Carthage College and the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) have partnered to deliver hands-on astronomy programs to the public, train mentors and docents, and provide experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate astronomy students. The AMC operates trails, outreach centers, and high-mountain huts and delivers experiences in nature and the environment. Through this project we will add astronomy to AMC programming to provide a holistic, integrative picture of the universe to the lay public. Engaging a large, diverse audience with astronomy in a context combining geology, meteorology, biology, and environmental science as part of AMC's ongoing, successful, and well-attended programs, will significantly improve understanding of the science being presented and drive home the close connections that exist between people and the universe. This program is unique because it will be conducted by professional astronomers, will reach large audiences, and will engage undergraduate students as educators and mentors.
This program will impact a large target audience and better prepare a significant body of future scientists. The AMC hosts over 500,000 visitors annually, over half of whom are lower-to-middle-class in income, and approximately 20% are non-white. Special youth-oriented AMC programs are conducted for an annual audience of more than 40,000. The proposed projects will significantly impact the communications and outreach abilities of Carthage physics and astronomy students, who are approximately 60% female and are consistently placed in graduate programs or into technical positions.
This project was a joint effort between Carthage College and the Appalachian Mountain Club to develop and deliver an innovative public education program in nature education based on astronomy, while training nature educators and undergraduate physics and astronomy students as good science communicators. The program included astronomical observing sessions during day and night, public lectures, workshops, and training sessions for staff and student interns. Over the three years of the grant, over 12,000 members of the public received astronomy and nature programming. Programs were delivered at AMC lodge and hut facilities, as well as state parks. One of the unique features of this program is its emphasis on the linkages across all disciplines - that there is a single history of all physical phenomena. For exmaple: The color sensitivity of the human eye is a close match to the distribution of light from the Sun, a star of a particular temperature. This leads to discussion of the kinds of life that might be found elsewhere in the Universe and the chemistry of that life, as would beinfluenced by the type of star around which that life might form. The isotopic composition of the Earth, including the presence of radio nuclides that provide the heat for volcanism and plate tectonics, and the prevalence of silicon, aluminum, and oxygen in rocks and soils, are derived from the astronomical history of pre-solar system supernovae and AGB stars that seeded space. The effects of catastrophic impacts on evoluationary processes, and the research into near-Earth-asteroids and potential impact mitigation technologies, links human evolution and human future (and all other Earth species) with astronomical processes. In addition to a range of topics, including these, programming also included dark skies preservation, primarily from the vantage of energy savings and health effects. Special programming was developed and implemented for youth groups, including building scale model solar systems, mini plantariums, and Galileoscopes. Youth groups included participants in the A Mountain Classroom program as well as camp and school groups. Requests from teachers and organizers for reprise of these activities on subsequent visits is a good measure of their success with youngsters. An extensive evaluation and assessment process was implemented. This included surveys of participants in the formal public presentations as well as anecdotal data for informal programs. In addiition, follow-up e-mail surveys were conducted of participants who shared e-mail addresses. The evaluation process aimed to determine (a) what improvements could/should be made in program elements to better engage participants; (b) changes in attitude among participants regarding their perceptions of their place in the Universe and the effectiveness of the scientific approach to understanding physical processes; (c) longer-term continued interest of participants in science, astronomy, and nature; and (d) improvements in science communication and engagement in STEM careers for student interns and AMC seasonal staff who work in the program. These measures were all successful. Program participants showed significant attitudinal shifts and reinforcement, and post-program evaluation did show continued engagement and interest in pursuing additional astronomy information and experiences. It was also found that AMC hut staff and guides were much more likely to include astronomy content in their nature programming, and several have gone on, after their AMC experinece, to teaching positions in the sciences. Several Carthage students who participated as interns have taken positions in space science, and several have gone on to graduate study in physics and astronomy education research. These indicate that the program has, indeed, improved the science communication skills and abilities of the students involved. Near future activities include expanding the program to reach a more diverse audience. These efforts will include training programs for teachers in the AMC's outh Opportunities Program which engages inner ity students, and expanded programming in state parks which attract populatuins with a wider range of socioeconomic status than typical AMC audiences. In addition, there is a need to document program components and delivery methods suitable for publication and dissemination to other nature organizations and educational institutions.
