CARBONDALE, Ill. — On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse is coming to Carbondale IL. For schools outside of the eclipse's path, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale has pioneered a new program to bring major science events to students, wherever they're located.
The 2024 eclipse will last for four minutes and nine seconds over Carbondale. Interestingly, it's also the location viewers flocked to for 2017's August solar eclipse. It was after that celestial event that researchers at SIU began thinking of how to involve even more schools and students in 2024.
SIU faculty researchers have partnered with the Adler Planetarium in Chicago to pioneer a project called the REAL Field Trip Model. It stands for Remote Engagement and Access to Learning. The goal is to allow any school, regardless of physical location, to not only watch a major scientific event, but to actively participate as well.
The project is being funded by a two-year $465,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
“The big picture goal of the project is to create a model by which students who are not located near a big scientific event can still have an opportunity to experience the event firsthand in an interactive manner,” said Dr. Cori Brevik, assistant professor of practice in SIU's School of Physics and Applied Physics. “The total solar eclipse is an example of an event that many students across the U.S. will not be able to witness firsthand because they are not in the path of totality.”
Eventually, the team hopes to utilize REAL Field Trip Model for other large-scale scientific moments such as volcanic eruptions, turtle hatchings, space launches and more.
So how does it work?
During the eclipse, students at schools outside of the event's path will watch a real-time livestream of it, thanks to about 70 telescopes spread across North America. These will also be streaming to SIU's Saluki Stadium watch party as part of the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative network which is also led by SIU researchers. The live images will be interspersed with expert interviews with eclipse chasers, scientists and more.
At the same time, in-the-path schools will be paired with out-of-path schools to allow students to share their experiences over interactive video conferencing.
“It will be much more than just watching a video or livestream of an event," Brevik said.
The team tested these concepts and technology during an annular eclipse that hit the southwest U.S. in October 2023.
“It was a very successful test of the equipment and broadcasting network,” Brevik said. “For the total solar eclipse, we’ll expand it to include more telescopes and more viewing locations, all pulled together to share with schools.”
Brevik joined The Current on News 8 to discuss Real Field Trip Model and its future. You can watch her full interview above.
News 8 also spoke with SIU about the school's dorm rooms for rent. With hotels booked up for the eclipse, viewers can instead stay on campus and enjoy several days of festivities. You can find that story here.
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