PARI Was Well Represented at AAS Conference

Don Cline, Jo Cline, Thurburn Barker, Michael Castelaz and Cline Scholar Steve Harenberg participated in the 215th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C the week of January 4th. In addition to attending the sessions, they presented four posters, including: PARI's Space Science Lab, APDA Overview, APDA Research Projects and PARI's Citizen Science Project, SCOPE. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the PARI team at the conference.

PARI Welcomes Visitors to Our Campus

Each year thousand of people come to PARI. We have welcomed visitors from around the world. Monthly we have guests who attend our very popular Evening at PARI programs. Each Wednesday at 2:00 pm PARI's volunteer docents lead guided tours of our campus. Click DOCENT TOURS to see pictures from past tours. In addition we are pleased to host other groups and individuals during our regular hours and for special events. Click 2010 VISITORS to see recent pictures of our visitors. Click PAST VISITORS to see pictures from previous years.

PARI on Statewide Television Program

PARI was featured in an Exploring North Carolina program January 14-15, 2010. The program aired throughout the state of North Carolina on the public broadcasting channels. Producer Tom Earnhardt and photographer Joe Albea were at PARI to shoot footage for the program. They interviewed PARI staff and shot footage for the program during their visit to PARI on August 12th and13th of last year. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from their visit.

The PARI 2009 Annual Report is Available

The 2009 Annual Report has been published and is available for downloading. This is the fifth year that PARI has published an annual report. Highlights from this past year include: STEM programs such as Duke TIP, ROBOTS, Homeschool and Space Science Lab; Research programs such as the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA), the PARSEC Interferometer and the Clemson Fabry-Perot Spectrometer; and reports on Friends of PARI, StarLab and the Stellar Classification Online- Public Exploration (SCOPE). Click 2009 ANNUAL REPORT for a color pdf of the report. Click Winter 2009 VIEW to see the latest quarterly newsletter. Click 2009 STUDENT SUMMER RESEARCH PROCEEDINGS for a copy of this year's research reports.

PARI Staff Presents at NC Science Teachers Association

PARI was represented at the North Carolina Science Teachers Association annual meeting in Greensboro, NC on November 19-20 by Education Director Christi Whitworth and PARI/Cisco Kenan Fellow Derek Dennis. PARI had a booth and Christi and Derek made presentation. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the event.

PARI Adds a New Research Instrument

In November 2009 the PARI staff installed a new antenna array to monitor the Vela pulsar. This instrument, which was mounted on the Optical Ridge (south), was donated to PARI by Don and Jo Cline. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the array being installed. The streaming data from this instrument will be available soon on the PARI website.

Astronomers from Czech Republic Doing Research at PARI

Astronomers Rene Hudec and Lukas Hudec, visiting from the Czech Repubic, are studying the spectra of stars and galaxies using photographic images in the PARI Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA). Dr. Hudec will use the results in combination with data to be taken by the European Space Agency GAIA Space TElescope to be launched in 2012. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from their visit.

Homeschool Day at PARI on November 5th

The next Homeschool Day at PARI was held on campus on Thursday, November 5, 2009. This is the fifth year that PARI has hosted homeschoolers and their parents for these science education days. Topics for the Day included basic circuits, solar energy, remote observation and GPS. Seventy students attended the sessions with their parents. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the day. Click PAST HOMESCHOOL DAYS to see pictures from previous Homeschool Day programs.

PARI Hosts Furman University Freshman Seminar

Students in Furman University's First Year Seminar, "Mars on the Shoulders of Giants", spent two days at PARI on Wednesday and Thursday, September 30 - October 1, 2009. Furman Professor and PARI Research Associate, Dr. David Moffett, brought the students. He was assisted by Furman's Center for Teaching and Learning Associate Director Mike Winiski. Wednesday evening the students used PARI's instruments to collect astronomical images. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from their visit.

PARI Receives a Plate Collection from Vanderbilt University

Dr. Arnold Heiser, Professor Emeritus, Dyer Observatory, Vanderbilt University delivered a collection of 3,000 astronomical photographic plates to PARI on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. Click PHOTOS to see pictures. The plates, dating back to 1953 were taken using Dyer's 24" elescope. This is a significant addition to the APDA collections. PARI's Science Director, Dr. Michael Castelaz, coordinated this donation.

PARI Hosts Successful STAR PARTY

Despite rainy weather, 55 astronomy enthusiasts came to PARI for a STAR PARTY on Friday - Sunday, September 18th-20th. Many camped out on the site. PARI's Education Director, Christi Whitworth, working closely with Friends of PARI volunteers, organized this event which drew participants from as far away as Orlando, Florida. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the weekend. Cloudy conditions didn't dampen the excitement of professional presentations and tours of APDA, the RF Lab, the Data Center and other interesting parts of PARI.  DOOR PRIZES were provided to every participant.

PARI Hosts R.O.B.O.T.S. Symposium for Third Year

For the third summer PARI hosted students participating in the NSF-Supported R.O.B.O.T.S. program for the annual symposium and robotics competition. This year students from the NC-MSEN program at North Carolina A&T State University came to PARI on Wednesday, August 5th. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the event. PARI has been a proud collaborator on this program, providing teachers professional development training and opportunities for students from around the state to experience the hands-on science at PARI, both on campus and remotely.

Transylvania Times Thanks PARI for Service to the Community 

An editorial in the April 23rd edition of the Transylvania Times newspaper thanked PARI for meeting our mission. They wrote, "Ten years ago that facility was taken over by the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, better known as PARI. Since that time PARI has had nothing but a beneficial effect on the community." Click EDITORIAL to read the complete text of the article. Congratulations to the entire PARI staff, including our great partners from Avant Communications, who have helped us spread the word of the good works of PARI. And we especially thank Don & Jo Cline for their many years of support.

Prominent Geologist Helps Design PARI Geology Tour

The Curator of Geology for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Dr. Christopher Tacker, is leading an effort to develop a self-guided geology tour of PARI. Dr. Tacker came to PARI twice in the last few weeks to collect samples and assess PARI's rock formations. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from his visit on May 27-28. While at PARI, Dr. Tacker made a presentation on the richness of PARI's geological history.

Photos of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Located on the site of the former NASA Rosman Tracking Station in the Pisgah National Forest, PARI offers an unparalleled opportunity for people of all ages to experience the wonders of scientific research first hand. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of PARI taken at various times throughout the year.