The Wonderful Life as Interim Observatory Director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory

This past year while I was in Australia, PVL PhD student Indiana Jones (I mean, Charissa Campbell - see the photo below the cut below) took on a very unusual TAing assignment in the Department of Physics. But she handled the assignment with grace, growing into the role. She returns to the lab with a new skill-set that I have no doubt will help her reach her graduate student goals.

By Charissa Campbell  

From January till July 2019 I had the great honour of being the Interim Observatory Director of the campus observatory, known as the Allan I. Carswell Observatory. The great Paul Delaney was on sabbatical for 6 months and needed a temporary replacement to maintain the observatory while he was gone. I immediately jumped on the idea when Paul asked me as not only would I gain valuable outreach and leadership experience, but it would allow me the ability to work with telescopes, always a passion of mine.

The observatory houses two telescopes, a 40 cm and 60 cm. This size describes the diameter of the primary mirror in the telescope. The bigger the mirror, the brighter are the objects that you observe, allowing you to see dimmer things that are often farther away. We’ve been lucky enough to be able to get a new telescope with a 1 m mirror, the largest on a Canadian campus (https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/university-new-telescope-research-1.4287794). It was supposed to be installed December 2018 (before Paul left on sabbatical), but was unfortunately delayed. This is common with important piece of equipment, especially of the astronomy related kind. I will admit that I was a little relieved that the 1 m was delayed until Paul got back as I would have been significantly busier as the telescope would have been in high demand for tours, media, etc. Keep an eye out for when the new telescope is ready! For more information on the different events the observatory does, feel free to check out their website: http://observatory.info.yorku.ca

At this point many of you must be wondering what exactly is involved with being director of a high-profile observatory, and I too was asking those questions at the beginning. One main task is keeping an eye on the domes (that hold the telescopes) and the telescopes themselves. If an observatory member saw something that needed to be fixed, I was the first person they talked to. I would then refer the problem to the needed person, such as calling York Maintenance to fix a leak or stuck door-jam. Another important aspect was not just looking after the telescopes but maintaining the observatory clan as a whole. Luckily, I am not the only one who runs the observatory as it would be a lot of work for just one person. There is a large group of volunteers, with a smaller group of members that gain valuable experience while getting the added bonus of a paycheck. Within this smaller group there lies a single and very important role known as Coordinator. This role has the important task of emails, scheduling tours and events while managing the observatory members on an individual basis. Once a week I would meet with my coordinator to chat and organize the different events occurring that week. I would look at things from a big picture and get filled in by the coordinator of any problems that needed to be tended to. With the coordinator being a senior member of the observatory, they were well versed in everything and everyone so I would not have been able to maintain things without them!

Outreach is an important part of our observatory as we love giving back to the community by sharing our wonderful resources and knowledge of most astronomy-related topics. We are popular with schools of all ages and give multiple tours a month to showcase our telescopes. When doing tours, we also provide the group with another fun activity such as a presentation or comet making. I abruptly learned the comet making activity when participating in Science Rendezvous, where the observatory puts on outreach activities every year (see corresponding photo). It is a fun homemade activity that takes simple ingredients and dry-ice to make a hand-held comet. It wows the audience and explains how comets form in space, which is a win-win for outreach. Not only did I participate in Science Rendezvous, but also did some lunar observing at a high school, put on a Jupiter Opposition event (when Jupiter was the brightest) and many others. Another big event I also helped organize was for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) that held their General Assembly here last June (https://rascga2019.ca/). RASC members from all around the country traveled to this event and I met a variety of wonderful people who have a passion for astronomy. During the General Assembly, the Observatory put on some tours and helped with a big outreach event in Vari Hall. Overall, the event was a success and it was great seeing what exactly is involved with planning such a big event.

Above: Some of the observatory crew and I (Middle, with the Paul-Delaney-style hat) participating at Science Rendezvous, showcasing solar observing, comet making, henna tattoos, etc. It was a great all-day event teaching people of all ages astronomy-related topics

Overseeing the observatory also opens some doors into the media and answering any questions reporters might have. CBC The National approached the Observatory about doing an interview with female students or scientists that could comment on the finale of The Big Bang Theory (TBBT), which aired its final episode earlier this year. I had been a fan of TBBT when it first was on television but found it to be repetitive after a while so eventually I lost track of the show. I agreed to do the interview (along with a York Engineering student) to share my opinion on how the show depicts female scientists and real-world science in general. Feel free to check out the interview: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/the-big-bang-theory-sitcom-ending-1.5133630.

All-in-all, being Interim Observatory Director was a fantastic experience and helped me gain valuable leadership skills that I can take to any future job, including my current one. It was a nice change from marking assignments, but I will admit it will be great to get back to doing more research!