The STARS program engages primary and secondary school students located in rural, regional and remote locations through a series of visits by research scientists and PhD students in astronomy and astrophysics.
Through targeted presentations, interactive workshops, Q&As, star-gazing evenings, learning how to operate telescopes and first-hand data astronomical data collection projects, students are exposed to, and are inspired by, the excitement of real-world science and its practitioners.
The impact and sustainability of the program is increased with the provision of a quality 8” Dobsonian telescope (plus solar filter and Smartphone adapter for astrophotography) to each school visited as part of the program. The telescope and accessories are tools for on-going, hands-on learning and development of practical knowledge and skills. Interactive sessions on telescope set up and use will be conducted with teachers and students to ensure they have the necessary basic skills. We will work with the groups to run-follow up events into other aspects of astronomy and STEM.
An extensive suite of education resources for both teachers and students to support the use of the telescopes will be developed. The types of resources include:
Teaching and learning materials to address the Australian Curriculum for science, mathematics and digital technologies
Simple and more advanced projects students can conduct using the telescope
Guidelines for solar observing, astrophotography and spectroscopy
STARS is a collaboration between the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and ASTRO 3D. STARS is supported by grant funding from the Australian Government.
