The South Carolina State Library is pleased to host a free workshop on the Great American Eclipse 2017. This interactive and hands on training is specifically designed for visually impaired individuals and those who work with visually impaired populations, including special education teachers, early childhood specialists, teacher aides, paraprofessionals, tutors, counselors, and those in higher education.

Join us on July 26 to learn more about the historical event taking place on August 21, 2017 as a total solar eclipse sweeps across the entire United States, from Oregon to South Carolina.

Attendees will gain knowledge on the uniqueness of this eclipse, why eclipses occur, cultural connections, history, and safe viewing techniques. Discussion topics include NASA, solar systems, gravity, distance and scale, and geometry. All participants will receive a tactile book, digital materials and training resources. This workshop is free, however, registration is required to ensure seat availability. 

The workshop instructors are Cynthia Hall, from the Lowcountry Hall of Science and Math (LHSM) and Dr. Cassandra Runyon, from the SC NASA Space Grant Consortium. This workshop is specifically designed for visually impaired individuals and professionals who work with this population and is designed as an educational program based in science, specifically astronomy and geology. Mariah, a visually impaired student at the College of Charleston, is also assisting with this workshop. Service dogs are welcome!

Cynthia Hall serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geology and is Director of the Lowcountry Hall of Science and Math, the education arm of the School of Science and Math at the College of Charleston. She teaches courses in Environmental Geology, Earth System Science for Teachers, and Marine and Coastal Science for Teachers. Through the Hall, she serves as a critical bridge between science and math faculty and educators in the region, as well as, develops and implements STEM professional development opportunities for educators and designs and develops curricula using effective pedagogical strategies and focusing on STEM-related content.

Dr. Cassandra Runyon is Director of South Carolina NASA Space Grant Consortium and Associate Professor at the College of Charleston in the Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences specializing in Remote Sensing, GIS, Geomorphology, and Planetary Geology.