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American Museum of Natural History’s “Astronomy Online” virtual programming series was awarded a 2021 Media & Technology MUSE Award on July 23rd. “Astronomy Online” is a monthly program using OpenSpace to explore a variety of Earth and space science topics, from Mars 2020 to space weather forecasting, designed for middle and high school-aged learners. Due to the virtual mode of delivery and time of day the series reached all age groups including parents and teachers. The series has had a live viewership of over 19,000, and views of the videos to date total over 350,000. “Astronomy Online” received the Bronze MUSE Award in the “2020 Response” category, which recognizes, “In the face of the unique social, political, environmental, health, and economic challenges of 2020, any digital or technology innovation or leadership that has embraced disruption, dramatically improved digital literacy or pivoted for the new normal.” The Media & Technology MUSE Awards are presented annually by the Media & Technology Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
The “Astronomy Online” series will continue to be held through 2022. Program recordings can be found on the Museum’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrfcruGtplwHxMQ6Wi2x0uVIrHF9uFcSz