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Fulfilling KPNO's Mission for Education (1Sep94)
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 39, 1 September 1994)

Our users are well aware of the success with which KPNO provides observing
opportunities and access to outstanding instrumentation to a large community
of astronomers, but KPNO's educational service is less well known. For
example, during the observing year 1 August 1992 through 31 July 1993, KPNO
supported thesis observations for 39 different graduate students from 23
different institutions. Only about 100 PhD degrees are granted in all fields
of astronomy each year in the US; KPNO is thus supporting a large fraction of
all theses in optical and IR astronomy. Some 20% of the observers who travel
to Kitt Peak are either graduate or undergraduate students.

In addition to KPNO support of student research programs, the Observatory
also hosts 100,000 public visitors each year on the mountain. We are
expanding our public visitor program, moving the old No. 3 0.4-m telescope to
a new site adjacent to the Visitor Center, remodeling the Visitor Center, and
upgrading the exhibits inside. Most of this renovation is funded by
donations, and many of our Visitor Center staff and tour guides are
volunteers. We are especially grateful to Ash Dome for donating the dome for
the new public telescope. Kitt Peak is a popular tourist destination in
Tucson, and we hope to reach even more visitors with our new programs.

All in all, about 22% of the KPNO budget can be ascribed to educational
activities, mostly through support of student observing programs. The
opportunities we can assist our academic colleagues to provide to their
students are an important contribution to science education in the US. We
welcome student observers under the guidance of their faculty mentors, and
urge you to include students in your observing programs.

                            [Figure not included]

Caty Pilachowski

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