DiscoveryDays will kick off with a session on hummingbirds on June 13.
"Dendrochronology: Much more than just tree rings" is the theme of the Sept. 12 DiscoveryDays program.
Summer visitors to The University of Arizona's Mount Lemmon SkyCenter will learn about more than just the heavens. Through the SkyCenter's "DiscoveryDays" program, beginning on Saturday, June 13, guests will gain an understanding of the science taking place on Mount Lemmon and at the UA, along with how science integrates with art and culture.
Now in its second year, the DiscoveryDays program takes place every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon through November 7. The cost to attend is $24 for adults and $18 for children and students. Reservations, which are required, can by made by calling the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter at 520-626-8122 or on the SkyCenter Web site.
A typical program will include a brief lecture inside the SkyCenter's Learning Center, followed by hands-on educational activities centered around Mount Lemmon, one of the highest mountaintops in the continental United States.
Faculty and researchers from the UA College of Science and other members of the Tucson community will serve as facilitators.
"We hope they will learn some science and how science is done. We're setting these up to be family based activities," said Anna Spitz, program manager for the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. "A parent can bring their child and both learn about their particular science and also about how scientists actually do the work."
Below is a current program schedule and list of instructors:
The programs, Spitz said, will be designed to appeal to both adults and children and address how much science is a part of everyone's daily lives.
The SkyCenter is located on 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. The access road to the observatory begins at the very end of the scenic and popular Mount Lemmon Highway, beyond Mount Lemmon Ski Valley. The 30-mile Mount Lemmon Highway, also known as the Catalina Highway, winds more than 6,000 feet up through six distinct ecosystems on Mount Lemmon, one of 27 "sky islands" unique to the U.S. Southwest.
The Mount Lemmon SkyCenter is operated under permit from the United States Forest Service.