Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

Eye on the Night Sky: A Project for Science Literacy is a partnership between the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and Vermont Public Radio (VPR) of Colchester, Vermont. The project is an extension of the partners' popular Eye on the Sky weather program, which reaches more than 150,000 listeners per week in Vermont and parts of New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Quebec. Eye on the Sky has popularized weather science in the region, and the museum's staff meteorologists-Mark Breen (who is also director of the planetarium) and Steve Maleski-have become Vermont's best-known weather forecasters. In the new program, listeners will learn about astronomy through an engaging set of educational programs developed by Mr. Breen and astronomy writer Andrew Chaikin. The grant will fund the production of short daily broadcasts, a new website, resources for teachers, and community workshops conducted in public libraries throughout the state. Radio listeners will be able to e-mail their observations and questions to the program. In addition, VPR and the museum will broadcast two annual statewide night sky viewing events, tentatively titled "Everybody's Watching!" During these events, listeners can call in from their cell phones with observations and questions. The goal of the project is to increase science literacy throughout the state, encourage informal observation and science-based inquiry, and promote environmental awareness. The e-mail network will also provide a valuable tool for program evaluation.