 and Monday, April 19. Like the evening talks, all three virtual planetarium shows will start at 7:30 p.m. The shows will use free programs such as Stellarium and Partiview that anyone can download to explore objects in the sky.

Stellarium can simulate the day or night sky from anywhere on earth and users can explore well-known solar system objects – like our moon and the planets – as well as the constellations. Partiview allows users to simulate flying through and even outside of our own Milky Way Galaxy, using real astronomical data maintained by the Hayden Planetarium. 

Community members interested in attending should pre-register online to receive the Zoom information for the talks via email.