Shoot for the Stars
Written By Daisy Willis
UH Hilo freshman, Kassandra Bailey and her lab partner work on setting up a 6 inch telescope outside the Science and Technology Building. Photo taken by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Willis.
The stars have always inspired a sense of wonder for the people who take the time to appreciate them. Here in Hawaii, we are especially lucky to be gifted with a view of the stars that can only be described as marvelous. At the University of Hawaii at Hilo, there are many opportunities for students interested in learning about and observing our beautiful sky first hand.
Professor Marianne Takamia is one of the teachers for the Astronomy 110 Lab offered at the university. This lab is held once a week for 3 hours and is a hands-on training for understanding the sky, sun, and stars as well as a course on how to set up and operate six inch telescopes. Throughout the course, students are tasked with making their own celestial sphere, tracking the path of the sun, and even making their own pinhole telescope. The course is all about hands on work, and students are able to learn material and apply what they learned by building and operating astronomical tools. There is even a field trip at the end of each semester during which students are able to test their telescope skills on Mauna Kea!
Professor Takamia featured in pink (center), confers with section 1 of the Lab outside the UH Hilo Science and Technology Building. Photo taken by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Willis.
When asked why she thinks a hands-on approach is the best way to learn the material, Professor Takamia stated “[the hands-on learning projects are] a total game changer. The tactile experience with the equipment puts in perspective what you may have heard somewhere else or in the lecture classes. The fact that you need to measure something makes you think about what can actually be recorded... with your eyes, your hands, your ears, your senses. When you work with the equipment and things do not go the way you wanted, you start trouble shooting and when I tell you that you can't give up, but I won't totally fix it for you, students come up with ingenious ways of making it work. This is not really helping the students learn the material, but it makes them appreciate that the results we package and deliver in the lectures and have gone through in repeated trials. But in the end, it is about living the experience with your own body.”
Kassandra Bailey, a freshman in the History department, was a student in section 1 of the Astronomy 110 Lab this semester, and she spoke about the many benefits of taking such an interactive course. “Rather than someone telling me what happens,” stated Bailey, “I get to understand it and discover it myself. I think most people learn better that way. The hands on portion of this class is what makes it so much fun. I would recommend it to other students. I really enjoyed everything I have learned taking this Astronomy Lab and I hope to continue. I have joined the astronomy club after taking this class and hope to keep learning as I continue at UHH.”
Kassandra and her lab partner in the classroom. Photo taken by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Wilis.
This class is an excellent opportunity to apply the concepts that you learn in the lecture section in a fun environment. If you are interested in taking the lab, the lecture class, or both, next semester check out the classes at https://www.sis.hawaii.edu/uhdad/avail.classes?i=HIL&t=201610 or contact Professor Takamia at takamiya@hawaii.edu This class fulfills your general education lab requirement, so it isn’t just fun, it’s useful!
