By David Dyck
Image courtesy of PAMR

Instead of going by the DAC, the building will now be put in a much more high profile location

In 2010, the university unveiled plans to build an observatory on the Burnaby campus. It was originally meant to go up next to the Diamond Alumni Centre, as pictured, but according to Dr. Howard Trottier, physics professor and host of the popular “Starry Nights @ SFU” program, the plans have since changed significantly.

“What largely changed was that someone pointed out that this program is largely for kids who come on campus,” Trottier told The Peak. If the observatory is on the north slope, it is a problem because that isn’t an area where you really get to see the university. “That’s a really big part of the experience, that they see what university life is like.”

The project has been split into two different parts: the observatory and a daytime class- room space, the two of which do not necessarily have to be in the same location.

Although Trottier was not able to disclose where the location for the new building will be, he did say, “the observatory is now a standalone structure which will go in a very exciting, very high profile spot,” that students will see every day.

“A thousand students will pass it every day, and everyone at SFU will have access to equipment as good as, or better, than the observatory at the Vancouver Space Centre,” said AJ Koenig, an SFU undergraduate student who is a member of the SFU Astron- omy Club.

“Given Vancouver’s light pollution, the facility will not be making new research, but will be making new astronomers. And if enough people get involved, we may find SFU pressured into building a larger astronomy faculty,” he added. Currently there is no astronomy department at SFU, though the physics depart- ment offers some undergradu- ate classes that may appeal to stargazers.

Originally the observatory project was budgeted at four million dollars. With changes to the project came a new price tag: two million dollars, which an anonymous donor agreed to pay in full. Details are also hazy as for when the structure will begin construction. “The vague timeline is that things are moving ahead, and the project should be made public soon,” said Trottier.

But he was adamant that although he couldn’t give many details on the project at this time, it was a sure thing. “There’s absolutely no turning back now. It’s coming.” “It’s built up a lot of awareness, a lot of support from all kinds of people, all walks of life on campus and off campus, so that reservoir of goodwill is really huge, and we’ll tap into it soon,” he added.

Trottier is the host of Starry Nights @ SFU, a program that brings people of all ages up to Burnaby mountain for stargazing. It started in 2009, and gained immediate popularity. The program is geared specifi- cally towards children, but in- cludes many SFU students.

Trottier credited a lesser-known program on campus for much of Starry Night’s success: Science in Action, created by SFU chemistry professor Sophie Lavieri. “It’s a community thing that may have grown within SFU but to have the community engaged in this way, would not exist without science in action,” he said.

According to Trottier, the classroom space will work with the observatory to enhance a program that is “broader than just a university observatory.”

“You won’t find another program like this in Canada once it’s up and running,” said Trottier. There are even plans to have a video link to schools outside the lower mainland, so that they may book time to op- erate it remotely.

“It’s not just the observatory, it’s the whole science outreach program that drives the scale of it. It’ll be a first in that way, there’s no university science centre like it. There are things of that nature in the States, but not in Canada.”