North Dakota Ag Connection - Dickinson Convocation to be Followed by Eclipse Party

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Dickinson Convocation to be Followed by Eclipse Party
North Dakota Ag Connection - 08/21/2017

Dickinson State University (DSU) will host the eighth annual Convocation ceremony Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. in Dorothy Stickney Auditorium. Convocation is the official opening ceremony for the 2017-2018 academic year and is hosted by the students, faculty, staff, administration and alumni of the University.

This year's ceremony will feature a welcome from DSU Student Body President Mr. Parker Robinson, a senior majoring in communications with an entrepreneurship minor. The opening academic ceremony will be led by Dr. Carmen Wilson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and will include a welcome by DSU President Dr. Thomas Mitzel.

Along with the traditional all campus picnic at King Pavilion, the ceremony will also be followed by an eclipse viewing party hosted by the Department of Natural Sciences. "Solar eclipses are visible very rarely from the United States," says Dr. Corinne Brevik, associate professor of physics at DSU. "Don't miss this amazing astronomical experience!"

According to Dr. Brevik, the actual eclipse will start in Dickinson at 10:29 a.m. It will reach maximum coverage at 11:49 a.m. where individuals will be able to observe a partial solar eclipse with approximately 85 percent of the sun covered by the moon, lasting about 2.5 minutes. The eclipse will end entirely at 1:11 p.m.

The viewing party will take place in the Murphy Hall parking lot on the North side of DSU's main campus and is free and open to the public. Individuals are welcome to drop in and out as their schedule allows between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and the first 100 people who attend will receive free eclipse viewing glasses. Dr. Corinne Brevik will also be on hand to answer astronomy questions and discuss the eclipse as it is happening!

Arrangements have also been made for those who would rather view the eclipse from the comfort of an auditorium, or in the case of cloudy weather. The eclipse will be streamed live in Stroup Auditorium in Murphy Hall Room 117.

Both events are free to attend and open to the public.

For more information about the eclipse viewing party, contact Dr. Corinne Brevik at 701-483-2575 or Corinne.brevik@dickinsonstate.edu.

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