Building STEM Connections Around Arizona

Observatory on hill against starry sky

Observatory on hill against starry skyThis afternoon, I was a lady who lunched. My dining companion was Antoinette Beiser, Lowell Observatory‘s Leadership Gifts Officer. Our paths had crossed late last year when Antoinette was looking for ways to get the word out about Lowell Observatory to potential donors in Southern Arizona. Today was our chance to talk in person.

Our conversation ran the gamut from Percival Lowell’s 1916 bequest that still funds operations at the observatory to Arizona SciTech to the Arizona Telemedicine Program to specifically aiming STEM outreach programs at adults rather than solely focusing on children.

I found out that Lowell Observatory operates telescopes beyond Flagstaff’s Mars Hill, at Anderson Mesa and Happy Jack.

One neat thing I learned is that Lowell Observatory has been been studying solar variability since 1949. That is more than 65-years-worth of data that has been collected. Talk about forward-thinking!

Get an inside view of Lowell Observatory by perusing the Lowell Observer archives.