Biography

Amy Barraclough has loved informal education ever since she started working at the Allen F. Blocher Planetarium as a student presenter. It was there she realized she could make a career teaching the wonders of the night sky. After graduating with a BS in Physics, Amy became the Program Coordinator at the Planetarium at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Here she learned how to create original planetarium shows, began training the next crop of planetarium educators, and completed her digital photography certificate. In 2014, she was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Arlington Museum of Art for her submission in the Image as Art photography competition.

Amy was honored with the Digistar Users Group's Jim Hashimoto Memorial Award in 2014 for her contributions to the planetarium field. 

Her distinguished career has been recognized with an Outstanding Maverick Award from UTA in 2015, Rowan's PROFessional of the Month in September 2017, and SJ Magazine's 2020 Women of Excellence for Business Excellence award.

Since Amy became Director, the Edelman Planetarium has seen tremendous growth doubling annual attendance and increasing the public show schedule. The Edelman Planetarium has been named in numerous "Best of" lists by SJ Magazine and South Jersey Magazine since 2017.

In 2019 she journeyed to Chile with the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP) to learn about US-funded observatories built in Chile, the astronomy capital of the world.

Amy's interest is in inspiring the next generation of students to go into STEM fields. She achieves this through community outreach, K-12 field trips, and public shows. She hopes to see a return to the Moon and the first person on Mars.

Education:
BA (Physics), University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Grants:
Small Business Administration - Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, $61,627
NASA - Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions Community Anchor Award - $24,997
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Roving With Perseverance Exhibit