Edelman Planetarium director named ‘Nature Guardian’

Amy Barraclough, director of the Ric & Jean Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University, has been selected as a 2026 Nature Guardian by Mission Patagonia, an outdoor environmental education program in southern Chile. 

She is part of a small cohort of educators, scientists and environmental leaders who will take part in this year’s 11-day immersive experience, a collaborative project between Associated Universities Inc. and Melimoyu Elemental Reserve. 

The group will visit diverse landscapes across the southern tip of South America, from  Castro City in the Chiloé Archipelago to the Melimoyu Elemental Reserve. The reserve is a privately protected conservation area, surrounded by volcanoes, glaciers, fjords and Patagonian evergreen forests. 

The mission is designed to foster deep connection to place, people and planet. Nature Guardians are asked to translate their Patagonia experiences into teaching, storytelling and community engagement to inspire environmental stewardship and place-based learning in their own regions. 

Barraclough said she will share her experiences with Rowan students when she returns.

“It may seem odd for a person who’s dedicated their career to teaching astronomy to join a cohort of Nature Guardians to learn about environmental stewardship and conservation,” Barraclough said. “But I think we sometimes forget that Earth is a planet, too. It’s the only one in the solar system that we know has life, so it’s important to protect it. And the more we learn about our own planet’s interconnected systems, the more we can infer about the habitability of other worlds.”

The Ric & Jean Edelman Planetarium is a premier destination for astronomy education and public engagement in southern New Jersey. Located on Rowan University’s campus, the planetarium offers immersive planetarium shows, interactive programs, and special events that spark curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of science. Its facilities include a cutting-edge digital dome and a 0.4-meter research observatory, allowing visitors to explore the universe up close. 

Serving more than 35,000 guests annually, including thousands of students who attend free thanks to its founders, the planetarium is committed to making the wonders of the cosmos accessible to all.