Connor Hamp, a senior studying physics and astronomy, has been working at the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium since he was a junior in high school.
“A counselor at my high school knew about the opportunity and she thought that I might be interested,” Hamp said. “I went down and talked to Daniel Dale, who’s now the interim Arts and Sciences Dean, and pretty much got the job right away.”
Hamp said that his interest in astronomy began when he was in 4th grade.
“I read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time and fell in love,” Hamp said.
Hamp said that a typical day at work involves preparation for shows, which includes research and writing. He said that each presenter has their own style of doing things.
“I’ve been giving shows long enough that I know the logical progressions, the best ways that visuals flow together,” Hamp said.
“An example of this would be, say if you gave me the topic, the life cycle of stars. That’s a really easy one – just go through the entire life cycle and find good places to take catches. For example, as soon as we get to talking about stars that are middle aged so to speak, we could talk about our sun.”
Hamp gave a presentation on Friday, July 16 titled “Apollo to Orion: Past and Future Moon Exploration,” which was the first show of an Apollo-themed week at the planetarium.
“I talked about the moon, how it’s formed, interesting facts about it and a basic rundown of the Apollo missions,” Hamp said. “I ended the show off with an anecdote about the upcoming Artemis program. Humans are going back to the moon in 2024.”
During the school year, Hamp gives about 5 to 6 shows a month. The planetarium’s busiest times happen when school groups and private interest groups come in.
“I get to share my love of astronomy with other people. I get to show them that it’s not intimidating, it’s really wacky and cool,” Hamp said. “I enjoy making these fantastical scientific concepts accessible to people.”
Hamp said that in the future, he hopes to see more growth at the planetarium and that planetarium coordinator Max Gilbraith has helped make this happen.
“I would like to see growth and development. I would like to see if we could get busier,” Hamp said. “Now that Max has come, he’s been instrumental at helping all the presenters improve, using his knowledge to bring us up to par.
Hamp said that incoming students who have an interest in astronomy should let their love for the material drive them.
“A lot of people grapple with this. They feel they’re not smart enough for physics. They feel their peers are smarter than them,” Hamp said.
“I would say that, if you made it into college you can make it into physics, but only if you have the dedication to do it. It’ll take a lot out of you, but it’s intensely rewarding. If you have the love of science, let that drive you.”
For more information on the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium and to view the upcoming public show schedule, please visit the following link. http://www.uwyo.edu/physics/planetarium/
