Title: Preserving our astronomical heritage: The University of Illinois Observatory as a work in progress
Abstract:
Constructed as a teaching observatory in 1896, the University of Illinois Observatory made historic and significant contributions at the start of the 20th century to the astronomy. Once on the far southern edge of campus the Observatory has almost been swallowed by campus development and now sits near the heart of the campus. This paper will discuss the evolving role of the Observatory for instruction and present threats to its preservation. Starting with the successful efforts to list the Observatory on the National Register of Historic Places and subsequent listing as a National Historic Landmark to the current efforts of an alumni group, the Friends of the Obsrvatory, the effort to preserve this important piece of astronomical and Illinois heritage will be discussed. Strategies for engaging the university, local preservation groups and the larger astronomical community will be shared as well as concrete projects such as restoring a clock and completing an inventory of the equipment will be shared.
Bio:
Dr. Michael Svec is an 1988 graduate of the University of Illinois-Urbana. During his undergraduate days he studied the history of the Observatory and participated in the activities that helped get the Observatory listed as on the National Register of Historic Places and later declared a National Historic Landmark. His first publication was “The birth of electric astronomy” in Sky and Telescope. After completing a Ph.D at Indiana University-Bloomington in 1994, Dr. Svec is currently a professor of science education at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina where he prepared teachers for K-12 science classrooms.
