Over the past week, planetary scientist Marc Buie and I have been visiting communities north of Reno to recruit participants to RECON. The response has been tremendous so far.
On Thursday, we had engaging conversations at the Fleischmann Planetarium at University of Nevada Reno and visited their telescope facilities at the UNR Redfield Campus. We also met with enthusiastic volunteers at Jack C. Davis Observatory on the Western Nevada College campus in Carson City.
Telescope facilities at UNR Redfield Campus
Friday, we headed northwest up to Quincy, California, where the Quincy Jr/Sr High School homecoming festivities were in full swing. After talking with one of the science teachers and principal there, we watched the Trojan homecoming parade down main street.
Watching the Quincy Homecoming Parade
Visiting Greenville High School
In the afternoon, we met with a large and engaging group of community members and teachers at the charter school in Greenville as well as an amateur astronomer who drove up from Chico. The group was very excited about the opportunities for students to do authentic astronomy research through the RECON project. We then quickly headed up to Susanville to meet up with teachers from Lassen High School at the Bateson Observatory.
Mt. Shasta viewed from McArthur, California
On Saturday morning we had an early morning meeting at Burney Jr/Sr High School followed by an afternoon conversation at Fall River Jr/Sr High School in McArthur. Marc and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about each community and to explore ways to best deploy the RECON network.
Tomorrow, we head up to Tulelake High School on the California/Oregon border. We’ll then head down through Alturas, back to Susanville, and end up in Reno by nightfall. We are both very encouraged by and grateful for the warm receptions we have received on this trip. Let us know if you or anyone you know lives between Tulelake and Tonopah and is interested in learning more about this citizen science opportunity to measure the sizes of Kuiper Belt Objects!