Education and Public Outreach

Public Open Night at the Judson B. Coit Observatory

Group members frequently participate in the Public Open Night at the Judson B. Coit Observatory on BU’s campus every clear Wednesday night.  Due to occupancy limits, RSVP is required via EventBright.  Information is regularly updated on the observatory twitter page here: twitter.com/buobservatory.

Undergraduate Field Trips to Northern Arizona

Using funding provided by the National Science Foundation, the Virginia Sapiro Undergraduate Enhancement Fund and the Department of Astronomy, P. Muirhead has taken multiple groups of undergraduate students to Northern Arizona for observing on BU telescopes.  As part of the Core Curriculum CC 111 Course “Origins”, faculty from Earth & Environment and Biology also join to study geological features and the fossil record of the area.

AS 441 Students with the 4.3-meter Lowell Discovery Telescope near Happy Jack, AZ, Spring 2020.
AS 441 Students with the 4.3-meter Lowell Discovery Telescope near Happy Jack, AZ, Spring 2020.

 

AS 441 Students with BU's 1.8-meter Perkins Telescope at Anderson Mesa Observatory, Spring 2020.
AS 441 Students with BU’s 1.8-meter Perkins Telescope at Anderson Mesa Observatory, Spring 2020.

 

CC 111 students and faculty at Sunset Crater National Monument with the San Francisco Peaks (dormant volcano) in the background, Fall 2018.  Photo by P. Muirhead (far left standing).  Dr. A. Kurtz (BU Earth & Environment, far right standing) and Dr. R. Stevens (BU Core Curriculum and Biology, standing middle) also joined for the trip.
CC 111 students and faculty at Sunset Crater National Monument with the San Francisco Peaks (dormant volcano) in the background, Fall 2018.  Photo by P. Muirhead (far left standing).  Dr. A. Kurtz (BU Earth & Environment, far right standing) and Dr. R. Stevens (BU Core Curriculum and Biology, standing middle) also joined for the trip.

 

CC 111 students and faculty on the catwalk of the 42-inch Hall Telescope at Anderson Mesa Observatory, Fall 2017.  Photo by P. Muirhead (far right with BU Earth and Environment Prof. A Kurtz).
CC 111 students and faculty on the catwalk of the 42-inch Hall Telescope at Anderson Mesa Observatory, Fall 2017.  Photo by P. Muirhead (far right with BU Earth and Environment Prof. A Kurtz).

The Art of Astrophysics

In the spring of 2016, with funding from the BU Arts Initiative and the Department of Astronomy, P. Muirhead and former postdoc B. Croll organized The Art of Astrophysics: A Competition for the BU Community.  We asked members of the BU, Boston (and international) community to create works of art that help us visualize our Universe and how we observe it. The competition included a gallery showing in the Metcalf Ballroom of BU’s George Sherman Union featuring visual and performance art.

Made of Star Stuff by BU student Phoebe Horgan, which tied for first-place BU prize.  A purchased print of the piece currently hangs in the Department of Astronomy.
Made of Star Stuff by BU student Phoebe Horgan, which tied for first-place BU prize.  A purchased print of the piece currently hangs in the Department of Astronomy.