Lindsay Fuller, PhD

2023 Heliophysics Big Year Awardee

Project Description

Eclipses Across Texas

The image is a promotional flyer for a funded project titled "Eclipses Across Texas" under the NASA SCoPE initiative. It highlights the collaboration between NASA's Science Activation Program, the Eclipse Soundscapes Project, and the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC). The flyer prominently features Lindsay Fuller, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who is leading this project. It includes logos for NASA SCoPE, Eclipse Soundscapes, NESEC, and the Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration. The flyer shows an image of an eclipse and has a "FUNDED" stamp overlaid. There is also a photo of Lindsay Fuller.

On October 14, 2023 North America experienced an annular solar eclipse, which was unique in that North America will also experience a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. San Antonio, TX is at the crossroads of these two events. The Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) project by the ARISA Lab aims to provide accessible opportunities to participate in real and meaningful scientific research focusing on how eclipses affect life on Earth. The science goal of ES is to understand the behavior of insects and animals during eclipses by having people record their multisensory experience and by placing recording devices called AudioMoths at separate locations within +/- 70% of the path of totality. As a Subject Matter Expert, I took on a role as ES facilitator and was able to partner with local parks and schools to act as data collectors and observers. We look forward to using this model and expanding our efforts for the total eclipse in April 2024.

Target Audience Age

0-45-1011-1414-1819-2223-2627-99

NASA Division

Helio

Grant Status

Learning Context

digital learning enabled

Digital Learning

Home and family enabled

Neighborhood /
Community

Informal /
Out of School

Home and Families disabled

Home / Family

Citizen Science

Formal Education

SME Bio

Bio headshot of Lindsay Fuller. Her arms are crossed and she stands in front of a large telescope.

From this project, I hope to create astronomy-related collaborations within San Antonio and the surrounding areas that I would not have had the opportunity for otherwise. I further hope to continue this project into 2024 for the total eclipse.

Lindsay Fuller, PhD Eclipses Across Texas PI

Dr. Lindsay Fuller

Eclipses Across Texas PI
Assistant Professor of Research
University of Texas at San Antonio

I am an astrophysicist at the University of Texas at San Antonio specializing in the study of the environment surrounding supermassive black holes in active galaxies. Active galaxies are galaxies in which the central black hole is accreting material and growing. The surrounding material can often obscure the central black hole and accretion disk, and emit at low energy wavelengths that may not be able to penetrate the atmosphere. For the past 10 years, I've used data from the now decommissioned SOFIA telescope, a 2.5 meter airborne telescope that can fly at altitudes above most of the interfering water vapor. 

SciAct Team

Eclipse Soundscapes Description

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project is a NASA Citizen Science project funded by NASA Science Activation that is studying how eclipses affect life on Earth during the October 14, 2023 annular solar eclipse and the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. Eclipse Soundscapes will revisit an eclipse study from almost 100 years ago that showed that animals and insects are affected by solar eclipses! Like this study from 100 years ago, ES will ask for the public’s help. ES will also use modern technology to continue to study how solar eclipses affect life on Earth!

Learn more about Eclipse Soundscapes
Mary-Kay Severino headshot.

I am excited to be continuing this project… I have been getting a lot of positive responses from people in the community. People have been excited to participate in the annular eclipse, and now we can keep this up for the total solar eclipse in April.

MaryKay Severino Eclipse Soundscapes Co-PI