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Lift Off for Digital Universe Field Study with the American Museum of Natural History

 To fly through the Universe--a sixth grader's dream!

Saint David's sixth graders have begun their study of the cosmos, conducted through our school's  collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The Digital Universe Field Study is an interdisciplinary research project that blends astronomy, English, and technology curricula.

On their first visit, the boys created models of our solar system to scale. They will make regular field study visits to the museum, where they will investigate the Universe using the Museum's Uni-View software, which interfaces with the Digital Universe Atlas, an aggregation of real-time astronomical data captured through advanced telescopes. Working with the Hayden Planetarium's scientists, they will learn to virtually fly through the Universe.

Then, in teams of two, the boys will research an astronomy-related question to investigate. They may explore the nature of black holes, or question which planets could be most hospitable to humans. They will turn their research into a visually arresting space show that they present to their parents in the dome of the Planetarium.

Through this experience, our boys augment their learning in astronomy using sophisticated scientific tools and benefit from the expertise of planetarium professionals. All while having a dream come true!



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