The university acquired a 16-inch telescope in 1975; this telescope has severe drive problems that limit the guiding accuracy and speed of target acquisition. The telescope does not offer the astronomy majors and other users at one of the largest astronomy programs in the country an adequate system for education or research. This project replaces the mount and drive system with a more accurate system and incorporate computer controls. The new system is capable of tracking at different rates, thus allowing the observation of solar system objects. In conjunction with the modernization of the telescope, new laboratory exercises can be written and field-tested. The telescope is used primarily in three upper division astronomy courses: in a new course on "Astronomical Techniques," as a supplement to an existing course on "Positional, Dynamical, and Kinematical Astronomy," and within an existing laboratory course designed for future secondary science teachers on "Methods of Astronomy." Time permitting, some use by lower division students within a current one-credit-hour course is envisioned.
