Astro-Science Workshop

About the Workshop

Sponsored by the Adler Planetarium and the National Science Foundation, the ASW originated over 40 years ago during the space race and Apollo program.

Created to encourage students to pursue careers in science, today it fulfills this goal by offering students the unique opportunity to work hands-on with scientific instruments and research-quality data.

Join us to...

• Build and launch scientific instruments to the edge of space on high-altitude balloons

• Meet and learn from some of the finest astronomers and scientists worldwide

• Develop friendships with other Chicago-area high school students

• Have a chance to receive up to $2000 in college scholarships.

The Astro-Science Workshop (ASW) is a challenging program for high school students in the Chicago area who have demonstrated exceptional interest and aptitude in science.

Build your own spacecraft! As a student in ASW, you will construct, launch, track and recover your own experiments on board a high-altitude balloon - up to around 20 miles above the Earth! Along the way, you will learn astronomy, physics, atmospheric science, and electronics in a hands-on setting, as well as participate in guest lectures from noted astronomers and scientists.

Balloon launches are made possible through Far Horizons 2011:
A Tribute to Steve Fossett.

Stay tuned for more information about ASW 2011.

Curriculum

The central organizing theme of the Astro-Science Workshop is hands-on, team-based, scientific exploration. In 2009, students explored the near-space environment by building and sending experiments to altitudes of around 100,000 feet - the very edge of space.

Most of the first two weeks of ASW will consist of:

• Classroom lectures on astronomy, physics, atmospheric science, and electronics

• Guest lectures by leading members of the scientific community

• Laboratory exercises in electronics, including the building and testing of ground-based experiments

The remainder of the program will be focused on the design and construction of experimental sensors to measure various properties of the Earth's atmosphere, including the light and radiation environment, culminating in the third week with the launch, chase, and recovery of these experiments on board a high-altitude balloon.

How to Apply

2012 Astro-Science Workshop (PDF)

2012 Astro-Science Workshop Application (PDF)

If you are interested in the program or have any questions, please contact:

Mark Hammergren, Ph.D.
Astronomer & Director, AstroScience Workshop
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago IL 60605
mhammergren@adlerplanetarium.org
(312) 322 0319
FAX: (312) 322 2257

Distinguished Alumnus

ASW Graduate John Grunsfeld is a veteran astronaut with four shuttle flights and five space walks under his belt. He was payload commander of STS-109. a shuttle mission that serviced the Hubble Space Telescope, served as Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters during 2003-2004 and was EVA lead for the 2009 Hubble Servicing Mission.

"When I was in high school, I had a thirst for more science, more than high school could offer me, and I was lucky enough to be selected into the Adler Planetarium's Astro-Science Workshop... I think it was on that platform that I got here at the Adler that allowed me to go to college and graduate school and become a professional astronomer."

John Grunsfeld, Ph.D., ASW '76
NASA Astronaut