As Highlanders are either preparing to focus on the next steps of their education through a college degree, or just beginning their journeys towards college and a career through the exploration of different topics, clubs like McLean’s Astronomy Club look to be a resource to students as they navigate the vast pool of various interests. During Highlander Time 4 last Friday, the club hosted Georgetown University sophomore Anjan Balakrishnan to discuss some of the specific projects and areas of interest he has been able to hone in on in college.

“It was really nice to learn how involved these college students are, because it’s not like they’re just going and observing things that are happening in the real world,” senior Callie Kimmett said. “They’re part of it, and doing big stuff like funding, investing in, and creating it.”

Specifically with astronomy, the words of university students such as Balakrishnan provide students with hope for deeper exploration of topics like astronomy and more, most of which are barely addressed in high school, if at all.

“I want to inspire people to see what they can do beyond high school for astronomy,” club officer Thamarie Pinnaduwage said. “There’s a lot of dimension [to it], you can help other people or work on the business and policy side…exploring the multi-dimensional impact of astronomy was the main goal [of this presentation].”

As far as the rest of the year goes for the club, there will be one more observatory night with the date still to be determined. The Astro-Journal project from last year will also be continued, with club members writing academic articles on various astronomy topics.

“The [club] leaders are going to work on editing and compiling the articles for publication.” Pinnduwage said. “[This] will likely happen after AP exams.”