Dudley Observations

Volume 8, No5 - July 2009

Greetings,

It's a well-known fact that nothing invites clouds like new equipment. I suppose we can attribute all the storms we've been having to those twelve shiny, new telescopes of our Rising Star Interns!

A lot has been happening here despite the rain.  Read on...

Clear Skies,
Janie Schwab
Executive Director

Grants

We are delighted to announce two new grants!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bender Family Foundation has awarded us $6000 to expand our oral history project: Reflections: Stories of Astronomy, Earth and Space. Students at Bethlehem Central High School recently interviewed Bill Radigan, who worked with the electron microscope and micrometeorites (above) and  former trustee and science historian P. Thomas Carroll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Regionhas approved a capacity building grant of $2500 to plan the steps we need to take to achieve our goal of developing an outstanding facility for education in astronomy and  inter-related sciences and technology, along with an appreciation of the history that produced them.

Our sincere thanks to both of them for  their support!

Martians Attack Comet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it a scene from "War of the Worlds?

Our Rising Star Interns are trying out some suggested activities for the the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Here, Stephanie Copeland uses a lamp to demonstrate the effect the sun would have on a comet.

The Comet was fashioned by Charlotte Naples. She used dry ice, Windex, and a hammer, so you know it was fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pollock Award News

Einstein's Generation Published

Dr. Richard Staley sent us a copy of his newly published book, Einstein's Generation.
Dr. Staley was the recipient of the Herbert C. Pollock Award in 1998. 

The Pollock Award provides encouragement and support for an innovative project in the history of astronomy.

 

 

 

Archives Intern

Paul Contarino Combs the Archives

Paul Contarino, from the Public History Dept.
at University at Albany, has been interning in our archives for the last month, and plans to return in the fall. Here is his description of his work:

Over the last month I have been looking through the Dudley Observatory's Modern Collection.  My task involved finding materials that should be added to the online collection.  I went through nearly thirty-five drawers worth of Dudley modern history.   One interesting event I came across involved a meteorite sighting on April 25, 1966.  At the time Dudley's director, Curtis Hemenway, received numerous correspondences from people who witnessed the event.  I thought this would be worth digitizing as Dudley obtained mail as far west as Michigan and as far north as Quebec, Canada.  Next, I arrived at Hemenway materials.  Dr. Hemenway really served as a pioneer in the field of micrometeorites and geared the observatory toward research during his twenty-year tenure as director. In the photo lab drawers and folders, I came across numerous images from Gemini, Pandora, and S-149, all of which were associated with micrometeorite experiments.  Also, the Radio Telescope proved to be a tremendous asset during the 1970s.  There are many photographs, correspondences, and proposals related to the structure that I have added to the digitize list.  Finally there are several local newspaper stories involving Dudley as well.

Another major component of my work has been observing the minutes of meetings as well as annual reports.  Currently the annual reports go as far back as 1956 while the minutes go as far back as 1943 (older reports are in the Historical Collection). These meetings and reports provide the researcher a glimpse into the inner workings of the observatory.  More specific, the way people felt about projects as well as the direction Dudley ought to go. Arguably by the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Board of Directors desired to shift the Observatory from a research based institution to one of education.  The idea of community outreach would go hand-in-hand with education programs such as Skywatch and Stardate. Equally important, at some points the very survival of Dudley seemed uncertain.  In some instances, the Observatory contemplated merging with either the State University at Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Union College and even the State Museum.  The Dudley Observatory itself has actually moved several times in the last forty odd years.

In addition to finding out what items to digitize, I have been responsible for entering the metadata.  There is more to a digital project than merely scanning materials and posting them online.   The system I have been using is Contentdm which includes eighteen categories of data.  One of the most important categories is providing a description of the item.  This is very useful to a researcher as it serves as a preview. 

A big challenge facing me involved folders that did not have labels.  This made it hard for me to determine if there were materials that could be digitized.   Careful examination of the contents allowed me to piece together where things belonged. I ended up consolidating a lot of the folders.

 

Professional Development Workshop

Starry, Starry Night: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Formation of the Universe

Greater Capital Region Teacher Center

8/13/2009 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
10/1/2009 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Children's Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST), Rensselaer Technology Park

"I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky"...Carl Sagan.

Since elements were formed from exploding stars, one can say there is a little stardust in all of us. Learn about your beginnings! Dr. Heidi Newberg, Professor of Astrophysics at RPI will provide background and present the most current research on the formation of the universe through the use of lectures, discussion, and even song! Staff and Board Members of the Dudley Observatory will then show participants how to navigate the universe through hands-on use of star maps and telescopes.

All participants will be provided with a Planisphere and activities age appropriate for the elementary, IL and HS classroom. Though the emphasis is science, the activities support interdisciplinary teaching by integrating math, social studies, and language arts standards and skills. The Dudley Observatory encourages interdisciplinary teams of teachers from schools to participate.

This mini-course will meet for 3 hours during the summer with a follow-up meeting of 1.5 hours in the fall. In between, participants will be asked to apply the learning in the classroom and "attend" the Online Forum that will be set up on the Dudley Observatory website. Participants will be able to ask questions, share ideas, receive online support from the Dudley Observatory Forum and earn up to 3 course credit hours in addition to the 5 face-to- face contact hours. Maximum number of participants is 20. Sign up early to ensure a spot. NOTE: No fee is charged for this program; however, participants must register in advance. Attendees not pre-registered will not receive Certificate of Completion.

 

Awards Ceremony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all who made our annual awards ceremony a night to remember!

Speakers: Walter Yund, Vince Amodeo, and Alan French.

New Rising Star Intern students:
Christopher Lawrence, Benjamin Palmer, Hannah Smalley, Kevin Tessolecki, Jason Tessolecki, Elizabeth Volks,

New Rising Star Intern teachers:
Shirley Buel, Stephanie Copeland, Sarah Fisk, Bobbi-Jo Morrison, Charlotte Naples, Anita Stabrowski,

Continuing Interns:
Sheila Smith, Steve Schroder, and Caitlin McKinley

Hessberg Award to Advanced Astronomy Camp:
Brennen O'Donnell

Honorable Mention:
Kathleen Kanai
 
Pine Bush Discovery Center Staff, Volunteers, Board Members...

Since then, we've welcomed student Sam Aronson and teacher Todd Rosenberg as Rising Star Interns!

 

 

Clear Skies, (Keep your fingers crossed)

Janie Schwab
Dudley Observatory