W. M. Keck Observatory

Overview

The mission of the W. M. Keck Observatory is to advance the frontiers of astronomy and share our discoveries with the world. We feel that one of the best ways to give back to our local community is to help schools and other youth groups learn about the Universe and how mankind has studied it.

A committed team of our employees specializes in leading group activities for kids to teach them about astronomy and science. We invite teachers and adult leaders of scouting and similar organizations to contact us and arrange a visit. We offer several options which are suitable for different groups. All activities are free of charge; however, due to demand we may not be able to grant every request. We give preference to teachers whose students will be studying astronomy in their classes.

Outreach Activities

WMKO Headquarters visits:: We welcome school groups to visit the observatory headquarters in Waimea. There, your outreach leader will treat your group to a tour of our facility and lead either one of the numerous interactive activities listed below or a show in our portable StarLab planetarium.
Classroom visits:: If your group can't easily travel to Waimea for a headquarters field trip, one of our outreach leaders can arrange a visit to your school for anything from an hourlong visit to a single class to multiple visits for several age groups. The visit can include either a classroom presentation about an aspect of astronomy or a hands-on science activity. We'll also bring along a pair of telescopes for safely viewing the Sun during the day (clouds permitting).
Star parties:: WMKO outreach leaders can bring a couple of telescopes to your school for an evening of observing the heavens. In order to give people a reasonable chance to spend time at the telescope, this is suitable for groups of 15 or fewer.
Summit visits:: Selected high-school groups can join an outreach leader on a field trip to see our twin 10-meter telescopes in person at the Mauna Kea summit. For medical reasons related to high altitude, such trips are restricted to students 16 years and older. School groups must provide their own transportation to the summit. Due to the substantial effort involved in supporting a visit to the summit, we typically reserve these special opportunities for science classes which have already participated in a classroom visit or a field trip to our Waimea headquarters.

Classroom Activities

The following chart summarizes the classroom activities we've developed in our outreach program and indicates the grade levels for which each activity is geared. Any of these activities can be integrated into a visit to the Observatory's Waimea headquarters or a visit to your school. Click on the title for a more detailed description of an activity.

Activity	Appropriate Grade Levels
Activity	K-2	3-5	6-8	9-12
Introductory Topics
What Do You See in the Moon?	X
Our Solar System	X	X	X
The Moon and Its Phases	X	X	X
Curious about Comets?	X	X	X
Intermediate Topics
Play-Dough Planets		X
Make a Model Solar System		X	X
Is Pluto a Planet?		X	X	X
Advanced Topics
Life in the Universe			X	X
Star Light, Star Bright			X	X
The Nature of Light			X	X
Cosmology: Our Place in Space				X
Cratering Blast				X

Arranging Your Visit

To arrange a field trip to our Waimea headquarters, a classroom visit by one of our outreach specialists, a nighttime stargazing event, or a tour of the summit for your students, please contact WMKO's Outreach Coordinator:

Visit Request Form
Telephone: 808-885-7887

We'll ask you for the following information:

Your name and contact information (mailing address, email address, office phone, cell phone).
The name of your school or group (e.g., scouts, 4-H, homeschool group, etc.).
The street address of your school.
The grade level (or ages) of your students.
The number of students who will attend the event.
Whether your students will be (or have completed) a unit on space and/or astronomy.
The number of teachers, parents, and other chaperones who will accompany the students.
The type of activity you're interesting in arranging:
- Field trip to Keck headquarters in Waimea
- Visit to your class by a Keck outreach leader
- Nighttime star party at your school
- Summit visit and tour of Keck telescopes
Your classroom schedule: start time, recess, lunch, end time. Please indicate the best time for our visit.

Driving Directions

Keck's Outreach Leaders

The team of dedicated people who lead Keck's outreach activities include scientists, engineers, and technicians. You can learn more about their backgrounds below.

Randy Campbell	Al Conrad	Al Honey
Marc Kassis	Jim Lyke	Julie Rivera
	Greg Wirth