STLCC-Meramec’s Sky Club focuses on informative events and learning opportunities to students interested in meteorology and astronomy
By: Kavahn Mansouri
-Editor in Chief-
Two semesters ago STLCC-Meramec professor Joe Schneider’s dream of an astronomy and meteorology club came to fruition in the shape of the campus Sky Club.
The club focuses on the two subjects by holding informative events and offering learning opportunities to students interested in the fields. Sky Club also hosts field trips and volunteer events.
In the past two semesters Sky Club gave a presentation to boy scouts for Hands on Kirkwood, participated in the River Des Peres trash cleanup and walked in the Thanksgiving Day parade with the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) The club also took part in Operation Gratitude in conjunction with the Veterans Club by getting students to write letters to service members overseas.
Sky Club President and STLCC student Arielle Byington said the club has been busy in the past two semester.
“We’ve been doing a lot of meteorology and astronomy events. Also a lot of volunteer events where members the club members have the opportunity to get service hours,” Byington said.
Between participating in volunteer events, fundraising and hosting field trips to different science hot spots around town Sky Club has found time to offer Meramec students a step further then what the campus offers class wise. Sky Club goes where meteorology and astronomy classes stop. With several events ranging from visiting the National Weather Service to visiting the Venus transit on the roofs of Meramec, students can put what they were taught in class to work through various Sky Club events.
Byington said the club is always looking for new astronomy and meteorology based events to participate in.
“In the past two semesters we’ve gone to the storm spotter class that’s provided by the National Weather Service. We went to the Astronomy Nights at the Science Museum,” Byington said. “We did the Venus transit, that was in the summer. We had a bunch of students go up on the roof and we had telescopes up there.”
Schneider said a main point of the club is getting the word out about meteorology and astronomy.
“One reason for starting the club was to connect with a large number of people,” Schneider said. “That’s what we want to do, we want to make people aware of things about Astronomy and Meteorology.”
Schneider said the club relishes the opportunity to spread information about astronomy and meteorology.
“Another purpose of our club was to spread interest in astronomy and meteorology to kids. That is why I have been extremely happy with doing presentations for the boy scouts and my club has done an excellent job in fostering their interests. I want to make more connections within the community to showcase the kind of activities, students, and professors we have at Saint Louis Community College at Meramec,” Schneider said.
The clubs ‘huge success’ can be attributed to Sky Club’s members and Byington service as club president, Schneider said.
“Arielle has done a wonderful job of being president and setting up all those events, she’s been great to work with and has been a major reason the club is a huge success,” Schneider said. “I’m very impressed with all the club members too, in that the events that we’ve done everyone has come out and been excited for them. Not every event has exactly been fun; it’s been a lot of work. Cleaning up River Des Peres was not exactly a morning where you were sitting down having a fun time.”
Sky Club is a way of going further than Meramec astronomy and meteorology courses can, Byington said.
“I think it’s really great that students have a spot now where they can meet and learn about things. We only have a Introduction to Meteorology class and then a Observational Astronomy class and Intro to Astronomy class but they can’t really go anywhere after that,” Byington said. “I really like the fact that they have access to our club and I want to keep finding new things for people to do with us.”
Byington added that Sky Club could offer opportunities students would not normally exposed to.
“We can provide opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Byington said. “Networking, being able to learn about different schools that offer meteorology and astronomy programs; we were thinking about visiting SLUH’s meteorology department.”
The club is about students taking the ‘next step’ and venturing further into the fields of astronomy and meteorology.
“You know in each individual class of mine, whether it be meteorology or astronomy, there’s always a couple of students that are really into it. This provides them the opportunity to get together with me and the other students that were also really into it,” Schneider said. “This club provides them the opportunity to meet other people that are also into both sciences.”
Schneider added that the club gives the students opportunities to develop their interests.
“There’s always students that maybe have an interest in it [meteorology and astronomy] and they don’t really have many opportunities here to express it further. This would let them do that,” Schneider said.
Sky Club will be spreading the science around Meramec on Feb. 20 through a public speaking event with storm chaser, meteorologist and former host of Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers.” The event will be held in the Meramec theater.
Byington said the event will be a great opportunity to meet a storm chaser and network.
“We’re trying to get the National Weather Service to come and hand out material, the YWCA will have a booth there. We’re trying to make it a networking event as well as a fundraiser. And I think it will be a really great opportunity because how often do you get to meet a real storm chaser,” Byington said.
Schneider said one of the clubs goals is to have a weather station on the Meramec campus.
Along with more events around Meramec, Byington said the club wants to continue down the same path they are on.
“We want to continue on the set path we’re going on right now. Find new events, increasing our membership; finding more people who are dedicated to learning more and helping out,” Byington said.
Sky Club will be at Club Days and will hold their first club meeting of the semester Feb. 4.
