.........YEAR 2006.........
May 6, 2006: AstroDay 2006
AstroDay was again held at the Prince Kuhio Mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CSO's exhibit was organized by Hiroko Shinnaga with the assistance of Diana Bisel.
They tried a new approach this time that was aimed at getting children actively involved.
First of all, Hiroko arranged for the donation of a microwave dish (a parabolic reflector
about 4 feet in diameter) from Oceanic Time-Warner Cable of Hilo. With the dish set on
the floor facing upwards, the visitors were able to drop ping-pong balls on it and observe
their reflection to the focal point. Diana arranged a work table for the youngsters to
make pictures with stars, astronomical rubber stamps, and colored pens on a sheet of black
constructin paper on which was stamped a drawing of CSO. Both these exhibits were very popular
with the kids, and the table was constantly crowded. The children went away happy with their
art work and hopefully learned something about telescope mirrors.
CSO staff participating in the event were Steve Baca, Diana Bisel, Ed Bufil, Riley Ceria, Ruisheng Peng,
Hiroko Shinnaga, and volunteer Walter Steiger.
Go here for additional discussion and photos
August 18-19, 2006: CSO participated in a teacher training workshop entitled Hands-On Optics. This is a program developed by staff of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the Optical Society of America, and the International Society of Optical Engineering, and funded by the National Science Foundation. Middle-school teachers from Big Island Schools were enrolled along with a group of optics resource volunteers who will continue to work with these teachers in developing programs at their schools. The workshop was sponored by and held at the `Imiloa Astronomy Center. A second phase of the program will be held in 2007. Walter Steiger was the resource volunteer representing CSO.
Here is a brief Summary of Outreach and Educational Activity at CSO from June 2005 to August 2006.
October 26, 2006: Nine-year old Make-A-Wish Child Paige Gonzalez visited Mauna Kea with her family to fulfill her wish. Along with other observatories and institutes, CSO contributed a little gift including our T-shirts to Paige and her family. The CSO T-shirts were donated by the Creative Arts Hawaii in Hilo. Please find more details on the story on the Make-A-Wish Mauna Kea Experience web site on Astroday.net.