FOLLOWING PUSH BY SCHUMER, NASA AGREES TO SEND ASTRONAUT TO SEPTEMBER 7TH COMMUNITY STARWALK EVENT AT THE WALKWAY OVER THE HUDSON; SENATOR SAYS ASTRONAUT’S ATTENDANCE WILL LAUNCH WALKWAY’S APPEAL IN HUDSON VALLEY AND BEYOND -- AND BOOST EFFORTS TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICAN STEM STUDENTS
The Recently Announced STARWALK Series, By The Walkway Over The Hudson, Brings Local Communities And Tourists Alike To The Walkway Over The Hudson State Park While Learning About Astronomy
Schumer Led the Push To Secure An Astronaut’s Attendance; Says NASA Presence Will Inspire And Engage Students and Stargazers Of All Ages, As Well As Tourists, On Importance Of Science, The Beauty of the Hudson, and the Wonder of the Cosmos
Schumer: Astronaut Visit on September 7th Will Launch Walkway Over the Hudson Programming Into A New Galaxy
Following his push, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will be sending an astronaut to the Walkway Over the Hudson to attend one of their STARWALK events. Schumer said Walkway Over the Hudson, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement, improvement, and upkeep of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park spanning across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to Highland, New York, recently announced a new series of educational programs called the STARWALK Series. Schumer praised Walkway Over the Hudson on their efforts to continue to help inspire students of all ages to become part of the next generation of world-class American scientists through their STARWALK and Moonwalk series and lauded NASA’s decision to send an astronaut to attend one of the STARWALK events.
“A bonafide hero, NASA astronaut’s attendance will help launch the STARWALK program into a new galaxy and will create an out-of-this-world experience for all those who participate,” said Senator Schumer, who only last week in a visit to the Walkway spearheaded the effort to persuade NASA to send an astronaut to the event. “This will boost efforts to attract participants from the Hudson Valley and beyond. Also, providing our students with all the tools necessary to learn about and become interested in scientific research and the environment has always been a top priority of mine, which is why I am so happy to announce that NASA quickly heeded my call and decided to send an astronaut right here to the Hudson Valley this summer to attend one of Walkway Over the Hudson’s STARWALK events. Not only will this inspire a new generation of scientists in the Hudson Valley, it also builds on NASA’s commitment to education and scientific research.”
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that NASA will be providing us an astronaut. We owe a big thank you to Senator Schumer for his unwavering support of our application and STARWALK program. We can’t believe how quickly his support helped make this a reality,” said Mike Oates, Walkway Over the Hudson Board Chairman.
Schumer said that Walkway Over the Hudson is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support and improvement of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park, spanning across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie to Highland, New York. According to Schumer, this group has organized previous astronomy-focused events, such as the Moonwalk series, which have averaged attendance several thousand local community members, as well as students and adults of all ages per event. Schumer said NASA has a strong history of supporting educational initiatives, especially in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines and lauded NASA for agreeing to participate in the STARWALK program by sending an astronaut to the Hudson Valley. Schumer added that he believes sending an astronaut to a STARWALK event will help inspire the local community, especially students, who could develop into the next generation of scientists.
Schumer added, “Walkway Over the Hudson has a phenomenal history of getting students in the Hudson Valley area engaged and hooked on the sciences particularly astronomy; that is why I pushed hard for NASA to send an astronaut to a STARWALK event. I can’t think of anything more special for our community, especially our students ranging of all ages, than having the opportunity to meet and be inspired by a real-life astronaut.”
Schumer explained that STARWALK, facilitated by the Walkway Over the Hudson, is an astronomically themed program designed to be fun, educational and interactive for beginner and advanced stargazers alike. Open and free to the public, Schumer proclaimed that STARWALK offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the stars and for the community to enjoy the staggering horizon-to-horizon view of the night sky on the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park. STARWALK events typically include introductions to the night sky, viewing constellations through telescopes and nighttime photography tips. Schumer said that these events will only be enhanced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) participation, especially by that of an astronaut seeing that they’re widely respected and admired for both their scientific knowledge and their life achievements.
Schumer’s announcement comes on the heels of his recent visit to Walkway Over the Hudson where he launched his push to have an astronaut attend. Additionally, Schumer has long praised and advocated for NASA for their strong history of supporting educational initiatives, especially in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Schumer said, now with NASA’s participation in STARWALK programming buildings on that mission and supports the agencies goals. Schumer explained that the STARWALK events are held in partnership with the Friends of the Walkway Over the Hudson, Vassar College, Marist College, the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association, the John R. Kirk Planetarium at SUNY New Paltz and many other local partners and with the thousands of visitors Walkway Over the Hudson sees every year.
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