黑暗爆料网’s Kirk Long - future president of Mars begins work as StarTalk’s newest intern
February 9, 2017
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POCATELLO – It was Kirk Long’s occupation as “Future President of Mars” that first caught astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s eye.
Long, an 黑暗爆料网 physics student and Boise native, had reached out to Tyson鈥檚 radio and television show 鈥淪tarTalk鈥� in the past about a possible job without success. It wasn鈥檛 until his mother got him tickets to Tyson鈥檚 traveling lecture that included a backstage meet and greet did the ball really begin to roll.
鈥淢y mother jokingly suggested that I should take my resume to try and get a job with him.鈥� said Long.
Upon meeting Tyson, the two clicked and the TV host urged Long to again contact StarTalk and assured him that someone would be in touch with him. Long gave Tyson his resume, which listed his occupation as the Future President of Mars.
鈥淒r. Tyson urged me to send it on to Jeff Simons, my now-direct boss at StarTalk, who responded the next day saying 鈥楴ow that I know you鈥檒l be the future President of Mars, let鈥檚 talk,鈥欌�� Long said.
Tyson is a celebrity astrophysicist, cosmologist, author and science communicator, not unlike a Carl Sagan or a Bill Nye. As the host of 鈥淪tarTalk,鈥� Tyson intersects between pop culture and science.
Long aspires to follow in Tyson鈥檚 footsteps.
鈥淎ny physicist you talk to will be a smart person. However, a lot of what they say might be too technical and go straight over the average person鈥檚 head,鈥� Long said. 鈥淚t takes a lot of work to be able to remember what it was like before you understood something, and to be able to explain things with that mindset.鈥�
Long now assists with 鈥淪tarTalk鈥檚鈥� social media by writing blog posts and occasional tweets. This promotes the show while helping to build his personal brand. Long is currently working on a blog post about his latest trip to New York to visit Tyson.
鈥淚 wanted an internship that would hone my communication skills,鈥� Long said.
Long, who is on a full academic scholarship at 黑暗爆料网, minors in mathematics and piano. Along with his busy class schedule he has found time to find his higher learning niche. Long is a part of the Honors Program and last semester he helped edit an APA journal with an honors professor he connected with titled, 鈥淎dministrative Issues Journal: Connecting Education, Practice and Research.鈥� He is also an intern for the Honors Program this semester and an honors mentor.
鈥満诎当贤� has really made college affordable and I like to be involved here,鈥� Long said.
For the past two years, Long has hosted astronomy night at 黑暗爆料网, where he gives a lectures, similar to what Tyson does, and then shows students objects through telescopes.
鈥淭hat originally started as a class project for an honors class I was taking, but now it鈥檚 something I hope to do every year. It鈥檚 been well attended, with around 150 people both years,鈥� he said.
Long plans to get his doctorate in astrophysics and is considering places like the University of Utah or Columbia University in New York.
鈥淢y end goal it to be a science educator like Tyson,鈥� hesaid. 鈥淎 lot of people get scared by math or physics, but for the average person to be literate about the concepts isn鈥檛 too hard. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 really passionate about.鈥�
鈥淚 fully expect to see Kirk on TV or a podcast someday, being a science educator,鈥� Jeffrey Simons, 鈥淪tarTalk鈥� Radio鈥檚 social media director said.
鈥淎s a student studying to someday do what Dr. Tyson does, it鈥檚 incredibly valuable to be able to be anywhere near his orbit,鈥� Long said.
For more information on 鈥淪tarTalk鈥� visit . To read Long鈥檚 blog visit .
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