Past Residencies - Dr. Cameron Hummels

Dr. Cameron Hummels is a computational astrophysicist at Caltech. His research uses supercomputers to simulate how galaxies like our own Milky Way form and evolve over billions of years. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Hummels acts as Director of Astronomy Outreach at Caltech.

As a professional scientist and science communicator, Dr. Hummels focused his time at Grand Canyon on engaging visitors in science education.He hosted a series of live presentations, including: “Understanding the Formation and Evolution of Galaxies;” “Black Holes;” “Space Exploration;” “Meteor Showers and the Birth of the Solar System;” “Understanding Our Moon;” “The Search for Life in the Universe;” and “The Science of Star Wars.”

He also led several “Astronomy on Taps” around the park. He was Grand Canyon’s eighth Astronomer in Residence.

 

Dr. Hummels provided several astronomy lectures to packed audiences during his residency.

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Residency Accomplishments

• Provided 23 public programs--a mixture between astronomy presentations, constellation talks, and Electronically-Assisted Astronomy sessions.
• 2,000 visitor attendees.
• Offered 2 visits to the children at Grand Canyon School.
• Offered 6 Astronomy on Tap presentations at several bars around Grand Canyon National Park, including on the North Rim, South Rim, and Phantom Ranch.
• Gave public talks on both rims and Phantom Ranch.
• Invited as the special speaker for a Town of Tusayan Night Sky Event
• Hiked over 300 miles in the backcountry.
• Starred in a Minute Out In It Film about his residency.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 9 seconds

Dr. Cameron Hummels was selected as Astronomer in Residence for the fall of 2023. "My research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way, over the billions of years that they've been forming. I do this through enormous supercomputing simulations, to follow their evolution, through internal processes like star formation and supernovae, as well as external, like the merging of other galactic systems." Spend a Minute Out In It with Cam teaching astronomy in the backcountry.

 

By day, Cameron offered views of the Sun through his H-Alpha telescope.

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Cameron brought an “Enhanced Vision” telescope to the park. It takes live images of deep-sky objects like galaxies, then stacks the images, so the detail of the object improves over time. He showed these images on projector screens for all to see.

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Cameron also offered several “Astronomy on Tap” presentations during his residency. Two short astronomy lectures were interspersed with “Astro Pub Trivia.” He invited astronomy researchers from universities around the southwest to provide various talks. Here they are at the Phantom Ranch Cantina.

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Media Coverage for Dr. Hummels' Residency

Astronomer in Residence Round Out Programs - Williams News

Grand Canyon Minute Out In It: Astronomer in Residence - Dr. Cameron Hummels