MCC Announces Schedule of Events for the Great American Eclipse

Madisonville, Ky. – The campus of Madisonville Community College will be a busy place this weekend with several activities planned to provide an educational and informative perspective on the Great American Eclipse. The events for the weekend are co-sponsored by Hancock Bank and Trust. 

On Saturday, August 19, the college will host a free seminar for the community presented by MCC associate professor of Physics Dr. Aseem Talukar and Dr. George Steedly of Webster County. Their discussion will include a review of the science behind an eclipse, safe viewing and photographing of the eclipse, and Dr. Steedly’s personal eclipse chasing experiences. This event will take place in the Joe C. Davis building room 117 at 2:00 p.m. 

On Sunday, August 20, the college will offer two educational sessions for the public. The first will feature Billy Hix, director of STEM outreach at Motlow College and a NASA faculty fellow. Hix will bring his portable planetarium to the stage at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts for an exciting display of the wonders of the cosmos. Hix has worked with tens of thousands of students, teachers and the public inside his planetarium and promises that it will be a “wow” event as everyone is getting “warmed up” for the event of a lifetime. The second session on Sunday will be a question and answer event with professors Dr. Talukdar and Dr. Mike Shifflett on the science of eclipses, safe viewing practices, and much more. The question and answer session will take place in the Brown Badgett, Sr. Energy & Advanced Technology Center room 264. The Sunday events will begin at 2:00 p.m. and repeat a second time at 3:00 p.m. 

On Monday, August 21, guests to the campus can experience the first total solar eclipse visible from the continental United States in nearly four decades. The college will open to the public at 8:00 a.m. During the afternoon, Hix will guide sky watchers with live commentary through this rare spectacle. He is set to begin around noon that day near the entryway to the John H. Gray building. 

Visitors to campus will have access to select buildings for cooling and the use of the restrooms. College staff will be present to welcome visitors and provide directions and assistance. Commemorative eclipse t-shirts, food, and refreshments will be offered for purchase. A limited supply of eclipse glasses will also be available.    

For more information, please check the college’s website for updates to the schedule or additional details at www.madisonville.kctcs.edu.