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Explore Alliance Ambassadors - Matthias Schmitt

Explore Alliance Ambassadors - Matthias Schmitt
Zion National Park, Utah USA
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Matthias Schmitt is the founder of Stargazing Zion that gives people a multi-faceted experience of the cosmos under some of the darkest skies in America. Schmidt is also the sky coordinator at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. He is an avid eclipse chaser with observations in Oregon, Argentina, Oman, and other locations. 

Matthias Schmidt was previously the executive producer of the award-winning animated kids STEM TV show Space Racers that is shown around the world in 35 different languages. Recipient of a NASA grant to educate the next generation of space explorers, Space Racers follows the cadets of Stardust Space Academy on their fun adventures through the Solar System.  

 

After receiving a high school graduation prize for physics, Matthias took a detour into finance, barely escaped the Black Hole of "careers without meaning" and used the gravitational slingshot around the accretion disk to find his way back into astronomy and physics.

His favorite observation objects of the outer sciences are eclipses, when he doesn't forget to take off the solar filter during totality, and he likes to explore the inner sciences through Buddhism.

Outreach
 

Explore Alliance Ambassador Matthias Schmitt at an Outreach Event in New York CityMatthias Schmitt at an astronomy outreach event in New York City

Matthias has been passionately involved in outreach and public events in astronomy, STEM, and space sciences for more than ten years. He teaches a wide range of astronomy topics to K-12 students and members of astronomy clubs alike. 
He holds a graduate certificate in astronomy from Swinburne University's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing and is working on his Master of Science. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the St. George Astronomy Group, and the Amateur Astronomer Association of New York. 
 
Through Space Racers, Matthias and his team created activities for families, and lesson plans for educators to create a greater understanding of the universe.
  
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo, Space Racers conducted an essay contest for parents to share their favorite memories of the Apollo era, and partnered with Kennedy Space Center, Explore Scientific, and LEGO for their "When I Was YOUR Age..." event. 
 
Space Racers Apollo 50 "When I was your age..." Event
 
Activities and Events

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