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Astronomy Camp
Learning science by doing science!
Astronomy Camp

Legacy: Timeline + The Unexpected

Our Camps are directed by astronomer Dr. Don McCarthy together with an engaging, knowledgeable Camp Team, many of whom are Camp alumni with their own STEM degrees. Building on 37 years of experience, we offer opportunities for young and old to experience our Universe in new and exciting ways.  

 

In June 1988, the first Astronomy Camp was born as the brainchild of Dr. Ray White (Steward Observatory), Joan Morrill (University of Arizona Alumni Association), and Larry Dunlap (Flandrau planetarium). They provided an educational opportunity for 20 children (ages 11-15 yrs) of alumni from The University of Arizona. With assistance from astronomy graduate student, Todd Henry, the group explored astronomical facilities on campus, Kitt Peak, and Mt. Lemmon. Afterwards, Ray decided that teenagers were too challenging, and he invited Dr. McCarthy to take over.  

 

Over the next decade, the Camps expanded to beginning and advanced levels for international teenagers and adults, to educators, and to specific school groups (5th-college) from around the U.S. (CO, MI, WA). Special programs also supported both the local community (e.g., Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson’s Boys and Girls Clubs) and the Broader Impact portions of astronomy faculty research grants (NASA, NSF), Pima Community College, the university’s Honors Center, and the College of Science outreach (e.g., Hands Across Borders; Galileo Circle). Graduate and undergraduate students from the Astronomy Department served as counselors.   Astronomy Camp adjusted its logistics to accommodate ongoing research needs on Mt. Lemmon:

    • 1988-2005: Centered at the University of Minnesota’s MLOF facility.
    • 2006-2008: Centered in the Army Tower.
    • 2009-2016: Centered at Kitt Peak National Observatory (2096 m; 6876 ft). Students operated the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, the 90” (Bok) telescope, the WIYN 36” telescope, the 16” Roll-off-Roof telescope, and the 20″ telescope at the Visitor’s Center.
    • 2017-present: Centered at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter.

Beginning in 2001, Steward Observatory won a NASA contract to build the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). As part of that contract, NASA required an associated education program for ~1% of the total budget. Using the Astronomy Camp program as a foundation, NIRCam’s Science Team partnered with the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) to develop age-appropriate activities for Troops and to “Train the Trainers” in use of those materials. Over 20 years, under the direction of Drs. McCarthy and Lebofsky, this NIRCam/JWST education program conducted 35 in-person workshops, training 397 leaders from 98 of the 112 Councils in 47 states, D.C., Guam, Japan, and Puerto Rico. NIRCam’s flight optical bench was permanently etched “Go Girl Scouts.” All the trainers received a special NIRCam Education patch. Those trainers applied their experience within their local troops and Councils. One example is described by Laurie Ansorge in an interview at the 2024 Astronomical League Convention.  In 2015, NASA suddenly terminated its education program for NIRCam/JWST, but Astronomy Camp reproposed independently under direction of the SETI Institute, leading to today’s six Space Science badges for all age levels of the GSUSA. These badges incorporate many of the activities developed by the NIRCam E/PO team. As of Nov 2023, over 590,000 Girl Scout have earned these badges.   2004: An Adult Astronomy Camper proposed to build a public science center and an associated 2.4 m telescope atop Mt. Lemmon. By 2008, his personal funding enabled creation of the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter (MLSC). He also provided 30% of the funding needed to maintain the Mt. Lemmon site when the Army relinquished its use of the Army Tower, thus keeping the summit open for ongoing research. Over the years, several telescopes were repurposed for use by MLSC in public programs and new telescopes developed.   2006-2017: Annual “TEC” Astronomy Camps were developed by former Teen Camper (Lucia Galvan) for high school and middle school students from the Tecnolégico de Monterrey and the Secundaria Thomas Alva Edison schools in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Collaboratoring science teachers were Diana Varela and Daniela Gonzalez. Over 240 Mexican students attended. Many have pursued careers in STEM fields, such as Silvana Ayala (Ph.D. in ECE, M.S. in OpSc at UArizona) and Sandra Bustamante (M.S. in Astrophysics, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica; now pursuing a Ph.D. at MIT.  

 

Some surprising benefits of the Astronomy Camp programs include …

    • Training in both research and education (plus funding) for University of Arizona Astronomy students (41 graduate; 38 undergraduate), many of whom started their own education programs after receiving their Ph.D. degrees.
    • Funding infrastructure improvements for research on Mt. Lemmon and for the MLSC.
    • Support for the Richard Caris Mirror Lab.
    • “Broader Impact” portions of NSF/NASA proposals (Steward Obs; postdocs, graduate student alumni).
    • Education and astronomy training for undergraduate students in the CAMPARE program.
    • Supplying education materials, demonstrations, and telescope equipment for undergraduate astronomy courses.
    • A former University of Arizona President donated $250K to improve Camp’s facilities on Mt. Lemmon.
    • From 1995-2019, the Advanced Camp collaborated with the Dudley Observatory to co-fund the “Hessberg Campership.”
    • The family of a Teen Camper funded …
      • a new dome housing for the 40” telescope, now used for asteroid recovery by the Catalina Sky Survey.
      • $20M to the UArizona Mirror Lab and Giant Magellan Telescope.

Legacy