A new partnership between NASA’s Community College Network (NCCN) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is giving community college students across the country access to some of the nation’s leading astronomers.
The initiative expands the AAS’s long-running Harlow Shapley Visiting Lectureship Program, which since the 1950s has brought professional astronomers to campuses to deliver lectures and engage local communities. In 2024, AAS and NCCN joined forces to tailor the program for community colleges, institutions that educate a significant portion of students pursuing introductory astronomy. Nearly 40 percent of all students who take entry-level astronomy courses in the U.S. do so at a community college, many of them first-generation or part-time students balancing work and family.
Through the collaboration, NCCN leverages its network of 260 instructors in 44 states and more than 120 subject matter experts to “matchmake” researchers with campuses. The pilot program in 2024 paired Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee and Modesto Junior College in California with astronomers from the University of Virginia and Stanford University.
This year, the effort has grown considerably. Fourteen community colleges in six states are hosting visits from nine Shapley Lecturers representing institutions such as Caltech, Harvard, NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Each visit features a widely advertised public lecture, along with events like classroom talks, faculty meetings, and star parties.
For instructors, the impact extends beyond a single visit. “The visiting Shapley Lecturer’s visit made a permanent change in how my classes will be taught,” said James Espinosa, an astronomy instructor at Weatherford College. He explained that his students will now have access to new honors projects and ongoing connections with researchers.
Dr. Tom Rice, AAS education program manager and lead on the partnership, called the lectureship “one of the most impactful ways that astronomers can share our scientific understanding with the widest possible audience.” He added that working with NASA and the SETI Institute has helped the program reach students who may not otherwise have direct exposure to professional astronomers.
The program is supported by NASA through its Science Activation portfolio, which connects scientists with communities to encourage hands-on learning and greater public engagement with science. For NCCN and AAS, the goal is not only to spark curiosity about the universe but also to help students see themselves as part of the scientific community.
