OSU Wooster campus hosting daylong Eclipse Day
The Wooster campus of Ohio State will be open all day on April 8 beginning at 8 a.m. for the CFAES Wooster Campus Eclipse Day, with a variety of events and activities.
The Wooster campus of OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, formerly OARDC, invites the public to join the campus community on April 8 for a day celebrating the upcoming solar eclipse.
The campus will be open all day beginning at 8 a.m. for the CFAES Wooster Campus Eclipse Day, with a variety of events and activities. Parking on campus will be limited to 300 cars, so anyone wanting to park is encouraged to come early.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a total eclipse,” said Andy Michel, associate dean and director of the CFAES Wooster campus. “Since the eclipse occurs between 2 and 4:30 p.m., we are inviting the public to come early for a CFAES Science Day, which will showcase the research, extension and outreach that we do on the CFAES Wooster campus.”
During past eclipse events, the campus has seen a lot of visitors looking for a spot for viewing due to the open areas and parking. “Our goal is to have science-based activities and events for our visitors prior to the eclipse,” Michel said.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be activities and events including the United Titanium Bug Zoo, research on composting, microbe viewing with microscopes, build-your-own-greenhouse, water testing, an eclipse livestream and other activities. These events will occur in two buildings on campus — the Wooster Science Building and Wooster Campus Conference Center.
Visitors also can walk in Secrest Arboretum and play the campus disc golf course.
“At 1 p.m. we will encourage everyone toward viewing areas to watch the eclipse, which begins at 2,” Michel said. “Full totality is expected to occur at 3:15, with the eclipse completely over at 4:30.”
All science activities will be geared toward students in kindergarten through 12th grade and their families. There will be a limited number of free eclipse viewing glasses available. OSU faculty, staff and students will be on hand volunteering for the day.
The CFAES Wooster Campus Eclipse Day is a free event. The main entrance to campus will open at 8 a.m. at 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Parking is first come, first served, and once the parking lots are full, they will be closed. Individuals walking, biking or parking elsewhere are welcome all day, and there is no overnight camping.
“We strongly recommend that visitors with vehicles plan to stay the entire day once arriving,” Michel said.
Vehicles will exit the campus via Secrest Road, turning eastbound toward Apple Creek Road.
For updated information visit https://wooster.osu.edu/events/solar-eclipse-2024. For any additional questions, email Loren Harper at harper.202@osu.edu or Michel at michel.70@osu.edu or by phone at 330-263-3700.