Flagstaff, Ariz. -- All 5th graders in the Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) will benefit from free admission to Lowell Observatory this year. In today’s announcement at Lowell, Observatory staff and FUSD representatives gathered with students and teachers from Flagstaff’s Marshall Elementary to celebrate this significant boost to science education. Sponsored by the Robert Ayers Sciences Fund and made possible through the vision and financial support of Lowell Advisory Board Member Robert Ayers, the program is an example of assisting science education while providing expanded reach and impact for Lowell's astronomy education programs.
"I see this Lowell arrangement with the Flagstaff schools as a small way to introduce students to astronomy and to the physical sciences,” said Ayers. "If a few children come away with the realization: 'I just saw how scientists work and what they study and that looks interesting and I'd like to learn more about it' – and then perhaps become scientists, or just carry an appreciation for science and scientists through their lives – then the program will have succeeded."
While visiting Lowell, FUSD 5th graders will participate in one of Lowell's indoor presentations and tour one of the Observatory's telescopes. In addition, the students will have access to Lowell’s interactive exhibit hall. One of the most popular programs is Cosmic Cart, which features science demonstrations that illustrate unusual conditions of space. One of the reasons the Observatory targeted 5th graders for this program is that it is the grade level with the most astronomy curricula standards, which these programs meet.
"This year FUSD is facing enormous challenges," said Eileen Friel, Lowell’s Director. "At Lowell, we face challenges too. We're building an extraordinary new telescope with Discovery Communications and developing new instruments to use on it. We’re redesigning our visitor experience and looking for new ways to tell the wonderful story of astronomy. The recession has made it a tough year for everyone. But, in tough times, what you need most of all are great partners and, with his gift, Bob Ayers has given us the best. Flagstaff Schools are home to extraordinary teachers, courageous administrators, and some of the best students on the planet. With a little luck and a lot of work, we can see to it that the seed Bob has planted will flourish and grow for years."
FUSD has 29 5th grade classes with about 800 total students. So far, nine classes have visited the Observatory. The others are scheduled to come to Lowell between now and spring break.
"Our nation has become more and more committed to standardized testing as a way to increase accountability and measure growth," said Barbara Hickman, FUSD Interim Superintendent. "While some positives have happened in schools because of this, there has also been a net loss of creative play, problem solving, and thinking around all corners of an issue. However, in astronomy, as in many of the sciences, what we find is not necessarily what we’re looking for. It is just those 'magnificent accidents' that we want to prepare our students to recognize. The 5th grade Lowell Observatory visits meet those criteria on many, many levels."
contact: Jeffrey Hall, Lowell Observatory, (928) 233-3202, jch[at]lowell[dot]edu
or: Antoinette Beiser, Manager, Library and Archives, Lowell Observatory, (928) 233-3216, asb[at]lowell[dot]edu
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Lowell Observatory is a private, non-profit research institution founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell. The Observatory has been the site of many important findings including the discovery of the large recessional velocities (redshift) of galaxies by Vesto Slipher in 1912-1914 (a result that led ultimately to the realization the universe is expanding), and the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. Today, Lowell's 19 astronomers use ground-based telescopes around the world, telescopes in space, and NASA planetary spacecraft to conduct research in diverse areas of astronomy and planetary science. The Observatory welcomes about 80,000 visitors each year to its Mars Hill campus in Flagstaff, Arizona for a variety of tours, telescope viewing, and special programs. Lowell Observatory currently has four research telescopes at its Anderson Mesa dark sky site east of Flagstaff, and is building a 4-meter class research telescope, the Discovery Channel Telescope.
Jeffrey Hall
jch[at]lowell[dot]edu
(928) 233-3202
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