A girl who grew up on a small farm in the Ozark Mountains, gazing at the night skies above rural Arkansas, went on to discover a comet, earn a doctorate from Harvard, and lead one of humanity’s most important scientific instruments.
Now Dr. Jennifer Wiseman is coming home.
Arkansas State University–Mountain Home will host Astronomy Night on Monday, Feb. 16, featuring a lecture by Wiseman, the senior project scientist for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The free event begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public with no tickets required.
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Wiseman, a Mountain Home High School Class of 1983 graduate, serves as a senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Her primary responsibility is ensuring the Hubble mission — which has revolutionized humanity’s understanding of the universe since its 1990 launch — remains as scientifically productive as possible.
Her presentation, titled “Cosmic Wonders Await,” will explore what major telescopes are discovering about stars, planets, galaxies, black holes and the mysterious dark matter that makes up much of the universe.
Wiseman’s path to the stars began in the hills of north-central Arkansas, where she grew up surrounded by animals, forests and dark night skies unpolluted by city lights. She studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she made a discovery that would literally put her name in the heavens — as an undergraduate, she discovered the comet now known as 114P/Wiseman-Skiff.
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After MIT, Wiseman earned her doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University and continued her research as a Jansky Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and as a Hubble Fellow at Johns Hopkins University before joining NASA in 2003. Her scientific expertise centers on the study of star-forming regions in our galaxy, using radio, optical and infrared telescopes to peer into the cosmic nurseries where stars and their planetary systems are born.
Before taking the helm of the Hubble project, Wiseman headed Goddard’s Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics. She has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, on NOVA and National Public Radio, sharing her passion for astronomy and scientific discovery with wide audiences.
Following Wiseman’s indoor presentation in the McClure Convention Center in the Sheid, attendees are invited to participate in a stargazing experience on Keller Green, weather permitting. ASUMH faculty, staff and volunteers will lead the outdoor viewing session, with telescopes provided. Attendees may also bring their own telescopes or binoculars. The evening concludes with prizes and giveaways in the Gaston Lobby on the main floor of Roller Hall. Light refreshments will be provided throughout the event.
Astronomy Night is being organized by a committee of ASUMH faculty and students and is made possible through a Pattee Grant written by Jessica Clanton, a physical science faculty member. Those assisting with event planning include Dr. Eddie Dry, Mike Williams, Jason Ballard, Dane Hustead, Lillian Gaston and Kiandre Burns.
If you go
What: ASUMH Astronomy Night featuring NASA scientist Dr. Jennifer Wiseman
When: Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, 6:30-9 p.m.
Where: ASUMH Campus — presentation in McClure Convention Center in the Sheid; stargazing on Keller Green; prizes in Gaston Lobby, Roller Hall
Cost: Free and open to the public; no tickets required