Visualization of Hurricane Helene and sea surface temperatures made with OpenSpace prepared by Dr. KaChun Yu
Hurricane Helene arrived last year with a devastating impact that is still being felt today in western North Carolina. Experts at using science visualizations to tell stories about our home planet to the public, Bob Raynolds and KaChun Yu from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will present on this historic event with their unique style of immersive data storytelling. Using the NASA-funded OpenSpace visualization software, they will show a minute-by-minute timeline of the storm and its aftermath. Learn how scientists use dramatic data visualizations, from NOAA satellite imagery to USGS flood gauge records, to predict the paths of hurricanes and show their potential impacts. Find out how we can learn from this and other storms to protect our communities in the future.
Join us in the SECU Daily Planet Theater for this special presentation event at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Thursday, November 13, and Friday, November 14.
Dr. Bob Raynolds is a geologist based in Denver. He has taught at Peshawar University in Pakistan, Dartmouth College, the Colorado School of Mines and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Bob previously worked for the US Geological Survey, Exxon, and Amoco. Bob is currently a Research Associate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science studying sediments in the Denver Basin that record the uplift of the Rocky Mountains. He is former president of the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge and of the Colorado Scientific Society. His recent lectures focus on the geological record and its role in helping to understand the impact of environmental changes on Colorado’s ecology and water resources.
Dr. KaChun Yu is an astronomer, and the Curator of Space Science at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, which he joined as part of a team tasked to create planetarium software to visualize the known universe. He has helped produce movies for the digital dome; has created Earth educational programs for the planetarium; and has done research on how digital planetariums can be used to effectively teach astronomy. He is one of the founders of the Worldviews Network, a group using immersive visuals to place Earth within its cosmic context, and to connect public audiences with ecological, biodiversity, and climate issues. He participates in extensive education and public outreach including giving numerous talks to the public, and advising on science content in permanent and temporary museum exhibits.