Special Guest: Dr. Michael Bechtel
August 13 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
We have a incredible guest joining us to share his story and the love he has for the earth and beyond!Presenter Dr. Michael “Bec” BechtelWhen: Thursday, August 13th, 2026 from 2:00pm-3:00pmWhere: Virtually via ZoomTo sign up to receive Zoom link to this event: https://iowadeptblind.wufoo.com/forms/ra3evja1j0w596/
What do poison dart frogs, the Amazon rainforest, and NASA space telescopes have in common? They are all part of a day’s work for Dr. Michael “Bec” Bechtel, Professor of Science Education at Wartburg College! And he has agreed to share his passions with us!Topics may include:
What do poison dart frogs, the Amazon rainforest, and NASA space telescopes have in common? They are all part of a day’s work for Dr. Michael “Bec” Bechtel, Professor of Science Education at Wartburg College! And he has agreed to share his passions with us!Topics may include:
- His lifelong passion for living things (biophilia), his live campus menagerie of giant tortoises and dart frogs, and his recent research expeditions to the Amazon rainforest.
- His work with the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program. He was apart of a team that worked with NASA’s brand-new SPHEREx space telescope to track down hidden “YSOs” (Young Stellar Objects which are baby stars) wrapped inside massive cosmic dust clouds.
Bring your curiosity and your biggest science questions!