How To Make the Most of the Total Solar Eclipse
02.28.2024
Members of the UT Dallas community view a partial solar eclipse in October 2023.
University of Texas at Dallas faculty members say the April 8 total solar eclipse that will be visible over most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area is a great opportunity for families to make lasting memories together and for employers to enhance job satisfaction among employees who want to experience the rare celestial marvel while on the clock.
“Eclipses have occurred throughout human history, and witnessing one can be a humbling, personal experience that can change the way we think about our place in the universe,” said Dr. Pamela Gossin, professor of literature and of the history of science at UT Dallas. “Sharing this natural event with friends and family is a collective, human experience, one that has been interpreted by people of different cultures around the world.”
Gossin teaches humanities courses in which she asks students to go outside and observe the moon, sunrises and sunsets over several weeks, and note changes.
“Students are blown away by this exercise,” she said.
“Some say they haven’t been alone in nature since they were kids,” Gossin said. “Especially growing up in a city like Dallas, some have never seen a star-filled sky. They are astounded to learn that if they watch the moon often enough, they might also catch sight of Jupiter, Saturn or Venus.”
After viewing the partial annular eclipse that passed through North Texas in October, Gossin’s students wrote about their experiences in personal essays. “It surprised them how much this natural experience mattered to them,” she said.
Gossin suggests that individuals and families who witness the April 8 total solar eclipse take time to reflect on the experience, either through personal essays or through creative interpretation, such as music or art. Families can encourage their children to draw pictures of what they saw or record audio of them talking about their experience.
And once the eclipse is over?
“Take time to go outside for 30 minutes – phones off,” she said. “Observing the moon or sunrises and sunsets together over days or weeks can be a chance for families to connect or reconnect, even in a large metro area.”
From left: Dr. Pamela Gossin, professor of literature and of the history of science, and Dr. Jason Kautz, assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management.
Allowing Employees To View Eclipse Can Increase Job Satisfaction
Dallas-Fort Worth employers might experience challenges involving their employees who want to experience the total solar eclipse during regular work hours. In North Texas, the eclipse will last from 12:20 p.m. to 3 p.m., with totality – when the sun is completely blocked by the moon – occurring around 1:40 p.m., depending on the location.
Dr. Jason Kautz, an assistant professor of organizations, strategy and international management in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, said organizations can capitalize on the eclipse for a relatively easy – and inexpensive – bump in employee job satisfaction, job engagement and organizational commitment.
“Doing something fun at work once in a while makes people excited and happy to go to work,” said Kautz, who researches and teaches courses in human resource management and organizational behavior.
Kautz offered these suggestions for employers to navigate the eclipse:
- Small breaks, when not crammed with other work, can have an important positive uptick in the ability of employees to perform their duties and tasks.
- Employees are likely to take time off from their work to watch the eclipse anyway. Businesses would benefit from organizing something to encourage employees to work during the day of the eclipse but to take a brief break – perhaps half an hour to an hour – to witness totality, then go back to work afterward.
- Making a bigger effort, such as encouraging employees to invite their families to join them during the eclipse, will have the added benefit of increasing employee organizational commitment.
–Amanda Siegfried
