Focus on the faculty: Robin Shelton

The impact of my research is that it has moved forward our understanding of the galaxy in which we live.

How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa?

Students greatly enjoy when I tell them about the newest astronomical discoveries. Some of that information is learned at scientific meetings that I attend as part of my research and scholarship duties.

Probably, my scientific presentations have benefited from practices that I learned while teaching. There is a lot of detail in science, and it can be fun to roll around in it. But as a result of practices I learned while teaching, I try to make my presentations give precedence to the big picture and the arc of my narrative or logic rather than leading with the details.

The UGA Observatory is one of the university's special places - a wonderful experience on certain occasions to look up and away, far beyond our usual purview. Dr. Shelton's great work coordinating this resource, coupled with her research and teaching, creates a blend of public service with science that is at once moving and edifying.