Focusing on Space : SOLARfest ’91 Teaches Students About Astronomy and Solar System
What, study the solar system? Astronomy?
Nah, they’re just too complicated and boring.
That’s how many teen-agers feel when it comes to space science. And that’s exactly why “SOLARfest ‘91: Our Neighbors Beyond” was recently sponsored by the science club at La Quinta High School.
The goal of SOLARfest ’91 was to promote public interest and awareness in the solar system through photography exhibits, art contests and guest speakers.
Junior Tuan Nguyen, president of the 70-member school science club, began planning for the event last summer. Upon returning to school in the fall, the SOLARfest ’91 committee was formed and work immediately began.
Guest speakers came from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Planetary Society in Pasadena as well as the Astronomy Club of Orange County. Each stressed the importance of space science and exploration.
Robert Brooks from JPL brought along slides of the solar system, then combined dry ice and other materials to show what the nucleus of a comet looks like.
Michael Slage of the Planetary Society also showed slides and talked about the history of space exploration, and Joel Harris from the Astronomy Club concentrated his presentation on the planets Jupiter and Mars.
Three telescopes were provided by members of the Astronomy Club, and lines quickly formed as people waited their turn to view Mars, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula and other celestial objects.
“I learned a lot and it made me think about the solar system and wonder,” said Dan Stanley, a junior at La Quinta.
The art contest featured works by Garden Grove Unified School District students, who were asked to describe their vision of outer space.
Nicole Loussararian, a fifth-grader at the Armenian School, was the first-place winner in the elementary school competition. Toni Thanh Coo, an eighth-grader at Irvine Junior High School, won her contest level, and senior Jennifer Chien of La Quinta received the top high school award.
Also on display were rock samples gathered from the surface of the moon. Carol Seifert, a chemistry teacher at La Quinta and co-adviser to the science club, participated in a space program for teachers and thus was entrusted with the moon rocks, which were provided by JPL.
“I was very pleased with the evening,” said Cheryl Gifford, La Quinta’s science deparment chairperson and the club’s other co-adviser. “It was a first for us, and it was quite successful, especially the amount of participation in the art contest.”
Members of the SOLARfest ’91 committee were also pleased with their event--attended by nearly 100 people.
“It was successful in the sense that a lot of students expressed interest about the solar system after the event,” Nguyen said. “And we had great support from the public in our community.”
