Thank you for your interest in learning more about our research!

We try to fulfill as many requests as possible, but our ability to run programs depends on the availability of our scientist volunteers. Scroll down to view our request form!

Current Public Engagement Programs

Programs are led by MKI researchers and are available to groups of students and/or adults. We are particularly interested in working with students who have limited access to STEM education and resources.

Planetarium Shows (off-site)

• Black Holes & Gravitational Waves (high school; Spanish, English, Spanglish; 20 minutes)
• Searching for Exoplanets (high school; Spanish, English, Spanglish; 30 minutes)
• Alaska Aurora Expedition (middle school; English)
• Custom night sky tours with connections to current astrophysics research (varies by presenter)

Lab Tours (on-site)

• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) center
• Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) labs
• X-ray optics lab
• Telescope instrumentation lab

Scientist Presentations (off-site)

• Guest speakers & public lectures (topics vary by presenter)
• School & classroom visits (presentations, hands-on demos, Q&A)
• Astronomy storytime (read-aloud, craft, Q&A)

Last updated: September 2026