Solar Eclipse inspiration

Roy Bowling made the trip to Ray Roberts Lake State Park Monday afternoon to join millions around the country in viewing the first total solar eclipse in the U.S. in over 30 years. He said it was arguably “the most photographed event in our nation’s history.”

The total solar eclipse could be viewed in its totality from Oregon at 10:16 a.m. PDT to 1 p.m. EDT in South Carolina.

Boling, 23, is a geo-scientist who received his masters degree in geo-physics at Texas A&M and his bachelor’s degree at Colorado School of Mines, a research university in Golden, Colorado.

“I’ve always had a passion for astronomy and geology,” Boling said. “I had to come out and view this because this is the first solar eclipse in my lifetime.”

Boling wants to encourage the young generation to get excited about science and events like Monday could serve as inspiration.

“This will make science real to the young generation and hopefully motivate them to study science,” Boling said. “An event like today can be a useful teaching tool for years to come.”

In Boling’s opinion, exploration and expansion is the key to unlocking the future, specifically the exploration of the earth’s magnetic core.

“I think as we expand as a human race earth might not be able to sustain life, so before we get there, we need to know how to effectively extract and utilize our natural resources such as coal, oil and water,” Boling said. “Which is why it’s imperative to understand our magnetic field.

“We know about what’s above the surface, but not really about what’s underneath. It’s important that we have a better understanding of the larger space that we live in,” he said.

Fellow scientists Megan DePugh, 25, and Christina Figueroa, 24, are in the process of finishing their bachelor’s degree in geology at Texas A&M and came with Boling to view the eclipse. DePugh came out to capture the moment because “it’s amazing to be able to physically see the science in front of you.”

Figueroa said that it’s interesting to see how the earth changes over time. “Earth is a big place with vast resources,” Boling said. “It’s comforting and empowering to push ourselves to continue to explore the unknown.”