Tuesday, August 5th-Thursday, August 7th, 2025

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Please Save-the-Date for an upcoming Earth to Sky night sky and space science professional development opportunity for interpreters, communicators, and non-formal educators in the Upper Midwest!

This course is hosted by Earth to Sky (ETS), funded by NASA, and offered in collaboration with the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Interested in collaborating with the planning team for this course? Please contact Brandi Stewart, ETS Space Science Coordinator, at the contact information below.

About the Course

Join us for a three day workshop tailored for those who want to share the night sky with their audience. This collaborative training will provide nonformal educators and interpreters with tools, resources, and connections to enhance night sky programs. This course is ideal for beginners and seasoned night sky communicators, whether you’re just starting to facilitate stargazing programs or looking to enhance your astronomy interpretation skills. Participants will explore methods for effective space science programming while integrating regional perspectives to deepen audience connection to the night skies. 

Through hands-on activities, expert presentations, and collaborative sessions, participants will gain confidence in orienting visitors to the night sky, techniques for astronomy programming without specialized equipment, and strategies for engaging all audiences in urban and rural settings. 

You’ll become part of the growing Earth to Sky community of practice of over 2200 communicators and scientists from a variety of organizations that integrate NASA science into their place-based programming. Most importantly, you’ll gain practical resources for your interpretive toolbox and an actionable plan for creating memorable experiences under the stars for your visitors. 

Resource Fair Opportunity

During this workshop, we will host a resource fair for participants to engage one-on-one with local resources to enhance their night sky programming. We are looking for organizations that can speak to nocturnal wildlife, dark sky initiatives, light pollution, astronomical photography, amateur telescope hosts, citizen science, or creative arts. Participants are also encouraged to be presenters at the resource fair! If you are interested in learning more, please contact Brandi Stewart.

Target Audience

Frontline interpretive staff, non-formal educators, public lands interns, tour operators, science communicators, and interpretive managers from the private or public sector interested in collaborating with others to communicate about night skies and space science. No prior experience with night sky programming is necessary! We encourage anyone who is interested in astronomy communication to apply!

Apply Now!

Please Apply via this Google Form

For questions, comments, or concerns, please contact at Brandi Stewart, ETS Space Science Coordinator, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photo credit: Logan Sauer/USFWS