Total solar eclipse: IU experts available to comment

Daniel Beverly is a Postdoctoral Research fellow at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. He can speak to the impact of an eclipse on plants.

Dr. Hin Cheung is a clinical assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Optometry. He can speak about how to protect your eyes when it comes to viewing eclipses and how to find safe and legitimate eye protection.

Andrew D. Gavrin, chair of the Department of Physics at IU Indianapolis, can discuss magnetic materials, physics education, and general physics and astronomy. On April 8, he will be facilitating eclipse observation on the front lawn of the Indiana State Museum. 

Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus Jerry Hinnefeld is a nuclear physicist, managing director for the IU South Bend Astronomical Observatory and frequent host for IU South Bend’s “Meet the Stars” public observing events. For many years he taught a physics course on energy and climate for non-science majors.

Jennifer Guiliano is a white academic living and working on the lands of the Myaamia/Miami, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Wea and Shawnee peoples. She is a professor in the Department of History and affiliated faculty in both Native American and Indigenous studies and American studies at IU Indianapolis.

Cody Kirkpatrick is a senior lecturer in atmospheric science at IU Bloomington. He conducts research and teaches courses in weather and weather forecasting, with primary interests in thunderstorms and the extreme phenomena they produce. He can speak about the weather forecasts leading up to the eclipse and how clouds may play a role in viewing the eclipse.

Patrick Motl is a professor of physics and associate dean in the School of Sciences at IU Kokomo and director of the IU Kokomo Observatory. His research focuses on the study of compact objects through numerical simulations.

Dr. Daniel Neely is a professor of ophthalmology at the IU School of Medicine. He is an international expert in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus, or misalignment of the eyes. He can speak about how to protect your eyes and eye safety during an eclipse.

Distinguished Professor Catherine Pilachowski holds the Daniel Kirkwood Chair in Astronomy at IU Bloomington, where she teaches and conducts research on the evolution of stars and the chemical history of the Milky Way galaxy from studies of chemical composition of stars and star clusters. 

Edward Rhoads is a lecturer in physics at IU Indianapolis. He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Minnesota, and his bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Washington.

Kimberly Rosvall is an associate professor in the department of biology in The College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington. She can speak to animal behavior before, during, and after an eclipse. She is also affiliated with IU’s internationally-recognized Program in Animal Behavior. Rosvall’s overarching research goal is to understand behavior in wild animals and why it varies within and among species.

Henry Scott is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at IU South Bend. He is a geophysicist who studies the deep interiors of planets, via applications of experimental high-pressure mineral physics. He is especially interested in ice-rich moons and their potential for harboring life.

Patrice Tankam joined the IU School of Optometry as an assistant professor in 2017. His research and teaching activities involve the physics of light and its interaction with biological tissues and specifically the eye. His research primarily focuses on developing novel imaging technologies to facilitate the understanding, diagnosis and management of eye diseases in both animal models and humans, research that has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the industry.

Jessica Warren is a lecturer in physics and astronomy at Indiana University Northwest. Her current research interests are science (particularly physics) education and investigations of light pollution. She is also active in science outreach.

Wes Tobin is an assistant professor of physics. His research interests include observational astronomy, including the areas of observations and analyses of peculiar velocity structures in galaxy clusters; spectroscopic observations of parent stars of extrasolar planets; and high-precision photometric methods in detecting variability and extrasolar planets.