Amador Astronomical Society Community Involvement
Click on the image to download a TSPN Cable interview with Larry Brown and Steve Durham of AAS in Windows Media Player format. (431 KB)
Attention Schools!
Classroom Educational Opportunities:
Amador Astronomical Society member Larry Brown started teaching astronomy classes in Amador County in 1986.
In 1993 he was one of 40 astronomers, (both professional and amateur) Statewide, selected to be part of pilot
Project ASTRO. This program was funded by a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and implemented
by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Project ASTRO paired Larry with a 6th grade teacher in Folsom.
The program was designed to pair up astronomers and teachers so the astronomers could go into a classroom
and learn teaching from a teacher and the teachers could learn astronomy from the astronomers.
Larry, an amateur astronomer, said this greatly increased his ability to be effective in a school
classroom and has since gone on teach the same Project ASTRO technique in a class at Sacramento State University.
The Amador Astronomical Society has worked in assisting teachers in teaching astronomy in Northern
California since 1993 and now does 2 or 3 classes a year in Amador County. These classes result in
the school having an evening telescope observing event where Amador County astronomers come with their
telescopes and show the public the enjoyment of the night sky. Amador County Astronomical Society
members Larry Brown, David Hoos and Justin and Renee Mickelson bring their large telescopes to these events.
The star parties are free and Amador County teachers are welcomed to participate.
AAS community involvement during past years has included:
- Star party and membership meetings at the observatory and other venues
- Boy Scout Merit badge support
- GATE classes taught in El Dorado County
- Public star parties at Pine Grove Elementary
- Public star parties at Ione Elementary
- Public star parties at Sutter Creek Elementary
- Astronomy GATE club at Carl Sundahl Elementary, Folsom
- Astronomy classes taught at Kids' College
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Public school teachers received astronomical resources and in-class assistance in the
teaching of astronomy at Ione Elementary, Pine Grove Elementary, Sutter Creek Elementary,
Sutter Creek Primary and Jackson Elementary.
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Development and maintenance of a Web site with teaching materials for local students
and amateur astronomers
If you would like to participate in our community projects and star parties,
please E-Mail
Larry Brown, President, Amador Astronomical Society at
larrybrown@volcano.net