Dudley Observatory is pleased to announce that Brennen James O’Donnell, a sophomore at Hoosick Falls High School, is the recipient of the 2009 Albert Hessberg II Astronomy Campership Award and will attend Advanced Astronomy Camp at the University of Arizona. From the dark sky environment at Kitt Peak National Observatory just west of Tucson, Brennen will explore the sky with research-class telescopes, interact with leading scientists and explore the unknown.
During the daytime, internationally known scientists speak on current scientific topics, including the latest NASA space missions. Students also build crystal radios, dissect cameras, explore the diverse geology and ecology through hiking, outdoor demonstrations and travel between mountaintop observatories. By the end of camp, all campers are intimately connected with some of the most advanced technology available for cosmic discovery.
The Campership Award honors the late Albert Hessberg II, Esq., longtime member of the Board of Trustees.
The Dudley Observatory has been supporting research and education in astronomy and the history of astronomy for over 150 years. While celebrating the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope, we will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy while stimulating interest in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover.”