outreach in astronomy & astrophysics nsf focus grant faculty-led outreach faculty coordinator:...
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Outreach in Astronomy & Astrophysics
NSF FOCUS grant Faculty-Led OutreachFaculty Coordinator:
Tammy Smecker-Hane, [email protected] Student Coordinator:Tammy Bosler, [email protected]
I. Public Visitor Nights at the UCI Observatory
Tour guides:Smecker-Hane and 8+ undergrad & graduate students
• Visitors tour the observatory, view planets, nebulae, stars and galaxies with our telescopes, see slide show, etc.• 6 per year• Average attendance 400 people
I. Public Visitor Nights at the UCI Observatory
Tour guides:Smecker-Hane and 8+ undergrad & graduate students
• Tour the observatory, view objects, see slide show, etc.• 6 per year• Average attendance 400 people• > 5,000 people for Mars viewing in August, 2003! • Next one is Friday, March 12, 7- 9:30 pm
Another Option:
“Traveling Visitor Nights”
held in the communit
y
II. Tours of the Observa-tory for FOCUS Schools
Tour guides:Graduate Student Coordinator &2+ undergraduate/graduate assistants
• Evening Tours - 3 schools per tour - 150 people - Planets, stars clusters, galaxies • Daytime Tours - 75 students
- Solar system, sun spots & solar
flares
III. Classroom Visits to FOCUS Schools
• Added because of financial & logistical reasons
• Visit multiple classes at a given school
• Bring our unit on the Sun, a slide show, handouts to students & teachers
Staff :One graduate student &2 or more undergraduates
Content varies with the age of the Students:
• “The Earth and the Solar System” – elementary/middle school students
• “Amazing Space: Stars, Galaxies and the Universe” –
high school students
Slide Shows
IV. Teachers’ Workshop in Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Two day-long workshop held each Summer• Features curriculum design, discussion of subject matter & problems/computer exercises to illustrate basic concepts• Material to be given to Teachers includes:
- “The Universe at Your Finger Tips” from NSF/ASP’s Project Astro - Glossy 8x10 photos and posters about galaxy research done w/ Hubble Space Telescope - “Astronomy: Journal to the Cosmic Frontier” from McGraw-Hill
• Discussion of Current Hot Topics • Professional Contacts
Results to Date Over 6000 visitors at 4 public Visitor Nights 127 students for Daytime Observatory Tours 60 students for Evening Observatory Tours 650 students at visits to Individual Schools Currently planning the Teacher’s Workshop
Keys to Success Publicity for Public Visitor Nights Communicating with FOCUS
representatives and teachers Blanket mailing to administrators and
teachers Effective advertisement and
communication using the Observatory web site,http://www.physics.uci.edu/~observat
Keys to Success Faculty Member and numerous
Graduate and Undergraduate Students who contribute time and talent
A full-time graduate student coordinator(2 quarters) is essential