The International Association
for Astronomical Studies

The International Association for Astronomical Studies (IAAS) is a group of junior high and senior high school students from the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. These students share a common interest in astronomy, amateur radio, aerospace, the sciences, and engineering, and want to share that interest with others.

A Brief History of the IAAS

The IAAS was founded in June of 1978 with a group of six students for the fall semester. The premise for initiating the IAAS was to create an environment for high school students that would enhance current skills and capabilities and expand individual interests and knowledge. More importantly, these motivated young people would be encouraged to succeed in a scientific program and be allowed to contribute their talents to the advancement of science and engineering in the schools.

Since 1978, these students have been involved in various scientific projects including the study of Saturn's ring systems, eclipses (both solar and lunar) and the study of radio emission spectra. These students have contributed to and assisted in the development of astronomy curricula for kindergarten through adult education. Also to their credit is the development and performance of world-class planetarium productions and guest lectures for conferences and seminars.

Many students have traveled extensively and have given presentations at conferences locally, nationally and internationally. They are sought after as international speakers on the topics of youth astronomy research and scientific programs.

The IAAS has developed numerous educational programs over its many years of existence. Each one is designed specifically to make understanding science fun. In 1990, the IAAS also became known as Boy Scout Explorer Post 2268 named after the black hole Cygnus X-1 (companion to the star HDE 226868).

Some of the IAAS student projects include:

The IAAS Star Labs

These exciting labs include hands-on demonstrations and activities. The Star Lab presentations include the following labs:

Contact us to arrange for a Star Lab at your school.

The IAAS Teams

The IAAS is made up of different teams of students. Each team has several students who are interested in a particular aspect of science. Currently, the active teams of the IAAS are:

Space Sciences Team

The Space Sciences Team is actually comprised of several different teams based on specialized areas within the Space Sciences field.

The Observational Astronomy Team is instrumental in providing expertise in the use of research quality telescopes and equipment. The team observes the heavens searching for comets, recording eclipses and occultations, satellite tracking, studying NASA and JPL planetary and interplanetary missions, as well as observing planetary events. These students also teach the public about the heavens at our Star Carnivals and Star parties. The Radio Astronomy Team is conducting research for the Radio Jove Project which entails building systems to receive and analyze radio signals from the planet Jupiter.

The Archaeoastronomy Team has lead several expeditions to the Chaco Canyon region of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to study the ancient Anasazi ruins. The National Parks Service now uses the IAAS developed Study Guide for their own tours. The students of the IAAS have also made significant discoveries, which have explained some of the mysteries of the ruins.

Aerospace Sciences Team

As part of the Tripoli Colorado High Power Rocketry Club, the IAAS Rocket Team launches very large rockets with experimental payloads aboard to thousands of feet above the ground. These payloads are then recovered for data analysis. The team also experiments with conventional and exotic propellants, such as nitrous oxide and acrylic for their rocket engines. The Rocket team currently has a rocket under construction that they hope to launch to altitudes over 50,000 feet. Additionally, the Aerospace Sciences team is building and flying R/C aircraft with a goal of developing an aerobatic formation flying squadron. The team is constructing a full scale replica of the WW1 French fighter Morane Saulnier Type-N aircraft.

Communications Team

The IAAS Communications Team (callsign WØNHS) provides communications for many IAAS research projects. The team created the Tuesday night Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's Denver area wide coverage amateur radio repeater operating on 146.940 Megahertz. The team also participates in the ARRL Field Day event and other radio outings. During severe weather, specially qualified IAAS students supervised by trained adult mentors have assisted the National Weather Service Denver/Boulder Forecast Office with severe weather reporting. Several IAAS students and trained adult mentors also work in conjunction with the Colorado ARES districts to provide emergency communications resources.

The IAAS is looking forward to another great year!

For more information, contact the IAAS:

The IAAS
P.O. Box 55
Golden, CO 80402
(303) 349-IAAS (4227)

Email us

Visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.iaas.org

Subscribe to the IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
Courtesy of Freelists.org

last modified: October 3, 2011
URL: http://www.iaas.org/brochure.html