AAP alum Justin Stout helps interpret the mysteries of the cosmos for STEM-interested learners

When Justin Stout signed up for an elective physics course in high school, he had no idea that this subject would soon—at least figuratively—be his ticket to the stars.

Graduating from Polytech High School in Frederica in 2019 with his diploma and a certificate in Adobe Premiere Pro video editing, Stout is currently combining both interests working for the Delaware Space Observation Center (DSpOC). He creates and hosts videos for DSPoC’s YouTube channel, where he translates advanced astrophysics subjects into engaging, educational videos for the general public. 

As a first-year student at AAP’s Wilmington campus, Justin knew he wanted to pursue his interest in physics while at UD. Stout said his advisor told him about an opportunity to participate in a summer research fellowship with the Delaware Space Grant Consortium (DESGC), a NASA-funded research and educational organization developed to encourage Delaware students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career fields. He was accepted in summer 2021 and quickly showed an aptitude for learning the Python programming language. Working with faculty mentor Dwight Higgin, Stout analyzed heliophysics data from NASA’s ACE Mission Satellite and presented the research at the annual DESGC Symposium later that year.

Impressed by Stout’s facility with Python, DESGC administrators invited him to return the following summer as a teaching assistant. “I continued my research into ACE data and presented my research and TA experience at the 2023 DESG Symposium,” he said. 

After graduating in 2023, Stout began working full time at DSpOC, a partnership of UD and Delaware State University to promote space-science research and education. Working in DSpOC’s outreach section, Stout uses his skill with video editing to create videos for the organization’s YouTube channel, aiming to explain complex science topics in an accessible way for new learners. He also participates in community outreach events, performing science demonstrations for children and adults alike to encourage interest in STEM fields and the arts. 

“My biggest challenge about the work is coming up with new ideas for each video,” he said. “I try to make the content both interesting and easy to understand, and when dealing with very complex topics, especially in physics and astronomy, it can be quite a challenge putting it all together.”

However, the challenge is offset by the satisfaction of sharing his interest in science with the public, Stout says. “The most fulfilling part of my work on the videos is seeing the final product up on the channel, watching it grow in viewership and seeing an audience of people interested in and fascinated by science topics I present,” he said. 

Still with DSpOC, Stout continues to create videos for the organization’s YouTube channel. He is pursuing certifications in Python programming and also trains DESGC interns to use the program for analyzing science data.