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Greetings!
Please help us spread the word about this unique astronomy event for girls aged 8 to 18, by forwarding the information below to anyone you know who might be interested.
Thank you,
Karen Keese & Judy Stanley
The Albuquerque Astronomical Society
PO Box 50581
Albuquerque NM 87181
Event Contact: Karen Keese
Phone: 505-261-0040
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July 1, 2009 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"SHE IS AN ASTRONOMER" SPECIAL EVENT FOR GIRLS
ALBUQUERQUE -- The National Radio Astronomy Observatory-Very Large Array (NRAO) and The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS), in partnership with the City of Albuquerque's Open Space Division and the Explora Science Center, will present a free astronomy event for girls aged 8 to 18 entitled "She is an Astronomer" on Sunday, August 9, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Open Space Visitor Center on Albuquerque's west side.
"She is an Astronomer" will feature a variety of hands-on science activities and demonstrations, planetarium shows every half hour, and, weather permitting, telescope viewing of the Sun. Girls will meet and interact with some of New Mexico's top female astronomers and scientists, who will be staffing activity stations. Educators from the Explora Science Center and female amateur astronomers from TAAS will also present activities.
To support the event theme, "Astronomy is Women's Work," a selection of activity stations will take a myth-busting approach to traditional female roles. These stations are: "Doing Dishes" (radio astronomy); "Looking in the Mirror" (optical astronomy); "Cooking Light" (astrophotography, the spectrum); "Applying Mineral Make-up" (planetary geology, meteoritics, astrobiology); and "Sweeping the Universe" (sky surveys, building models of the universe). Girls who visit all five of these stations will receive an astronomy-related keepsake.
Participating astronomers and scientists include:
Jayne Aubele, Planetary Geologist & Vulcanologist. An expert on the volcanoes of Venus, Aubele is Education Specialist/Geologist for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. She was the geology technical advisor and on-camera geologist for the 2008 KNME-TV program, "The Sandias."
Penelope "Penny" Boston, Astrobiologist. An expert on the extreme environments of caves and their microbial life forms, Boston is Research Associate Professor of Cave & Karst Science for New Mexico Tech. Her work has been featured in documentaries on PBS, the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
Patricia "Trish" Henning, Astronomer. Henning is Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Director of the Institute for Astrophysics at the University of New Mexico. Her research areas include extragalactic astronomy, radio astronomy, galaxy clusters and superclusters, and material content of cosmic voids.
Rhian Jones, Meteorite Expert. An expert on chrondrites, meteorites containing material dating to the origin of the solar system, Jones is Associate Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. She is former curator of UNM's Institute of Meteoritics, which includes the Meteorite Museum.
Laurel Ladwig, Planetarian. Ladwig is Planetarium Developer for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. She has over 20 years of presentation experience in public observatories and planetaria. She has created astronomy content for shows that have played in both North American and European digital theaters.
"She is an Astronomer" will feature a variety of hands-on science activities and demonstrations, planetarium shows every half hour, and, weather permitting, telescope viewing of the Sun. Girls will meet and interact with some of New Mexico's top female astronomers and scientists, who will be staffing activity stations. Educators from the Explora Science Center and female amateur astronomers from TAAS will also present activities.
To support the event theme, "Astronomy is Women's Work," a selection of activity stations will take a myth-busting approach to traditional female roles. These stations are: "Doing Dishes" (radio astronomy); "Looking in the Mirror" (optical astronomy); "Cooking Light" (astrophotography, the spectrum); "Applying Mineral Make-up" (planetary geology, meteoritics, astrobiology); and "Sweeping the Universe" (sky surveys, building models of the universe). Girls who visit all five of these stations will receive an astronomy-related keepsake.
Participating astronomers and scientists include:
Jayne Aubele, Planetary Geologist & Vulcanologist. An expert on the volcanoes of Venus, Aubele is Education Specialist/Geologist for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. She was the geology technical advisor and on-camera geologist for the 2008 KNME-TV program, "The Sandias."
Penelope "Penny" Boston, Astrobiologist. An expert on the extreme environments of caves and their microbial life forms, Boston is Research Associate Professor of Cave & Karst Science for New Mexico Tech. Her work has been featured in documentaries on PBS, the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
Patricia "Trish" Henning, Astronomer. Henning is Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Director of the Institute for Astrophysics at the University of New Mexico. Her research areas include extragalactic astronomy, radio astronomy, galaxy clusters and superclusters, and material content of cosmic voids.
Rhian Jones, Meteorite Expert. An expert on chrondrites, meteorites containing material dating to the origin of the solar system, Jones is Associate Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. She is former curator of UNM's Institute of Meteoritics, which includes the Meteorite Museum.
Laurel Ladwig, Planetarian. Ladwig is Planetarium Developer for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. She has over 20 years of presentation experience in public observatories and planetaria. She has created astronomy content for shows that have played in both North American and European digital theaters.
Aileen O'Catherine, Astronomy Writer. O'Catherine is an amateur astronomer and the former Education Specialist for the LodeStar Astronomy Center. She writes the "Young Astronomer/Young Scientist" column for New Mexico Kids! Family Magazine.
Becky Ramotowski, Astronomy Writer & Astrophotographer. Ramotowski is an accomplished sky observer and astrophotographer. She recently made history by spotting the planet Mercury with the naked eye during daylight hours. Her astrophotos are regularly published by magazines and websites. She is the author of the 2007 book "Secrets of Stargazing."
Debra Shepherd, Astronomer. Shepherd is an Associate Scientist and the ALMA Deputy Division Head for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. ALMA is the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a large, powerful radio telescope array under construction in Chile's Atacama desert.
The Open Space Visitor Center is located at Coors Boulevard and Bosque Meadows Road, between Paseo del Norte and Montano Road. For event information and directions, call 505-261-0040 or visit www.astronomyworkshops.org/siaa.html.
Debra Shepherd, Astronomer. Shepherd is an Associate Scientist and the ALMA Deputy Division Head for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. ALMA is the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a large, powerful radio telescope array under construction in Chile's Atacama desert.
The Open Space Visitor Center is located at Coors Boulevard and Bosque Meadows Road, between Paseo del Norte and Montano Road. For event information and directions, call 505-261-0040 or visit www.astronomyworkshops.org/siaa.html.
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The NRAO was founded in 1956. It provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. The NRAO is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. NRAO's research facilities in New Mexico include the Very Large Array, a 27-antenna radio telescope located west of Socorro. For more information, visit www.nrao.edu/index.php/learn/vlavc.
TAAS is a non-profit organization and one of the largest amateur astronomy member organizations in the country. Its history dates back to the 1950s. The mission of TAAS is public astronomy outreach and education. TAAS is a member of the Astronomical League, a national amateur astronomy organization. For more information, visit www.taas.org.
"She is an Astronomer" is a Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA). IYA, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of a telescope for astronomy, is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The purpose of IYA is to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the universe and engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. The Cornerstone projects are global IYA programs of activities centered on specific themes. For more information, visit www.astronomy2009.us.
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