page_title: Kimberly Arcand
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Kimberly Arcand / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: A 3D virtual reality (VR) version of 3D data of Cassiopeia A allows the user to walk inside the debris from a massive stellar explosion, select the parts of the supernova remnant to engage with and access short captions on what the materials are. This photo was taken of Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory inside the Brown University YURT, or VR CAVE, during testing of the headset and application.
context_page_description: Kimberly Kowal Arcand is a science communicator and the Visualization and Emerging Technology Lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. As visualization lead, Arcand is responsible for using the raw binary data received from the space telescope to create astronomical images and animations of Chandra's new discoveries. She then incorporates these visualizations into various multimedia platforms to use in her presentations, customized to her specific audience. One example of work includes creating a 3D model of Cassiopeia A, "How to Hold a Dead Star in your Hand" alongside a team of astronomers and astrophysicists. She is the principal investigator for the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response project at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
context_section_description: In 2009 Arcand launched From Earth to the Universe with UNESCO, a series of large exhibitions that occurred in 1,000 locations around the world. She is Principal Investigator of the Aesthetics and Astronomy image response project at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The project launched in 2010 and looks at variations in the presentation of color and scale in astronomical images. They look at how people respond to images, and the misconceptions that non-experts have when they view them. The project began when Randall, Jeffrey, and Lisa F. Smith realized that there was a lot astrophysicists could learn from art about how to present results. The group explored the public perception of astronomical pictures using a survey linked to the NASA Astronomical Picture of the Day site, gaining almost 10,000 responses. She studied briefly at the  Harvard University Department between 2000 and 2002 In 2013 Arcand earned a Master's degree in Public Humanities from Brown University, focusing on image and meaning research.
  She worked closely with UNESCO to celebrate the International Year of Light. It was an open-source exhibition that showcased science based on light. The celebration was supported by SPIE. Using NASA data, Arcand developed a way to 3D print a supernova remnant and virtual reality application.
  In 2016 the White House selected her as a changemaker at the United State of Women Summit. She wrote about the event for the HuffPost and the United State of Women blog. In 2017 she was profiled on Vinita Marwaha Madill's website Rocket Women. She is completing her doctorate at the University of Otago, where she is a member of the Art and Science group.  As a science advisor, Kim was welcomed as a board member for the Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA).  This non-profit organization takes learning to the next level by stimulating one's creativity through highly interactive exhibits instead of using conventional educational methods.  As a technologist, Kim was also selected to serve on the Rhode Island's Tech Collective executive board.  As a federal employee, she serves as vice president for the Federally Employed Women, Greater Boston chapter.  In 2019, Arcand collaborated with the Smithsonian to launch an interactive website called *Journey through an Exploded Star” 3-D Interactive Experience* as well as producing a video on *How to Be a Scientist: Careers in Astronomy.*
caption: Arcand inside Brown University YURT, or VR CAVE, during testing of the headset and application.[9]
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