I enjoy engaging with the public through outreach activities and public talks. On average I give around 12 talks a year to a diversity of audience from school kids, their families, and general public. I also create online astronomy content in my native Language (Arabic/Lebanese) targeted to the public in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. My page which has more than 5000 followers was one of the first  pages in the MENA region to offer astronomy content in Arabic language. I frequently post short videos covering a variety of astronomy/physics topics in a simple language.  Check out my Facebook channel here: https://www.facebook.com/LebAstroPodcast/

I recently started the Two Minute Paper project, aimed at producing short videos addressed to a public audience, summarizing papers led by astronomers at Michigan State University (and other institutes). My future aim  is to extend this project to become a national project, across different institutes and disciplines.  

To learn more about the Two Minute Paper initiative visit:

www.two-minute-paper.com

I make use of my photography and videography skills to create online videos, published on different mainstream social media platform. The aim of these videos is to offer educational online content in a fun and simple way. Some of these videos are aimed at promoting the outreach activities taking place at Michigan State University and the campus observatory. 

At the MSU Observatory, I organize the public viewing events, which hosts hundreds of visitors from the community twice a month. During the public nights we do a variety of astronomy related activities for kids and their families, public viewing with the telescopes, while the visitors get a chance to engage with local astronomers. In addition to organizing the events, I use social media to promote the science done at the observatory and our outreach events. 

Check out MSU observatory on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @msu_observatory

I am part of the organizing team of Astronomy on Tap (AoT) in Lansing, where we organize monthly astronomy events at a local bar. The events include talks by local or visiting astronomers, as well as, trivia and Q&A sessions, all within a relaxed and joyful atmosphere. For these events we focus on inviting speakers with a variety of identities so that our local community understands the diversity of astronomers. We also encourage the presenters to talk about a variety of topics, such as, talks that highlight the history of astronomy in different cultures.

Check out AoT Lansing on FB, Instagram, and Twitter.

As a PhD student in the South African Astronomical Observatory, I took part in organizing and contributing to the bi-monthly public open nights hosted at the observatory. My role entailed public tours of the historical telescopes, public viewing, and engagement with the attendees. I have also planned and organized public events across the city of Cape Town, targeting  the general public.  

Along with the Observatory's outreach department, we visited public schools in underfunded areas to teach students about science and help develop new innovative teaching practices for the educators.