The McQuown Scholars have been part of the life of Yerkes Observatory for the past ten years, participating in star parties, tech projects, summer camps, and astronomical research. Thanks to the generous financial support from the McQuown Trust in Sonoma, California, GLAS Education is carrying on the tradition of nested mentorship and authentic engagement in astronomical research and engineering design projects that are hallmarks of the program. Side by side with professionals, this next generation of students will work with the staff of GLAS Education in one of two projects: Observing and Research or Lakeshore Environmental and Night Sky Sensor.
The Observing and Research group will participate in the exciting field of astronomy using the remotely operated Stone Edge Observatory (SEO) telescope. New students will learn to operate the SEO telescope via the internet and will learn the observational techniques needed to achieve high-quality data and images. As students build their skills, they can move to projects ranging from tracking asteroids and variable stars to the most modern image processing techniques for creating scientific works of art.
Lakeshore Environmental and Night Sky Sensor (
LENSS) is a new McQuown Scholars project. Teams of high school students will design, test, and build remote monitoring stations to be placed around Geneva Lake. These stations will be able to accommodate a variety of sensors for testing sky quality and relevant environmental quality indicators. Through LENSS, students will help make an impact by contributing to the environmental health of the Geneva Lake area and providing sky quality measurements needed as part of the Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy's application to be an International Dark Sky Association dark sky park. LENSS will increase the level of community involvement by linking professionals, mentors, and students to community-based environmental action experiences.
For students interested in doing projects at Yerkes, but not wanting to pursue the McQuown Scholars program, check out the other Student Events
Public Webpage: Public McQuown Page
Main Contact: Kate Meredith
Kara Rowbotham
Latest Information: Attached
Old Page: McQuown Scholars Public Page.