An SPS-Led, Department-Wide Eclipse Adventure
Two bus loads of Tufts students and faculty members commemorate their trip to totality with a group photo.
Tufts University SPS Chapter.
Early in the morning on April 8, 2024, a group of almost 80 Tufts students and faculty members boarded buses and began the 211-mile drive to Burlington, Vermont, which was in the path of totality. Just three months prior, our SPS board had entertained the idea of organizing a small, unaffiliated trip. Instead, we went big. We submitted proposals and funding requests and organized a department-wide outing to Burlington for eclipse viewing, outreach, and research.
When we arrived, we set up our experiments and eclipse-related demonstrations. Using materials from the SPS SOCK, handmade pinhole cameras, and even a bagel, we explained the physics behind the eclipse and demonstrations to curious onlookers. Just before totality, we gathered together to witness the amazing phenomenon. Then it was time to head home. The drive was extra long due to traffic, but we arrived back in time to attend the next day’s classes!
