Astrophysicist speaks at TJC ahead of Eclipse

Michael Garcia
·3 min read
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TYLER, Texas (KETK) – At Tyler Junior College on Thursday, Astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi spoke with students ahead of Monday’s Total Solar Eclipse.

City of Tyler offers eclipse viewers opportunity to get ‘mooned’

Oluseyi has seen five total solar eclipses in his life and for his sixth he’ll be watching it all unfold on Good Morning America from the Dallas Arboretum.

“If the clouds and the weather are nice to us, you’re going to see things you’ve only seen in the movies. First, if you’re in a place that’s flat and broad, you’re going to see the shadow of the moon rushing toward you across the landscape, and then you’ll see the sky begin to darken a little bit. Then, it will get really dark, you will feel the temperature drop, and then you’ll see the corona of the sun just pop out, and then you’re just mesmerized. And then it goes in reverse. The shadow of the moon will race away in the other direction, and you’ll just be left thinking, ‘What just happened?!’ It’s going to be amazing.”

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi

Oluseyi, who has his PHD in Physics from Stanford University, also spoke about his own career in academia to inspire TJC students.

  • Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi speaks to students during his TJC Powerful Voices presentation Thursday on the TJC central campus.
    Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi speaks to students during his TJC Powerful Voices presentation Thursday on the TJC central campus. Photo courtesy of Tyler Junior College.
  • From left: Dr. Juan E. Mejia, TJC president and CEO; Caitlin Drahem, TJC student life coordinator; Mitch Andrews, TJC vice president for institutional advancement; Dr. Beau Hartweg, TJC Earth and Space Science Center director; Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi; Dr. Larry Anderson and Lauren Tyler, TJC director of student life. Photo courtesy of Tyler Junior College.

“I hope that by telling my story, people will also see themselves and find a way through academia and achieve their dreams,” Oluseyi said.

Oluseyi explained his journey into physics in his book “A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars.”

Texas eclipse map: Which cities will have the best view?

“You see someone like me and you think I’ve always had it good,” he said. “But I made it with hope, help from others, and a lot of hustle. If you believe in yourself and you believe in your dreams and people are willing to help you, you can make it.”

TJC will have viewing locations for the eclipse set up at the following locations on Monday:

TJC central campus

  • Noon to 3 p.m. — Community Viewing Party at Pat Hartley Field

    • Telescopes and other viewing options

  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — TJC Spring Fling and Viewing Party at the Intramural Field

    • Free crawfish, hot dogs, nachos and live music

  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — TJC Earth and Space Science Center

    • Outdoor viewing party and livestream in the planetarium

  • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Rogers Student Center

  • 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. — Rogers Nursing & Health Sciences Center

Livestream locations

  • Apache Rooms in the Rogers Student Center

  • Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center

  • Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center

  • TJC Earth and Space Science Center

TJC West

  • 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Viewing party at the RTDC Patio/Front Lawn

    • Free Dairy Queen Blizzards, drinks, games and more

There’s plenty of fun festivities happening all across the country on Monday. For a list of local events visit KETK’s list of eclipse events happening in East Texas online.

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