Teachers: Whether K-12 or college/university, the best way to have your students visit the UMD Observatory is to arrange a group tour for the entire class. However, there are many teachers in the region who offer a visit to the UMD Observatory as extra credit and have their students come as individuals during the public session.

In the past, we asked students to sign in and then I would have to email the teachers the next day to let them know which of their students attended. This is no longer a viable method.

Starting with the 5 Sept 2012 Open House, any student tasked by their teacher with attending the regular public session of the UMD Observatory Open House for regular or extra credit (ie, teacher told them they should come), should download, print and fill out the Student Visit Form. There is a portion for the student and teacher to fill out and then a portion for me to sign that gets returned to the teacher by the student.

Some caveats:

  • Students (K-12, college, etc) attending strictly for fun, do not need to do this.
  • If you come to me (Elizabeth Warner) asking for a signature as proof that you were at Open House, then it had better be this form!!
  • Students should bring the form to Ms. Warner when they first arrive to 'sign in' and then again before they leave to 'sign out' and get her signature.
  • We do have a seating capacity, so teachers are limited to sending no more than 5-8 students per Open House night. If I have 8 teachers each sending 8 students, plus my regular Open House visitors, then there is a high chance many of those students will not make it in!! They'll have to come another time. If you want more than 10 to come on a particular night, you will have to make a group reservation!
  • Students must be on time!! While I realize that there are sometimes problems with traffic, I cannot promise that there will still be space in the lecture hall if a student arrives late. In addition, if a student arrives more than 15 minutes late, I may not let them in simply as a matter of principle!
  • Students must attend the full program which includes the presentation, tour of the telescopes, and observing if the weather permits.