More than 1,300 parents, children and members of the community recently filled the hallways of High Point University’s Congdon Hall for an evening of space, science, and beyond.
Hosted by the HPU Department of Physics, the first annual HPUniverse Day on Sept. 19 offered a free, family friendly, educational outreach astronomy event for the community. Kids of all ages participated in hovercraft rides, observed Mars and Saturn through a Dobsonian telescope, competed in astronomy Jeopardy!, launched water bottle rockets and more. Those who participated were given “passports” that were redeemable for prizes at the end of the event.
Dozens of volunteers, including HPU faculty members, students and other astronomy enthusiasts, helped to make the event a success.
“Many parents thanked us for providing a youth-focused, STEM-related outreach program in the city of High Point,” said Dr. Brad Barlow, assistant professor of astrophysics and organizer of the event. “Experts argue that we need more kids pursuing careers and degrees in STEM fields. If a single child that visited HPUniverse Day decides to go into the sciences because of our event, we won, and the whole event was worth it.
Barlow says he hopes to make HPUniverse Day an annual event that continues to grow, adding that next year’s HPUniverse Day will be one of the main volunteer requirements for a new service-learning astronomy course to come in fall 2015, thanks to a 2014 Gutenstein/Silvershein Family Faculty Development Grant.
