A 50-Year Legacy of Astronaut Photography: Illuminating the Power of the Overview Effect
Fifty years ago, astronauts first landed on the moon and humanity experienced
a transformational view of our planet – the Earth from space. This aweinspiring
perspective generated a new awareness of Earth's interconnections
and fragility, instilled in viewers a deep caring for the planet, and, as a
result, the Overview Effect was created. This presentation focuses on this
profound cognitive shift, how earthbound individuals simulate this shift
by observing Earth's dynamic, interlinked workings and human impacts on
Earth via astronaut photography, and the continued legacy of the Overview
Effect and NASA's photographic archive on ways people inspire stewardship
of our planet.
– Joseph Reese, Ph.D.
Joseph Reese, Ph.D., is a full professor of Geology at PennWest Edinboro University, where he has taught courses on rock deformation and metamorphism, the tectonic history of North America, geologic hazards and energy resources since 2002. Dr. Reese holds a Ph.D. in the Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. He maintains an active, eclectic scholarly agenda, focusing on place-based geoscience education, undergraduate geoscience education reform, evolution of Earth systems, use of remotely sensed imagery to investigate Earth’s surface, and craft beer. He regularly presents at national and regional conferences and routinely participates in the activities of professional societies at various levels.
