LIGO Receives Grant for Educational Outreach

Jun 08, 12:40 PM

Current Headlines: By John Trumbo, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

Jun. 8--Hanford's Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory has received a $5,000 award from the Washington state Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform program.

The award, presented Tuesday morning at TRIDEC offices in Kennewick, recognizes LIGO's contributions toward advancing science education for the public.

The award was accepted by Fred Raab, head of the LIGO Hanford Observatory.

Raab said LIGO is happy to be involved in helping "put some magic into the lives of thousands of residents of our region each year."

He said the educational outreach has involved the Tri-City Astronomy Club, Columbia Basin College, the Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology, Washington State University Tri-Cities and other groups to conduct public activities at LIGO and school-based programs.

LIGO offers field trips for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, teaching about 900 of them in 2006 about gravitational waves. About a dozen university groups also visited LIGO last year.

Dennis Schatz, vice president for education at Pacific Science Center and co-director for Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform, or LASER, said in a prepared statement the award is to recognize and raise public awareness about science education. It was one of five awards given this year for that purpose.

Raab said the award money will be used to support transportation expenses for trips to the observatory.

Len Peters, former director at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, and chairman of the TRIDEC board, said the award emphasizes the importance of LIGO in advocating science education.

"It is so important for people to understand the value of science outreach," he said.

w John Trumbo: 582-1529; jtrumbo@tri cityherald.com

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