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

October 2, 2025

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.

###

For Immediate Release

October 2, 2025

Contact: Jonelle Gurley

jgurley@mariamitchell.org

Recent Posts

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 6, 2026
July 15. {1863} My dear Sally . . . I think Mitchell is all right in his algebra. He can’t stand an examination in Trig but I don’t believe he will have a rigorous one. Father has seen the Prof. and will give him a letter to them.  If you can’t be honest with your sibling, who can you be honest with? Apparently, Sally Mitchell Barney’s son, William Mitchell Barney – known as Mitchell as his cousin William Mitchell Barney was known as Willie (how is that for honoring your father?!) – was visiting his aunt Maria and his grandfather, William Mitchell, at their home in Lynn, MA. Sally still lived on Nantucket and I suspect Mitchell was not only visiting but getting some much needed help with his mathematics by his aunt Maria. As always, she is brutally honest – he won’t pass a test in trigonometry (but, neither would I!). JNLF

Top O’ the Ridge!

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • June 29, 2026
In April and early May, at long last, the Mitchell House roof was replaced. (I noted this in an earlier blog.) I had also noted that the roofwalk, given the condition it was in and its location – sitting on the ridge – had to be replaced. They had thought they could jack it up – as they have done with other walks – but the Blizzard of February 2026 that was ALL wind (83 MPH winds – read Category 1 Hurricane) and no real snow, made the walk impossible to treat in such a manner (read: crumble). So, after much discussion, review by our preservation easement holder, and permits, as well as some fundraising, we are replacing the roofwalk. The prior walk was not the original. The original blew off in a gale in the late nineteenth century, replaced at some point in the 1930s, and likely replaced again in the 1960s or 1970s. Then, since that time, it was heavily repaired. Its framing members were notched to accept the ridge boards (read: peak) of the roof and I think that may have been an original way to construct a walk. Makes perfect sense – and gives the walk more support and a lower profile. It was after all about putting out chimney fires and preventing roof fires. People copied what worked – and there have been a few others noted to be built in this manner still. It presents an issue though – because if you need to work on the ridge board or close to it – you cannot get to it easily – I guess you may be able to access it to some extent by lifting the deck boards of the walk. The new Mitchell House roofwalk will sit about six inches above the ridge – which will also allow air to circulate better over the ridge and the shakes in that area. That is the only thing that will really be different. It is protected by a preservation easement – as part of the Mitchell House’s easement – and frankly, even if we did not have an easement, we would not want it to look any different. So keep your eyes to the skies at 1 Vestal as we work to re-build the walk. With a special thank you to Barber and Sons and Lydon and Sons. JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • June 22, 2026
1875, June 20. A meeting of the Officers of Congress was called at the house of Mrs. Hanaford, 5 Summit Ave., Jersey City. The weather was intensely cold. I went to New York on the 19 th and stopped with my friend Mrs. Clapp, 100 W. 54 St . . . .It was a question who should preside. Mrs. Hanaford thought the Chairman of the Executive Committee should and I had been told that I should, etc. The question was decided by the non-arrival of the Chairman of Ex.Com. I called them to order at an hour after the time appointed. Of course I made many blunders, as I have never presided before, but I continued for 4 hours. We did a few good things . . . The thing most weighing on Maria’s mind at this meeting was the looseness of membership for the Congress. She felt people were not being vetted properly in some areas of the country and thus they may allow in “undesirables.” I would take this to mean women who were not entirely behind the cause of the Congress and the Association for the Advancement of Women. I am not surprised by her suspicions and likely she was correct – one could see naysayers gaining access to this group and trying to destroy it from the inside. The women’s rights movement would have many schisms within it as people disagreed and broke into smaller factions.  Another important thing to point out is that Mrs. Hanaford is Nantucket-born Phebe Coffin Hanaford. Raised a Quaker, like Maria, Coffin Hanaford would become the first woman Universalist minister in New England – among many other firsts. She grew up with Maria, attended and taught at the Coffin School here on Nantucket, and was a founding member of another women’s organization, Sorosis, which Maria was also a founding member of. It’s nice to see two sister Nantucketers continuing to work together as adults – far from home! JNLF
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