A single-channel spectrograph currently used for astronomical spectroscopy introduces limitations into the kind and quality of experiments which may be performed, and is not representative of the ability of multichannel detectors which are becoming widespread in laboratory physics and especially in astronomical imaging at many institutions. The current experiments at Middlebury are being revised and improved using a modern, sensitive multichannel detector (CCD array camera) and extended to fainter astronomical objects, including solar system objects and the brighter stars. This is done by the assembly of a bench-mounted spectrograph and an optical fiber feed from the telescope to the spectrograph. The techniques and instruments developed make possible a wide variety of highly educational lab exercises for physics and astronomy undergraduates, and creates student-faculty research opportunities in the field of precision stellar radial velocities. The instrumentation being developed emphasizes modularity and flexibility and is being documented and publicized in a manner that will help any institution with a modest telescope incorporate astronomical spectroscopy into its undergraduate program.
