Returning to the Island

Erin Holdgate • March 7, 2023

By: Erin Holdgate, MMA Marketing Director

 

Growing up in landlocked Denver, everything I knew about the ocean I learned slowly over time, one week a year, when my family would visit the birthplace of my father—Nantucket. 

 

Nantucket is a natural wonderland to me. It's where my deep gratitude, respect, and love for the ocean was born. It's why I dreamt of becoming a marine biologist despite living some 800 miles from the closest coastline. And when I was laid off from my corporate marketing job in the early months of 2022, after spending two-plus years working from my compact Seattle apartment, Nantucket is where I knew I had to be next.

 

As a kid, everything about the island felt so foreign, and so hard to explain to my school peers back in the Rocky Mountain state. Although getting here is a journey in itself, the two-hour ferry ride was magical for me and all five of my senses. I'd get a seat on the top deck just to lean over the railing and watch the frothy waves slap against the side of the vessel; to feel the humid air take shape as beads of moisture on my forehead. And the salty air? It was unlike any other scent my olfactory system had the pleasure of knowing back in semi-arid Colorado.

 

I never became a marine biologist like little-kid me planned, but I was able to curate a college education that combined my love of natural sciences with my writing skills. This launched me down a career path that ultimately led me to my current role as the MMA's Marketing Director—a job posting that felt more like an empty seat at the proverbial table that I swore was waiting for me, and I it.

 

I came to Nantucket in May of 2022 in search of a post-pandemic reset, a summer job that didn't involve Zoom calls and my less-than-ergonomic home office setup. Through family, I was connected with the owner of Garden Group, who offered me a spot with his crews for the summer. As I became quicker at potting flowers and pulling weeds, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that I was handling roots all day, all the while getting in touch with my own.

 

I have a local last name, and had I been born here, I'd be a sixth-generation Nantucketer. But the longer I live here, the more I realize I don't know—about the island, its history, its people, its way of going about life. Let alone the endless natural areas, trails, parks, and beaches I have yet to explore.

 

I try to remind myself I'm in no rush to see it all, however. Mid-summer, when I told a friend I wanted to stay on the island beyond my summer job, she encouraged me to do so, telling me to be patient and "let the island show me" all of its opportunities.   

 

In the six months I've been at the MMA, I've used this as a mantra a time or two. Slow down, and allow the Grey Lady to reveal herself to me. 

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Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes Dr. Jackie Milingo, MMA's Director of Astronomy, as Featured October Science Speaker Series

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NANTUCKET, MA— —The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host its new Director of Astronomy, Jackie Mlingo, PhD., as a featured presenter for its October Science Speaker Series. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, October 15 at 7pm in person at the MMA Research Center, 2 Vestal Street, and via Zoom. The event is FREE to all. Have you ever noticed the dark spots that sometimes appear on the Sun’s surface? These “sunspots” are just one example of star spots—mysterious patches that appear on stars across the galaxy. Far from being simple blemishes, star spots reveal the powerful magnetic forces at work inside stars, forces that also drive solar storms and shape the space weather that can impact entire planetary systems. In this talk, Dr. Milingo will share her research on star spots and how she uses them as a window into teaching undergraduates the process of scientific discovery. She will also explore how science can reach far beyond the classroom—bringing STEM into everyday spaces and sparking curiosity across communities, from kindergartners to lifelong learners. Dr. Jackie Milingo is an observational astronomer who earned B.S. degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Oklahoma. Her research is currently focused on understanding magnetic activity cycles in sun-like stars through long-term studies of starpots. Dr. Milingo joins the MMA after a year-long AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the U.S. National Science Foundation, where she was a Fellow in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, as well as the Astronomy Division in the Math and Physical Sciences Directorate. Before her fellowship, she was a professor in the Physics Department at Gettysburg College for over twenty years where her work included mentoring undergraduate research students. Dr. Milingo joined the staff of the MMA in early September after a year-long, worldwide search for a new astronomer. She becomes the eighth MMA Astronomer and Director of the Astronomy Department of the MMA since Margaret Harwood, the MMA’s first astronomer, served from 1916 to 1957. Dr. Milingo has spent her career committed to generating transformative experiential learning opportunities, contributing to public education and outreach, removing barriers for students, and changing the conversation and learning spaces in astronomy, physics, and STEM in general. This event will be held both in person and via Zoom. Pre-registration is required to attend either option. To register for the free, in-person event, use the registration link below: https://112458a.blackbaudhosting.com/112458a/October-Science-Speaker-Series--Dr-Jackie-Milingo To register for the free, Zoom option, use the registration link below: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5q4kXF2rRHi8iWbFPkLN5w The Science Speaker Series is generously sponsored by the Maria Mitchell Association’s lead sponsor, Bank of America The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###

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Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 29, 2025
Sept. 25, 1854. . . . The best that can be said of my life so far is that it has been industrious, and the best that can be said of me is that I have not pretended to what I was not.  I think of two things when I read this. One is that Quakers believed in being industrious and not wasting time. The second point makes me think immediately of Holden Caulfield – The Catcher in the Rye if you don’t know that character’s name – and his various references and discussions to “phonys” as he refers to them though Maria’s mention here is not entirely in the same vain. A materially successful Quaker was one who was living “in the light,” as Quakers referred to it. Even if gifted with material wealth, Quakers still lived frugally and were a hard working group of people. As Hector St. Jean de Crèvecoeur noted, “Idleness is the most heinous sin that can be committed in Nantucket . . . for idleness is considered as another word for want and hunger.” If you were not productive and industrious, you would starve – and it would affect others in the community since isolated Nantucket acted as a corporate family economy – everyone was relying on one another for survival. While Maria is also not necessarily going to this depth of industrious it is a Quaker ethic that was strongly imbued in her. She certainly was a hard worked with numerous accomplishments to her name and many different projects completed even by 1854 at age thirty-six. And don’t forget October 1 st is the anniversary of Maria’s comet discovery – October 1, 1847. JNLF
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