Spotlight on Eli Wiston
BASIS volunteers are the heart of our outreach programs, bringing enthusiasm, expertise, and excitement for STEM to students throughout the East Bay. As our volunteers share their science stories with students, CRS would like to share some of them with you! Read on to hear BASIS volunteer Eli Wiston’s thoughts.
CRS: Welcome, Eli! Please introduce yourself.
My name is Eli Wiston and I’m a 4th year Astronomy PhD student. I’ve been working with CRS’s Be A Scientist program for 3 years, leading the Astronomy BASIS team for the past 2 years, and just started as a BASIS Campus Coordinator!
CRS: How did you wind up in your current role/department/lab/field? Describe one or two of the main mileposts along your journey.
Ever since Kindergarten, I loved learning math. In high school, that grew into a love of physics. If I could pinpoint one moment that brought me to my field, it was learning about the first binary neutron star merger in 2017. I was a senior in high school when it was discovered and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I was reading all the popular science articles about it and how exciting it was to work on it. 8 years later and now I’m working with one of the main teams that studied that event!
CRS: Who or what inspires you to do science outreach and why?
A lot of it comes from my own passion for science. I found my love of astronomy because I had the fortune of having a thorough math and physics education in high school. But it shouldn’t be a matter of fortune for someone to find their passion; everyone should have that opportunity. Obviously, I don’t think every kid should grow up to work in STEM, but every kid should get to make that choice for themselves. With BAS and BASIS, we get to give every kid a chance to learn about science in a fun, exciting way.
Astronomy is an especially powerful science for outreach. Kids (and most adults!) are inherently excited about space and eager to learn more. Astronomy is often referred to as a “gateway science,” our foot in the door to get kids excited in all things STEM!
For people, Darlene at CRS is definitely a big inspiration! I met her in my first semester at Berkeley and her energy and enthusiasm for science education is infectious.
How do you think your outreach activities with CRS support greater STEM education?
There’s something special about going into classrooms and meeting students where they are. When you ask students to come to you to learn, there’s always kids you’re going to miss - whether it’s because there are barriers to reaching you or because they haven’t had a chance to learn they love STEM yet. With BAS and BASIS, we get to give every kid a chance to learn about science in a fun, exciting way.
Astronomy is an especially powerful science for outreach. Kids (and most adults!) are inherently excited about space and eager to learn more. Astronomy is often referred to as a “gateway science,” our foot in the door to get kids excited in all things STEM!
CRS: Describe your favorite part of your science outreach experiences
I love when the students show us the things they made! We have crafting time as part of each BASIS lesson - making model planets, telescopes, rocket ships, etc. They’re so proud of their crafts and I’m genuinely so impressed by how creative they are!
