Educational Highlights Student Programs - Imiloa Astronomy Center

Educational Highlights
July-August, 2007
Student Field Trips
Date School / Youth Group Location Grades
Student
#
July 3 Kea`au High School Kea`au 9 26
July 3 Kamehameha Schools Kea`au 6-8 14
July 3 Kamehameha Schools Kea`au 9-12 12
July 5 Kama`aina Kids Hilo 48
July 5 Kamehameha Schools Kea`au 3 56
July 6 Kamehameha Schools (Ho`olauna Puna Program) Honolulu 6-7 18
July 7 Hanalei Boy Scouts Kaua`i 4 4
July 11 Kamehameha Schools Kea`au 6-8 12
July 11 Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center Kailua-Kona 9-12 23
July 13 Na Pua No`eau Hilo 10
July 13 Volcano School of Arts and Sciences Volcano K-6 17
July 13 Ka `Imi `Ike (Hawaiians in Science Program) O`ahu 9-12 12
July 14 Hale `Oluea Clubhouse Hilo 10
July 17 Salvation Army – Family Intervention Services Hilo 2-11 17
July 18 Hilo Hongwanji Summer Play and Learn Hilo K-6 57
July 19 UHH Upward Bound Program Hilo 8-9 13
July 20 Hale Aloha Nazarene Hilo K-6 33
July 31 Waiākea YMCA Hilo 9-12 18
Aug 5 Toyama High School Japan 9-12 20
Aug 9 Hawaiian EdVenture China Association China 8-11 35
Aug 11 Cub Scout Pac 12 Kona 24
Aug 15 Hawaiian EdVenture China Association China 8-11 18
Aug 23 Easter Seals Hawai`i Hilo K-12 6
Aug 28 Hilo High School Hilo 11 13
Aug 29 Hilo High School Hilo 11 9
Total 525
Student Programs
Ho`olauna Puna
Eighteen middle-school students participated in a special excursion
to `Imiloa on July 6 as part of Ho`olauna Puna, an outreach program
sponsored by Kamehameha Schools. Gail Loeffler, `Imiloa Science
Coordinator, conducted a hands-on activity on the Hawaiian Star
Compass and presented the Science on a Sphere (SOS) program
about Hōkūle`a’s voyage to Japan. The students also saw the One
Ocean, One Sky planetarium show and took part in a special Exhibit
Hall tour focusing on Hawaiian navigation.

Optics Odyssey Day Camp
Ten middle-school students participated in `Imiloa’s first
day camp on July 10, 11, and 12. The three-day camp
featured activities from the Hands-On Optics program
developed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.
Through observation and experimentation in a variety of
hands-on activities, students learned about the nature of light
and reflections, used mirrors to create multiple images,
and investigated the properties of telescope lenses.
K-12 Teachers
`Imiloa Orientations
During the week of July 9, `Imiloa’s Education team
hosted a series of free orientation sessions designed to
familiarize K-12 teachers with `Imiloa and its value as
a field trip destination.
Thirty-six teachers took
advantage of the
opportunity to preview
`Imiloa’s planetarium
shows and SOS programs
and participate in Exhibit Hall tours led by experts in astronomy
and culture. They were also introduced to `Imiloa’s website and
how to use it to obtain information and forms to book field trips.
Keaukaha Elementary School Teacher Orientation
Principal Lehua Veincent and 35 teachers from Keaukaha Elementary School visited `Imiloa
on July 27 to learn about student educational opportunities at the Center. Following a traditional
welcome chant, the group was treated to a guided tour of the Exhibit Hall, a brief talk about
and tour of `Imiloa’s gardens of native and canoe plants. They also watched the “Maunakea:
Between Earth and Sky” planetarium show and ate lunch in `Imiloa’s café.
Hands-On Optics
St. Joseph High School science teacher Michael Kingston (far left) and Ke Kula `o
Nāwahīokalani`opu`u science teacher Loke Roseguo (far right) were awarded Hands-On
Optics (HOO) kits for Modules 1-3 by the Rotary Club
of Hilo Bay on July 24. Mike and Loke participated in
the HOO teacher training conducted at `Imiloa in August
2006, and were selected to receive the kits based on their
successful implementation of the HOO program in their
classrooms. The kits contain all the equipment and
supplies needed to teach HOO activities. Richard Crowe,
RCHB President and `Imiloa Astronomer-in-Residence,
and Paula Uusitalo, RCHB Grants Chairman, are also
shown in the photo.

Visiting Educators
On July 19, five teachers from the NASA Explorer School in Lake Bay, Washington,
visited `Imiloa as part of a week-long tour focusing on astronomy in Hawai`i, which also
took them to Onizuka Space Center, Subaru Telescope, and the summit of Maunakea.
The teachers noted in post-visit correspondence that they were particularly impressed with
`Imiloa’s integration of science and culture and expressed gratitude for the hospitality they
received during their visit.
Special Events
July 4 th Celebration
`Imiloa’s first annual July 4 th Celebration featured a full
day of engaging activities for island residents and visitors,
including guided tours of
the gardens, poi pounding
demonstrations, lessons on
net-throwing, live pocket
theater performances, a
display of classic cars,
three special planetarium
shows, and a holidaythemed
menu in the café.
The education team also presented “Fireworks:
Science behind the Colors,” an entertaining talk
and demonstration in which elemental salts were
torched to explain how chemistry is used in
pyrotechnics to create the beautiful colors we
see in fireworks.
The celebration was attended by approximately 250
people, some of whom remained until after dark to
watch Hilo’s fireworks show from `Imiloa’s parking
lot, a prime viewing location because it overlooks Hilo Bay.

Moon Mission – `Imiloa Members Event
On August 22, `Imiloa Family Members were treated to an exciting evening of hands-on
activities about our Moon in a program conducted by `Imiloa in collaboration with Gemini
Observatory. The program began with families reading
short stories about the Moon from different cultures and
then trying to write their own song or story based on their
observations of the Moon. Many families shared their
songs and stories with the entire group—and amazed
everyone with their creativity! In another activity,
keiki used Play-Doh to “size
up the Moon” to see how it
compares to Earth and to
model the distance between
the two. The evening ended
with “Crash Landing!,” an activity that challenged both children
and adults to determine the essential supplies needed to survive
on the Moon after an imaginary crash-landing on its surface.
Fifty-five people enjoyed this special event, which was designed
to show appreciation for their membership at `Imiloa and to engage
families in shared learning experiences.
Telescope Donation
Honolulu residents Roy McGriff III
(“Trey”) and his wife, Jan McGriff,
generously donated a Meade 8-inch
telescope, affectionately known as “Felix,”
to `Imiloa on July 26. Their donation also
included a hand-made tripod custom-built
from white oak, multiple eyepieces,
a spotting telescope, camera, filters, and
other parts. Richard Crowe (left), `Imiloa
Astronomer-in-Residence, used this highquality
telescope during the lunar eclipse
event on August 27 and is developing plans
for future star parties at `Imiloa.
Magic Planet
On August 6, `Imiloa received a 24-inch Magic Planet digital
video globe on loan from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
(NOAA) Pacific Services Center in Honolulu. Stunning digital
displays on this portable sphere-shaped screen will enable `Imiloa
to present global information in compelling and interactive
programs. `Imiloa is currently collaborating with Bishop Museum
to create environmental and astronomical programs that can be
adapted to both Magic Planet and Science on a Sphere (SOS).

The annual Perseid meteor shower inspired `Imiloa’s August 12 th `Ohana Discovery Day
program, “Meteors and Meteorites: What’s the Difference” Fifteen families (36 keiki
and 28 adults) spent a fun afternoon exploring comets and asteroids, two types of space debris
that create meteors and meteor showers.
After learning about the parts of a comet, families created
“flip books” that show how the tail of a comet always points
away from the Sun and gets longer as a comet nears the Sun.
Flipping through a series of images in the book produces
an animated view of a comet traveling around the Sun.
The program began with a short presentation on how and
why we experience meteor showers when Earth passes
through debris from comets. Keiki and their families then
watched as `Imiloa staff and IfA Astronomer Bobby Bus
(far left in photo) created “comets” using dry ice, water,
dirt, and other ingredients (for
safety reasons, participants were
not allowed to handle the dry ice).
A heater was used to simulate how
sunlight and solar winds vaporize a
comet’s icy surface and create a tail.
While learning about asteroids, meteors and meteorites,
families formed impact craters by dropping objects of
different densities into a simulated planetary surface of flour
from different heights. `Imiloa staff then launched the same
objects using a slingshot, much to the delight of the keiki,
who were asked to compare and contrast the angled craters to
the ones they created. Through this activity, families now understand why “Meteor Crater” (aka
Barringer Crater) in Arizona should really be called “Meteorite Crater.”

Public Programs
Sky Tonight
Peter Michaud, Gemini Observatory Public Information Officer, hosted
`Imiloa’s night sky program on July 28. Scott Fisher (right), Gemini
Observatory Outreach Scientist, presented “Celestial Bullets in Space,”
a talk about star formation in the Orion nebula with stunning images from
the Gemini North telescope atop Maunakea.
“Comets, Asteroids, and their ‘Impact’ on Earth”
Dr. S. J. “Bobby” Bus, Associate Astronomer for the University of
Hawai`i Institute for Astronomy/NASA Infrared Telescope Facility,
presented a talk about “space garbage” on August 12, the day of the
annual Perseid meteor shower. About 50 people attended his presentation,
which set the stage for the `Ohana Discovery Day program about meteors
and meteorites that day.
“Variable Stars”
On August 16, Jerry Dobek, Director of the Joseph H. Rogers Observatory
at Northwest Michigan College, spoke about stars that vary in brightness—
variable stars—which provide a wealth of information about stellar mass,
composition, and evolution. Due to a hurricane threat that week,
Dr. Dobek’s talk had to be rescheduled at the last minute, which
unfortunately resulted in only 15 people attending his presentation.
Sky Tonight
Shawn Laatsch, `Imiloa’s Planetarium Manager, hosted the August 25 th Sky Tonight program,
which featured guest speaker, Dr. Eric Jeschke, Software Engineer for Subaru Telescope.
Dr. Jeschke talked about the technology of Subaru Telescope, a premier optical and infrared
telescope on the summit of Maunakea.
Lunar Eclipse Event
On August 27, `Imiloa hosted an event to observe the total lunar
eclipse occurring that night. Shawn Laatsch, Planetarium Manager,
and Richard Crowe, Astronomer-in-Residence, conducted special
planetarium programs about lunar eclipses every half hour from
7:00 to 9:30 p.m. `Imiloa’s newly donated 8-inch Meade telescope
was then set up in the garden and people were able to view partial
phases of the eclipse. Sadly, Hilo lived up to its rainy reputation
and clouds obscured the night sky before the moon was totally
eclipsed. However, the estimated 150 attendees were able to view
real-time images of the eclipse in `Imiloa’s planetarium thanks to a live webcast from the
Stardome Planetarium and Auckland Observatory in New Zealand.

Staff and Volunteer Training
Hōkūle`a Presentation
On July 25, Ka`iu Kimura presented a slide show and talk about her
experiences on the Hōkūle`a voyage to Japan to 20 `Imiloa staff and
volunteers. The photo at left shows Ka`iu on Hōkūle`a with master
navigator Kalepa Baybayan as they sailed from Okinawa to Kyushu.
Magic Planet Training
`Imiloa hosted a training session for new recipients of the
Magic Planet digital video globes on loan from NOAA Pacific
Services Center. Sixteen people from NOAA-PSC, Bishop
Museum, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, Hawai`i Institute
of Marine Biology, and `Imiloa participated in the two-day
workshop conducted by a representative from Global
Imagination, the company that makes Magic Planet.
`Imiloa staff attendees included Janet Babb (in photo), Gail
Loeffler, Richard Crowe, Aaron Foster, and Pomai Kajiyama.
`Imiloa Team Retreat
Nineteen staff members and four
volunteers attended `Imiloa’s 1 st Annual
Team Retreat held at Kīlauea Military
Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National
Park on July 23. The retreat was held
to celebrate FY 2007 accomplishments
and to build an understanding of and
committed team effort to `Imiloa’s
nu`ukia (mission) for FY 2008 and
beyond. During the retreat, Executive
Director Peter Giles talked about
the “`Imiloa Effect,” staff shared
examples of how each department is achieving `Imiloa’s nu`ukia, and the 100K task force
presented the strategic plan for achieving future attendance and revenue goals. Staff and
volunteers were connected through a variety of team-building activities during the day and were
treated to a special tour of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, where they received the
latest information about Kīlauea’s ongoing eruption and heard how one scientist is connecting
Hawaiian chants to geologic events.
Volunteer Training
Justina Mattos, Cultural Training Specialist and acting Volunteer Coordinator, organized and
conducted the following training sessions for `Imiloa’s volunteer program:
July 21 “The Navigators” (Polynesion Navigation), attended by12 volunteers
August 8 New Volunteer Orientation, attended by 7 volunteers
August 18 Customer Service, attended by 17 volunteers
August 25 Docent/Tour Leader Orientation, attended by 6 volunteers