Astronomy magazine has chosen the St. Louis Astronomical Society (SLAS) from St. Louis, Missouri, as the winner of its 2014 Out-of-this-world Award for outstanding public programming. Among the SLAS’ many accomplishments that helped it win the award, the one that stood out was the sheer number of public observing events it held throughout the year. During calendar year 2014, the club hosted 54 events attended by 5,570 people.
The club launched one initiative in 2014 that also was exemplary. They call it the SLAS Library Loaner Telescope program. Modeled on the program created by the New Hampshire Astronomical Society in 2008, it provides modified Orion 4.5-inch reflectors to local libraries, which then circulates the instruments among their patrons.
Read more about SLAS programmers and the club president’s reaction to winning this $2,500 award in our News section.
