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The virtual TMT tour at the TMT booth was quite popular with attendees at the Exploring Your Universe event.

TIO Staff Provides Hands-on Activties at the EYU Event

TMT Staff Explain Science and the Engineering Marvels of TMT to the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, TMT staff held hands-on activities for K–12 students at the 16th annual Exploring Your Universe event. This event is volunteer-driven by graduate students in all physical sciences at UCLA. The students raise money to help kids in the area to get to and from the event with a nice lunch while there. It’s a great way to spread the love of science to  the world’s next generation of scientists and leaders, which is why TIO staff make an annual appearance there.

The TMT team spent a busy five hours connecting with attendees at the TMT booth, which quickly became one of the event’s highlights. We welcomed an estimated 600 to 1,000 visitors of all ages, from preschool children to college students and science professionals. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm for astronomy, the engineering behind the TMT design, and the outreach efforts led by our Hilo team. 

Highlights from the TMT Booth
TMT’s booth featured an array of hands-on exhibits and educational resources, including:

• Virtual Reality (VR) Experiences: Visitors could immerse themselves in a virtual tour of TMT
• Gravity Well Demonstration: An interactive model of gravitational pull and orbits\
• 3D-Printed Prototype Model: A detailed scale model of the observatory
• Mirror Segment Actuator: A close-up view of the technology that allows TMT’s mirrors to precisely capture the cosmos
• Cardboard Scale Model Kits: Families could take the kits home and assemble their own mini-TMT models

These activities sparked curiosity and drew visitors back to the booth multiple times throughout the day. Many participants expressed that TMT was their favorite booth at EYU, a testament to the impact of our interactive displays, our passionate staff, and the science we are going to do. We were thrilled to hear from families who return to our booth year after year, including home school groups and former visitors who had toured the TMT Monrovia Lab. We also enjoyed conversations with fellow scientists, engineers, and even a geologist from Caltech’s Southern California Earthquake Data Center who was familiar with the early warning system collaboration we supported at Mauna Kea in 2010.

Our TMT team handed out t-shirts and scale model kits to excited students, including two elementary school classes who visited with their teachers. We encouraged families to share photos of their assembled models with us, furthering their engagement with TMT beyond the event.

A Lasting Impact Through Outreach
Each year, Exploring Your Universe allows us to forge hundreds of new connections simply by sharing our story. This year, our team stayed well after sunset, engaging with a steady stream of visitors even as other booths closed for the day. Exploring your Universe is a reminder of the public’s passion for science and the eagerness of all ages to learn about TMT’s role in advancing our understanding of the universe.

We look forward to inspiring even more minds next year and continuing to build bridges between TMT, the science community, and future generations of scientists and engineers.