Pamela Shivak is a social media astronomy, STEAM and outreach promoter.
As a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, she travels the country attending conferences and star parties giving talks on NASA’s missions and does solar outreach with her husband Randy, who is a pro-am solar astronomer/imager. Pamela and her husband were both born and raised in Ohio. They moved to Arizona in 2012 for 6 years, but now reside in Southwest Florida and are both retired.
She has presented talks titled “Living with a Star” and “Reaching out with Social Media”, at RTMC Astronomy Expo, Solar Fest USA and at ALPO’s conference at the University of Georgia.
Pamela talks to many people about the sun and NASA’s solar missions every weekend when she and her husband do day and night astronomy on the beach in Southwest Florida. Of special interest is the Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s first mission to Touch the Sun, which Pamela saw launch from Kennedy Space Center in 2018.
The biggest event by far she participated in as a Solar System Ambassador was the Astronomy Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC which drew a crowd of thousands.
Activities and Events
Star parties include, Arizona SciTech Festival, Grand Canyon Star Party, Riverside Telescope Makers Conference, the Starlight Festival, Texas Star Party, Okie-Tex Star Party, Chiefland Star Party, Astronomy Festival on the National Mall, Solarfest USA, NEAF Solar Star Party, Winter Star Party, The Regional Gathering of Amateur Astronomers, Astronomical League Conference, Summer Solstice Event at Catawba Science Center, Peach State Star Gaze and our own 2017 Total Solar Eclipse event in Idaho.
Awards and Recognition
For her efforts in promoting astronomy outreach, she was awarded the Clifford W. Holmes Award at RTMC in 2016 given to individuals who provide a “Major Contribution to Popularizing Astronomy” and has earned a Master level Outreach Certificate from the Astronomical League.
Outreach
Pamela organizes worldwide outreach events on social media like International SUNday which she founded, the Worldwide Solstice Festival and Solar Sidewalk Astronomer’s SUN-day. These events mobilize hundreds of folks and astronomy clubs around the world to celebrate our life giving star, the sun and share the experience with the public. Pamela and her husband also do weekly outreach down in Southwest Florida.
Affiliations
Pamela’s astronomical affiliations include; being a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, an Astronomy Outreach Network Ambassador, an Assistant Solar Coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, a Solar Sidewalk Astronomers Coordinator as well as a Member at Large in the Astronomical League, and a member of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society.
She is also a Co-founder of the Solaractivity facebook group dedicated to solar imagers and all things solar astronomy with almost 25,000 members worldwide.
Events
- TBA