The Calumet Astronomy Center (CAC) is an ongoing collaboration between the Calumet Astronomical Society (CAS), the Lake County Parks and Recreation Department (LCPRD), and Purdue University Calumet (PUC). We envision the CAC as a focal point for astronomical education, outreach, and research in Northwest Indiana. The CAC is located at LCPRD’s Buckley Homestead County Park in Lowell, IN and is already the home of the CAS’ Thomas Conway Observatory. The Thomas Conway Observatory was built by the steelworkers at USW/ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor Career Development Center. Its full story can be found on the CAS webpage.
PUC’s initial contribution to the CAC will be the Northwest Indiana Robotic (NIRo) Telescope. NIRo will allow a complete revamp of the PUC introductory astronomy courses, facilitate many new research projects for PUC physics majors, and bring astronomy to local middle-school classrooms through educational modules compliant with Indiana state science standards for grades 6 – 8. We are currently raising funds to house the Northwest Indiana Robotic (NIRo) telescope at the CAC. PUC’s Dave McLees has created this rendering of the NIRo Telescope dome and control room.
Click here for the latest update on the NIRo Observatory construction.
