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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-05.19.10-StarParty2-JMu
May 19, 2010
Canyon Country Campus Star Party to Focus on Saturn
Community members are invited to come explore the night sky in search of Saturn, and other galaxies far far away, during the second College of the Canyons Star Party, being held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 21, at the Carl A. Rasmussen Amphitheater, located on the college’s Canyon Country campus.
During the event, college faculty members and amateur astronomers will be on hand to inform audiences about Saturn, while audiences investigate the sky through telescopes positioned to provide an out-of-this-world view of the sixth planet from the sun.
Star Party attendees are encouraged to come early with picnic blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy a festive atmosphere as the sun sets in the west and Saturn emerges as the “star” of the evening.
The Star Party is part of the college’s ongoing 40th Anniversary celebration.
A short orientation lecture about the planet Saturn presented by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) science system engineer Dr. Kevin Grazier will begin the evening.
Grazier joined NASA’s JPL in 1995, and has worked as science system engineer on the Cassini Equinox Mission’s study of Saturn, and also served as investigation scientist for the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem.
Grazier is also very active in bringing the wonders of science and space to the public, teaching classes in planetary science, astronomy, cosmology, the search for extraterrestrial life and the science of science fiction at UCLA and Santa Monica College and working in the entertainment industry as a scientific advisor. Grazier has also served as a contributing author and editor for several science-related books.
“Last year the Star Party focused on Jupiter and the evening turned into something special for everyone who attended,” said Dr. Dena Maloney, Vice President of the Canyon Country Campus and Economic Development. “This year, Saturn will take center stage and the evening will be even better!”
The success of the 2009 Star Party was due in large part to the enthusiasm and efforts of Dr. Ram Manvi who, at the time, was the college’s dean of Mathematics, Sciences and Engineering Technologies, and who had previously worked for many years at the JPL.
Dr. Manvi died suddenly in February 2010. In honor of his memory, a portion of the concession sales from this year’s Star Party will be donated to the Dr. Ram Manvi Memorial Scholarship.
For more information about the COC Star Party event, please call the College of the Canyons Canyon Country campus at (661) 362-3801.
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