KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 9, 2026 – As the citizen science officer for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Marc Kuchner oversees a portfolio of more than 40 NASA-funded participatory science projects, reaching millions of volunteers eager to help conduct space research.

So, how can you get involved? In his upcoming University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 17, titled “NASA Scientist: You,” Kuchner will show how volunteers have helped NASA find exoplanets and samples of interstellar material, and share how you can join a NASA science team right now.

Hosted by the Honors Program, URI’s premier lecture series examines the science of outer space. Kuchner will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus as part of the fall colloquium series, “Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits.” Kuchner’s talk will also be livestreamed on the colloquium’s website.

Kuchner received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. He then studied at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a Michelson Fellow and at Princeton University as a Hubble Fellow. 

Kuchner is also known for his optical inventions, which are used on the Webb space telescope. Of the more than 150 scientific journal articles Kuchner has authored, 35 have been co-authored with members of the public.

Kuchner’s lecture will be followed on Tuesday, Dec. 1, by Ved Chirayath, a National Geographic explorer, and the G. Unger Vetlesen Endowed Chair and Professor of Earth Sciences, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Miami. A full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors can be found on the Honors Colloquium website.

This year’s URI Honors Colloquium is led by the Department of Physics, bringing forth thought-provoking conversations that bridge cutting-edge science and the boundless imagination of science fiction. The series concludes in December with a lecture on achieving the impossible in outer space.

Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of this year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.