Video games make awesome laboratories, offering players the ability to bend the laws of reality as they explore life-sized experiments. 

I’ve been exploring Fortnite as a tool for science education. With support from a generous Epic Games MegaGrant, my students and I developed a series of playable Fortnite experiments and associated teaching materials. 

The culmination of this work is the Fortnite Physics Playground, where students can extract physics data directly from the game engine as they design and perform their own experiments.

Learn more about our Fortnite Virtual Labs here.  

As an astronomy professor, I’m always searching for accurate depictions of the night sky in media. 

My recent research into Hogwarts Legacy reveals how the game’s developers have crafted an immersive world, replicating celestial phenomena with surprising accuracy. 

From real constellations to accurate planetary motion, the attention to detail is unlike anything I've seen in any other game. 

Despite a few creative liberties, the game’s alignment with real-world astronomy sets it apart from most media representations of the sky.

Read about the astronomy of Hogwarts Legacy here.

I've had the incredible opportunity to work on a range of educational projects with NASA, bringing space science to life for students around the world. 

My journey began with NASA Headquarters, working on the No Boundaries contest. I then collaborated with NASA's Teaching from Space Office at JSC, where I helped develop physics demonstrations for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Working with the Hubble Space Telescope team, I developed tools for students to create their own color pictures from real Hubble data. And, most recently, I worked with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team on a project where students develop solutions to real-world problems facing NASA engineers.

As a Google Glass Explorer, I was invited to teach a live physics lesson from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, giving students a first-person view of the world’s most advanced particle accelerator.

This journey led me to the TEDxCERN stage, where I joined Steve Myers, Director of Accelerators and Technology at CERN, to discuss the future of education and technology.

The experience was unforgettable and deepened my passion for blending technology & science education. 

Inspired by this, I launched my YouTube channel, STEMbite, where I create engaging, bite-sized science lessons from a unique first-person perspective.

I submitted a video concept to TED-Ed, the makers of these fabulous animated lessons. To my surprise and excitement, they selected my idea to create a video on the perplexing “moon illusion” – the phenomenon in which the moon appears larger when it is rising/setting than when it is overhead.

The first step in the process was to write a script, then the TED-Ed team selected an animator who created a storyboard version of the video before producing the finished product.

The animators and the TED-Ed team did such an awesome job turning this concept into an amazing piece of educational artwork. I’m super excited that I was able to be a part of the creative process. Enjoy the video here: The Moon Illusion - Andrew Vanden Heuvel.

In the Fall of 2016, I began an effort to take all of my professional passions (astronomy, online education, and technology) and weave them together in a single venture. I had been an adjunct professor at my local community college, teaching astronomy online, since 2009. I decided to pursue teaching at other colleges in the hopes of becoming a “full-time adjunct” professor.

As an online adjunct astronomy professor, I have found the perfect job for me. I can pursue my interests in astronomy, education, and technology all while sharing our amazing universe with students. You can check out some of my astronomy lecture videos on my AVH Astronomy YouTube Channel.