FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 19, 2002 Contact: George Wise

DUDLEY OBSERVATORY ANNOUNCES 2003 SPACE AND ASTRONOMY CAMP COMPETITIONS

The Dudley Observatory announces the opening of the competition for its 2003 Space and Astronomy Camperships. These Camperships provide full tuition, travel, room and board for students from Capital Region high schools to attend the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and the University of Arizona/Stewart Observatory Astronomy Camp in Tucson, Arizona. The competition is open to students currently in the tenth or eleventh grade in schools in Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Washington Counties.

Applications must be made through the science department of the applicant's school. Materials for application are being mailed to all schools in the counties listed above, and will be available in December. More information is available at the Dudley Observatory's web site, www.dudleyobservatory.org, or by calling the Observatory at 518-382-7583.

Winners of the astronomy campership carry out a wide variety of astronomical activities, including nighttime observation of the stars through the university's giant telescopes, daytime looks at the Sun using a variety of instruments, exchange of ideas with practicing astronomers, and the carrying out of the students' own research projects. Winners of the space campership take part in a program created in cooperation with NASA that brings together outstanding high school students with an interest in the space program for education and adventure. The campers get in-depth experience in many aspects of space exploration, including hands-on training for a simulated mission on the Space Shuttle.

The Dudley Observatory, founded in 1852 in Albany and now located in Schenectady, supports education and research in astronomy, astrophysics, and the history of astronomy. The camperships' formal names, the Albert Hessberg Astronomy Campership, and the Rita Spenser Space Campership, honor two local leaders. Albert Hessberg II, for whom the astronomy campership award is named, was a leading Albany attorney and astronomy enthusiast who served for many years as a trustee of the Dudley Observatory. Rita Spenser, for whom the space campership is named, made major contributions to the administration of the observatory in her many years as executive secretary.

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Dudley Observatory
107 Nott Terrace, Suite 201
Schenectady, NY 12308
(518) 382-7583
info@dudleyobservatory.org