For Vicky Cruz, a sixth-grader at Weld Central Middle School in Keenesburg, Colorado, taking a tour of the universe from inside an inflatable planetarium set up at her school recently provided a breathtaking glimpse into space.
"When I crawled into the planetarium, I was so excited.听It felt like we were actually in space. I really loved learning about space and the sun," said Vicky.
Vicky was one of more than 400 middle-schoolers from Weld Central and Cardinal Community Academy who built their own solar system, looked for sunspots and flares on the sun using a solar telescope and more, thanks to the 抖阴旅行射-STARs (Science, Technology and Astronomy Recruits) outreach program offered through 抖阴旅行射 Boulder.
Undergraduate and graduate astronomy students travelled to Keenesburg last month and led hands-on science classes and informal demonstrations during the school day. They also held an evening event in English and Spanish听for families and community members to learn about galaxies, stars and planets.
The 抖阴旅行射 Boulder students will be heading to Delta County on Nov.听3 and 4.
鈥淰isiting schools all around Colorado lets us bring our enthusiasm for science and space to many schools across the state, and especially to those which may have limited opportunities for free science enrichment programs. And it鈥檚 especially fun for us to visit rural communities, where we can enjoy the stars in their dark skies,鈥� said Erica Ellingson, 抖阴旅行射 Boulder associate professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences who heads the program.
The program recruits undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to scientific careers, organizes outreach to middle and high schools around Colorado, and offers community-building events. Since 2011, the 抖阴旅行射 Boulder students have visited schools in Carbondale, Trinidad, Montrose, Delta, Ca帽on City, Denver and more.听The program is funded through a 抖阴旅行射 Boulder Outreach Award.
鈥淭eaching through 抖阴旅行射-STARs is a wonderful experience because we all get to watch the moment when a student develops a love of science like we all did,鈥� said Sam Strabala, a senior studying astronomy and physics who joined 抖阴旅行射-STARs three years ago when he transferred to 抖阴旅行射 Boulder.
Solar system out of Legos
Under Ellingson鈥檚 direction, the 抖阴旅行射 Boulder students have developed many hands-on activities such as building a solar system out of Legos that orbits a lightbulb 鈥渟un.鈥� This allows the middle- and high-schoolers to watch for eclipses, a technique also used by astronomers to discover planets around other stars.
Providing this type of hands-on science program can be a challenge for rural districts, said Rebecca Bradford, who teaches sixth grade science at Weld Central Middle School.
"We are so fortunate to have been able to have the 抖阴旅行射-STARs group come to our school," said Bradford. 鈥淭he 抖阴旅行射-STARS engaged, excited and inspired our students."
Sarah Johnson, who teaches middle school science at Cardinal Community Academy, said the program helped her students visualize what it means to study astronomy.
"It put faces to the claim that there are scientists studying stars and planets. It was wonderful to see astronomy come alive for our students,鈥� Johnson said.
