at YouthAstronet we believe the night sky belongs to everyone
A brief history
Young people in every neighborhood, urban or rural, have questions about the universe. But many youth, particularly those in underserved communities, have few opportunities to engage their curiosity through rich, multidisciplinary, technology-enabled science learning experiences. YouthAstroNet was imagined and developed in 2014 to help middle school-aged students leverage their talents and creativity through astronomy programming as they build skills, and learn how these skills transfer to many exciting STEM disciplines. YouthAstroNet is a community of youth, educators, and scientists learning and sharing their experiences with real telescopes, big cosmic questions, hands-on investigations and other unique resources of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.
Initial research funded by the National Science Foundation identified features of the YouthAstroNet program that promoted participants' science identity and STEM career interest. Members of the YouthAstroNet community can take their own astronomical images using remotely controlled robotic telescopes, process those images using a professional-grade image-processing tool to learn more about space, and even speak directly with scientist mentors from the Center for Astrophysics.
YouthAstroNet Essential Elements
MicroObservatory Telescopes
Participants learn to control and request data from real robotic telescopes to ask and seek answers to their own questions.
Sense-making with images
Participants examine, manipulate, and analyze digital images of astronomical objects using tools and techniques of professional astronomers -- along with supplementary hands-on activities -- to interpret these images.
Capstone Projects
Youth work is aimed at the creation of one or more polished final product(s) of personal interest, that use their own images to answer a question, or communicate an idea or story about the universe to a wider audience.
Where we are today
Today we're inviting you to join us in our endeavor to scale up the network! Visit the FAQ page to learn about how you can get involved in this exciting research.