May 30, 2002

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Native American high school students have an opportunity to study modern and ancient star knowledge at Northern Arizona University.

Stargazer 2002, sponsored by the NAU/NASA Space Grant and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at NAU, is a week of activities aimed at educating Native American youth from all over the United States.

Participants will join with two astronomy teachers from Dinè College, other astronomers and scientists from NASA for an introduction to astronomy. Students will live on campus, and NASA will provide the tuition, room, board, field trips and materials.

David Cole, director of the Stargazer 2002 program, said, "Stargazer is growing and getting better every year. This year we have 29 students from six states attending. In addition to learning about ancient star knowledge, students also have a chance to learn about other cultures."

There will be two research-grade telescopes available; a 24-inch reflector on the NAU campus and a 31-inch telescope on Anderson Mesa. In addition to morning and afternoon activities such as model rocket building and launching, the program will involve nightly use of the telescopes and an indoor starlab.

Observational techniques will include astro-photography, spectroscopy and CCD imaging. Topics to be covered in the classroom include basic astronomical and physical principles, history of Native American astronomy, the scientific method, philosophy and ethics of sciences, telescopes and the theory and application of the observations techniques used at the telescopes.

Field trips may include visits to Lowell Observatory, the Astrogeology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Barringer Meteor Crater and an ancient archaeoastronomy site.

Barry Lutz, director of the NAU/NASA Space Grant, said, "Stargazer has been a major emphasis of the NASA space grant program since its inception. To date, nearly 100 Native American high school students from as far away as Alaska and North Carolina count themselves as alumni of the program."

Stargazer 2002 will be held at NAU from June 10-14.

For more information on Stargazer 2002 call David Cole at (928) 523-8017 or visit http://www.spacegrant.nau.edu/stargazer/index.html.

CONTACT: David Ortiz  or (928) 523-7507