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Dudley Observatory
Supporting research and education in astronomy, astrophysics, and the history of astronomy |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2001 Contact: George Wise, 518-382-7583
Local Students to Receive Space and Astronomy Awards
Three Capital Region high school students have earned camperships at leading U.S. programs for space and astronomy by winning award competitions sponsored by the Dudley Observatory, the nation's oldest independent supporter of astronomical research and education. The awards will be presented in a ceremony at 4:30 P.M. Monday April 23 at the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady. Uyanga Chuluunbaatar of Rensselaer, a junior at Rensselaer High School, and Elise Stefanik of Feurabush, a junior at the Albany Academy for Girls, are co-winners of the Albert Hessbergh II Campership, which pays tuition and travel expenses to attend the nationwide Advanced Teen Astronomy Camp in Tucson Arizona. Ryan Bouchard of St. Johnsville, a junior at Oppenheim-Ephrata Central School, is the winner of the Rita Spenser Campership which pays tuition and travel expenses to attend the U.S. Advanced Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama. The winners were chosen for their outstanding records of school achievement, and for the excellence of essays they submitted in applying for the awards. Chuluunbaatar, who came to this area from Mongolia just two years ago with a limited command of English, is now at the top of her class and taking advanced courses at Hudson Valley Community College. Stefanik is not only an outstanding science student and enthusiastic amateur astronomer, but also teaches a course in astronomy to fourth graders at Albany Academy. Bouchard is the number one student in his class and recognized by his teachers as "an independent learner" and "one of the most motivated students I have had." Chuluunbatar and Stefanik will attend the nationwide Advanced Teen Astronomy Camp at the mountaintop observatories of the University of Arizona, near Tucson. They will carry out a wide variety of astronomical activities, including observation of the stars through the university's giant telescopes, exchange of ideas with practicing astronomers, and the carrying out of the students' own research projects. Bouchard will attend the US Advanced Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. This program, created in cooperation with NASA, 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 in astronomy, astrophysics, and the history of astronomy. Albert Hessbergh 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. The award is open to all high school sophomores and juniors in Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, or Washington Counties. |
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Dudley Observatory |
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Copyright © 2007 Dudley Observatory. All Rights Reserved. |
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