Events - Event View

Along with other area astronomy clubs, and under the direction of former Boyertown Planetarium director Peter Detterline, DVAA has been invited to help students observe the moon.  Telescope operators are needed on July 8th and 9th, from 8:30-11:00pm. 

After nearly two years of planning, the STEM Youth Explorer Academy is a residential academic camp for 30-40 disadvantaged middle school students (rising 8th graders) within a 5-county area (Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton Counties).   The students will be recommended by teachers at their respective schools, and will attend the 4-day, 3-night science academy on full scholarships funded by area Rotary Clubs.  The daytime curriculum was developed by the SETI Institute with the theme “Astrobiology: Search for Life on Mars,” a theme which will serve as a springboard incorporating: biology, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering.   The camp is being hosted by Albright College in Reading, PA.   It is hoped that the experience will inspire these young people to expand their educational horizons to include scientific pursuits.  Detailed information on the program is available at https://stemyea.com/.

DVAA will be participating in the evening "Moon Watch".   Inconveniently, Mars won’t be visible, but the activities will focus on the moon which of course will be NASA’s next stop before venturing to Mars.  Volunteers from regional amateur astronomy clubs will set up their favorite telescope and help the students to identify readily observable lunar targets (4-5 students per scope). 

In the case of inclement weather the telescope portion of the program will be cancelled, and your participation will not be needed.  

We are looking for approximately 10 volunteers for each evening from approximately 8:30-11pm from DVAA and regional clubs.   You can volunteer for one or both nights.   All students and volunteers must be vaccinated against Covid-19.  Background checks will not be required for Moon Watch volunteers since a background-certified Rotary volunteer will always be with us.  

If you would like to volunteer or ask a question, please contact Jan Rush at veep@dvaa.org on or before May 31.