Based at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Shadow the Scientists (StS) initiative aims to offer immersive virtual learning experiences for students of all ages that spark their interest in STEAM careers and strengthen their foundational skills and knowledge necessary for success in those professions.
We also host sessions open to the public to foster community awareness and appreciation for the vital research happening across STEAM fields.
Our sessions allow participants to engage with university and industry professionals while exploring how STEAM topics relate to real-world issues and community challenges.
Check out our YouTube channel to explore previous sessions.
Comet soaring over the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on the summit of Maunakea, Hawai’i
Journey to the Early Solar System:
Observing Comet/2025 A6 Lemmon with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
November 7th | 2:30 PM HST | 4:30 PM Pacific
Experience astronomy in action! Join us for a live virtual observing session with researchers using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Maunakea in Hawai’i as they explore C/2025 A6 Lemmon, which was discovered in January 2025.
Comets are icy relics left over from the early days of our solar system, time capsules that preserve clues about how the Sun, planets, and even Earth’s water and organic molecules first formed. By studying comets like A6 Lemmon in infrared light, scientists can identify their chemical composition, track how they change as they approach the Sun, and uncover what they reveal about the origins of planetary systems.
This special session allows participants to experience the excitement of professional astronomy firsthand by seeing how real data is collected and analyzed by researchers exploring the building blocks of our cosmic neighborhood. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the observing process and engage with IRTF staff and the scientists leading the observations.
Join us and learn why the NASA IRTF is a vital tool in the global planetary defense system, which identifies and characterizes objects in the solar system that pose a threat to the Earth.
The R/V Kilo Moana is a 186′ Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) vessel owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the University of Hawai‘i Marine Center
Hawaiʻi’s Abyssal Plains:
Minerals, Ecosystems, and Discovery Aboard the Research Vessel Kilo Moana
November 10th | 12:45 PM HST | 2:45 PM Pacific
Dedicated Session
From October to November, Dr. Kira Mizell will lead a team of researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, UC Santa Cruz, JAMSTEC, and other collaborators on an oceanographic research expedition 200 nautical miles south of Hawai‘i Island.
The expedition will investigate the presence, regional distribution, and abundance of abyssal plain nodules and associated fauna, microbes, and sediments. At depths of nearly 20,000 feet, the abyssal plains cover nearly 70% of the ocean floor, making them the largest habitat on Earth and one of the least understood.
Join us for this virtual session as we explore the geology and minerals of the deep sea, their associated ecosystems, and the knowledge gaps that remain about these remote seafloor environments. Learn how USGS research, paired with local and international partnerships, is helping to fill these gaps and establish multi-disciplinary baseline data that can inform resource use and conservation. Participants will be treated to a brief tour of the research vessel, meet members of the science team, and hear firsthand about their ongoing work at sea.
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientists
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Colors of the Cosmos:
Unveiling Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS with Las Cumbres Observatory
November 20th | 3:15 PM HST
November 21st | 6:45 AM IST
Dedicated Session for Ankur Students
Astronomer J.D. Armstrong, Project Scientist at the Faulkes Telescope North on Maui’s Mount Haleakalā, will lead a special virtual observing session with Ankur students.
Participants will discover how astronomers use the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network to plan and program observations of distant objects in the night sky. Together, we’ll explore the mystery of interstellar comet 3I, comparing its spectrum to those of other celestial bodies, including a Sun-like star, to uncover what its “colors” can tell us about its composition and origin. To cap off the session, we’ll check in live to see if our own observation request was successful!
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientists
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
Exploring Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Rare Encounter with an Interstellar Visitor
November 26th | 4 AM HST | 6 AM Pacific
Join us for an exciting special event as Bryce Bolin (Eureka Scientific), Laura-May Abron (Griffith Observatory), and Matthew Belyakov (Caltech) use the Gemini Observatory North to observe comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar object passing through our solar system!
As only the third confirmed visitor from beyond our solar neighborhood, 3I/ATLAS offers an extraordinary opportunity to study material that formed around another star. Ejected from its original system millions, or even billions, of years ago, the comet has journeyed through interstellar space and recently entered our solar system from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, near the Milky Way’s galactic center.
In this special observing session, astronomers will attempt to capture some of the first post-perihelion observations of comet 3I/ATLAS, following its reemergence from behind the Sun.
Building on data collected with the Gemini South telescope in August, before the comet disappeared from view, the team aims to detect chemical signatures in the gas it emits. These observations will shed light on the comet’s composition and physical state, and allow scientists to compare its current properties with those observed prior to its closest approach to the Sun.
The effort will be supported by the Gemini North science and outreach staff, alongside leading experts in comets and interstellar visitors.
Don’t miss this chance to get one of the closest looks yet of this enigmatic interstellar visitor!
StS terms and conditions of engagement:
Please read the following as it gives some insight into how the evening will be structured.
- Please treat others on the Zoom call with utmost respect at all times. There is a zero tolerance policy for violations. Violators will be removed from the Zoom call and future StS sessions.
- Please keep in mind at all times that the primary purpose of the StS session is for the research team (e.g., team of astronomers) to collect scientific data. Please be respectful of their time and concentration.
- For the adults joining us, please try to have your Zoom name reflect your full name and school/group affiliation [e.g., Raja GuhaThakurta (UCSC)]. For minors, because this event is open to the public, please feel free to use nicknames unless you have permission from parents or guardians to use your full name.
- After joining the Zoom session, you will be muted, but please feel free to type a short introduction about yourself into the chat.
- Until the scientists have some down time and can directly interface with the rest of the group on the Zoom call, please feel free to type questions and comments in the chat. Once the scientists are speaking with the group, please use the “raise hand” feature in Zoom, if youʻd like to speak.
- Please be aware that the StS Zoom call will be recorded, including the chat window, and both may be posted to YouTube in whole or in part for others to view. By joining the Zoom call, you are consenting to being recorded and for the recording to be posted.
- Please be cognizant of your video feed. Because the focus is on the science being done, please feel free to keep your video off during the Zoom call..
- Enjoy!