MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — Montana State University Academic Technology and Outreach will offer a free online training course for science teachers interested in learning how to operate a research-grade telescope. The noncredit course will run from Jan. 27 to March 13 and be instructed by Peter Detterline.

The goal of the course is to teach educators how to use a 16-inch research-grade Ritchey-Chretien telescope and to develop a curriculum so students can use it in their classrooms. Participants will learn the advantages of robotic telescopes; how to collect images with such an instrument; how to use software to process astronomical data; what kinds of class projects work best with individual students and groups; and to create methods that have students evaluating their own work.

The course is in partnership with the Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry Lake, which offers summer camps for kids and training for teachers in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

For the first part of the course, assignments will be driven by astrophotography and how images are taken with the telescope, as well as by what teachers’ needs are in the classroom. By the end of the course, an online curriculum database of all participants’ assignments and teaching activities will be available.

Remote use of the telescope, which is located in Mayhill, New Mexico, is made possible through a donation by Christian Perez. Telescope hosting for Montana Learning Center Remote Telescope is provided by Mike and Lynn Rice of New Mexico Remote Observatories.

To register for the course, visit http://bit.ly/atoobservation.