Category: Updates

Rain, rain, go away!

Please come back some other day!

Miss our updates? So do we … the dry season in Tanzania seems to be a bit … wet.

Don’t give up, we’ll have clear skies again soon!

Zacharia shares the following, “This week, the Ailanga Form 3 and 4 physics teacher asked me [to] help him find a video about Astronomical telescopes and how they work in comparison to microscopes, to show his students in our observatory. Yesterday night we [brought] students to the observatory to show them the video which led us into a very good discussion. [T]heir teacher was there together with me to lead the discussion. It was awesome because students were so excited and more engaged in asking questions!”

Tonight they watched the 5th episode of COSMOS. They learned about light, and Isaac Newton’s experiments with a thermometer and prism. Now, the students want to duplicate the experiment. There are many prisms and a few thermometers, but we may look for a higher quality, digital unit to get high quality results.

Stay tuned!

Today the MMAO hosted the assembly of NASA spectrographs. These simple, effective tools enable us to “see” the composition of our Sun in a safe and effective manner, combining chemistry, physics, and astronomy in a cohesive understanding.

Zacharia writes, “… students come over to our library and they were looking for different kinds of materials including reading books. Later they wanted to know about [the] spectroscope. We didn’t even plan to do it. Then we started to discuss together and started building them under Eliatosha’s guidance because he did it before. Students were able to make four spectroscope and connect them with prism glass–it was awesome! I am so impressed with the way students are eager to learn and engaged.”

A small group of Americans visited the Ailanga school and were pleasantly surprised to discover a fully operational, astronomical observatory on campus! They didn’t have much time, but Eliona, Zacharia, and Pandaeli gave the a quick tour. We look forward to the day when we open to schools, safari tourists, and the general public on a regular basis.

This just in from Eliatosha Maleko, instructor at Ilboru Primary School and Astronomy Ambassador for MMAO, his summary of the month working on the completion of the observatory and installation of the telescope.

“I am very happy to express my sincere gratitude and happiness to you since I started my participation in the Astronomy about 10 years since … It is amazing and Astronomy [has] changed everything in my life and the people surrounding me, especially my students.

Through my learning all those years I have learned how to work with people of different areas and especially to show passion [for] Astronomy [and this] makes my students to love to learn as their curious to know more and more.

In my three weeks astronomical participation with Mr Kai, I have learned many things and especially, culture of different people all round the world, learning especially on how to take very small and minor measurements … I have learned to take things seriously and never to ignore [the details].

Moreover [we worked in] time management so that every thing should be done in time, and [to share] passion and humbleness to to people of different ages and to listening to them as through them we learned many things.

I have learned to say “I don’t know” as a way to learn more … it doesn’t matter you’re title, the only thing to say [is] “I don’t know”.

Finally I thanks everyone especially Astronomers Without Borders, UNAWE, and their facilitators and donors for their support … especially to Telescopes to Tanzania Pastor Chuck, Sue, Dan, Mike, Kai, and Mponda for their great, great support, encouraging and participation to make sure that students enjoy learning and to explore more our sky.

Together we can enhance learning and improve Astronomy in Tanzania.” –Eliatosha

Elineema Nassary describes the thirty days of our working together as follows. “I experienced many things during the mounting of [the 12”] telescope at MMAO. I learned that we are all learning, and no one knows everything. I learned that a good scientist knows three words ‘I DON’T KNOW’. Let us learn together. [W]e all shared knowledge during mounting the telescope and sometimes we engaged students to work with us.

“I also experienced that I have to work for the future generation and not for my benefit. Therefore we volunteered our time and even our liquidity in order to fulfill the mission of our beloved, late Pastor Chuck and mama Sue to come true. Yes it has happen. What is following is living in the Chuck’s idea of inspiring our students to love science.

“[F]rom my fellow who we were together during mounting the telescope, especially from Kai, [I learned] to be very careful on everything I am doing, not to answer direct question if you are not 100% sure on it, [and] also reading and do[ing] more research on what you are learning. Moreover, be clean and keep everything on its position and be slow in fixing things.” –Elineema

From the airport in Nairobi, I reached out to the ambassadors asking for their experience in the thirty days working to bring our observatory to life.

This just in from Zacharia Mjungu, a teacher at Ailanga, one of the astronomy ambassadors. Edits are in [brackets], per his request.

“Here is my story I can tell, for the past one month working in the observatory. It has been a great opportunity to me that everyone was involved … given [a] chance no matter the background or whatever the case may be. I came to realize that learning is a process that need[s] to be practiced day by day as we have been doing under [Kai’s] guidance.

Through [his] perspective “we are all learning together, no one knows everything” especially [concerning the] universe, and the perspective of allowing anyone to ask questions. “No such a thing is a stupid question, only stupid people who don’t ask questions,” Kai would say.

At first it was hard for me (maybe for everyone else) to catch up with the process but as [the] days [went] by, I came to realize that it was a right thing to be involved fully, [for] no one else was to do it for us. Instead we were part of the process (we are still doing it) not just for Kai, but l felt it was our responsibility and everyone who is willing to learn, teachers and students all together.

This really opened up my mind to see things in different angles and realized that through astronomy we can build the best educational system in our country and make great critical thinkers and achieve more in everything. I have a lot to tell but this is what came to mind and I think the most important part of all we have accomplished in one month is “TEAMWORK SPIRIT”. We worked together as a team. (Pardon for my English) you can edit it. [Much] more to learn.”–Zacharia

Yesterday, Saturday, August 24 found us engaged from mid morning ’till 3 am when the taxi took me to the Kilimanjaro airport.

At 11 am Elineema, Thomas and I went to town to trade a like-new inkjet printer for a simpler, more robust laser. We have come to rely on the hilarious and incredibly engaging stationary shop owner Miqdad. During our prior visit (Thursday) we enjoyed fresh bananas and juice while his employee located a large plastic tarp, tool box, and RAM for Zacharia’s laptop. He saved us hours of time, which is greatly appreciated.

I had asked for a discount to support the project. He hesitated, wanting to but knowing it would cut into his margins. I challenged him to an arm wrestling match. I win–10%. He wins, full sticker price. He reluctantly agreed, both of us bragging a bit before we clasped hands. With employees and customers looking on, I got the discount!

I enjoyed a late lunch with the OSEO board of directors and then a return to the observatory yesterday evening after packing my bags at the lodge. Eineema remained with me until 3 am when he escorted me to the airport before returning to his home near Usa River.

Elineema and I worked with limited conversation, engaged in cleaning up one of the OSEO laptops, copying my full music library, collimating the AWB 5″ reflector telescope (again), fabricating the telescope cover, and a few odds and ends.

I have introduced my associates to Bach, Mozart, Dead Can Dance, Enya, Annie Lennox, Toto, Styx, and more. In turn they introduced me to the Observatory Shuffle, a dance one can enjoy while working on a telescope, tools in hand.

I have come to appreciate and thoroughly enjoy the kind of friendship the people of this region of the world provide. It is sincere, deep, and long-lasting. No social network can replace what we share in person, hand-in-hand working for a common goal.

I admit to feeling tremendously alone today, despite being surrounded by people at the Nairobi airport as I await my flight to Cape Town. I already look forward to my return to Tanzania, the observatory we have built, and the students who crave the knowledge and experience this project affords.

Today (Friday) is my second to last day in Tanzania. Sunday morning I fly to Cape Town, South Africa where I will reside for ~2 weeks, working from an apartment and the South African Astronomical Observatory. I will miss this place like never before, for here at the base of Mt. Meru I have found a new home. Rev. Majola, Chairman Thomas Mbise, and astronomy ambassadors Elineema, Eliona, Pandaeli, Zacharia and Eliatosha have become good friends in addition to colleagues and conspirators in all that we do to improve science education in this country. We have become a team, accomplishing what was surely impossible in an impossibly brief twenty odd days.

Last night we stopped and looked around us at the elegant, functional, profoundly unique “spaceship of the imagination” we have created and realize that nothing like this exists anywhere in East Africa. The Mt. Meru Astronomical Observatory is more than just a building, it is a place for exploration of the unknown. In the coming years we will say again and again “I don’t know!” and then work to find the answers together.

Asante sana to the late Chuck, Sue, Mponda and the OSEO board of directors for making this possible, to the students who delight us in their enthusiasm to learn and never stop asking questions, and to my new friends for welcoming me to your part of the world. This is just the beginning!