| At the inaugural UNL Astronomy Camp, high school students explored
celestial phenomena through laboratories, lectures, and high-powered
telescopes. Twenty-three students from 19 different Nebraska schools
attended the camp, held July 22 through July 28 on the UNL campus.
The camp introduced the students to astronomy and allowed them
to explore different areas of the field. "Prior to the camp,
I didn't know what astronomy was about, but now I'd like to learn
more," said Kristina Snyder, a senior from Grand Island. The
students' curiosity encouraged Dr. Kevin Lee, a Research Assistant
Professor at UNL and Director of the Camp. "Many of the campers
had a genuine enthusiasm for science and learning in general. It
was very inspiring to know them," he said, adding, "Hopefully,
some of the students will consider careers in science as a result
of this experience."
Curiosity carried the students through a rather intense week. The
students immersed themselves in astronomy from 9:00 a.m. until late
at night. After sundown, the students divided into three groups
for nighttime observing coordinated by Dr. Ed Schmidt. One section
peered into the night sky through the 30-inch telescope at the Behlen
Observatory. Another used a 16-inch telescope located atop a UNL
parking garage, and a third group worked with a six-inch telescope.
The sections rotated throughout the camp to expose each student
to the different equipment. Through the telescopes, the students
observed planets, the moon, double stars, nebula, and a variety
of other space objects. The students took pictures through the telescopes,
sometimes using special computer techniques to improve picture quality.
The camp complimented nighttime observations with daytime laboratories.
These hands-on activities presented abstract astronomical concepts
in tangible form, enabling students to comprehend their nighttime
observations.
On the first day of camp, students constructed celestial spheres.
The celestial sphere is a model that helps scientists and students
understand the locations and motions of objects in the sky. Dr.
Lee explained, "Consider a sphere of extremely large radius
that surrounds the entire universe. Imagine a grid of coordinate
lines in what astronomer's call 'Right Ascension' and 'Declination'
painted on the celestial sphere." The spheres may be used to
explain how the view of the night sky varies at different locations
and during different seasons.
After constructing the celestial spheres, the students used Skyglobe,
a computer program that provides a more elaborate version of the
celestial sphere. With time advance animation, the students could
simulate the movement of the stars.
Several other laboratories and interactive activities served to
further student understanding. In one laboratory, the students constructed
their own telescopes reminiscent of the mechanism used by Galileo
400 years ago. To help the students understand the rotation of space
objects, Dr. Lee led the students in an outdoor activity called
Kinesthetic Astronomy where the students moved their bodies to mimic
the earth's rotation.
The students also built their own spectrometers. Spectrometers
separate light into its components; among other things, spectrometers
enable astronomers to observe the surface temperatures of distant
objects.
A series of talks and lectures formed a third component of the
camp. Dr. Lee spoke to the students about a variety of topics, including
"The Importance of Astronomy to Ancient Peoples" and "Light
and the Electromagnetic Spectrum, Optical Windows, Astronomical
Instruments."
A section of the camp entitled "Meet the Astronomer"
acquainted students with researchers in the field. Kristen Pudenz
of Lincoln High appreciated this aspect of the program. "Sometimes
the speakers exposed connections that you wouldn't think about from
just learning in class," she said.
Luling Sung, also of Lincoln High, appreciated the camp's multifaceted
approach. "I liked the different perspectives. We'd study something
at the planetarium, on the computer, and then we would make a model,"
she said.
On the final day of the camp, parents joined camp participants
for an open house sponsored by the Physics and Astronomy Department.
Groups of the students gave PowerPoint presentations describing
the phenomena that they studied during the week.
The UNL Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education
provided funding for this year's camp. Dr. Lee hopes to secure corporate
sponsorship for next year's event.
To learn more, visit http://www.unl.edu/astrocamp or contact Dr.
Lee at klee6@unl.edu.
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