By: Kaitlyn Carver
Shooting for the stars can be done a little closer to home.
The Smoky Mountain STEM collaborative and Southwestern Community College are partnering with Pisgah Astronomical Research Institution (PARI) to hold an event called Family Camp: The Night Sky.
This overnight camp is for middle grade students living in Jackson, Macon, Swain counties or the Qualla boundary and aims to teach students the basics of constellations and ignite a passion for learning about astronomy.
It is the first one held of its kind from the Smoky Mountain STEM collaborative.
Students will check in at noon on Friday, Oct. 5. After lunch, the students will spend the afternoon going to classes such as Radio Astronomy and Introduction to Constellations. After dinner, there will be a sunset hike and viewing of the night sky.
The event is overnight and students will be staying in the PARI bunkhouses onsite. One parent or guardian is allowed to accompany their child to the event.
The following day, students will check out between 12:30-1 p.m. after a final morning of campus free time and a class on the solar system. Breakfast and lunch will be provided that day.
For more information about this event, contact Randi Neff at r_neff@southwesterncc.edu. To download the registration form for the event, visit the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/9vNPsVtDN0C56GWY2.
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| The first family camp will be held at PARI, located in Rosman, NC. |
