Retired Ohio County Teacher Travels to Chile as ‘Educator Ambassador’
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WHEELING -- A local retired teacher learned last month by looking through the world's largest telescopes in Chile that great things can be accomplished when countries work together.
Debbie McKay, previously a science teacher at Wheeling Middle School, traveled to Chile to be an "educator ambassador" through the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP).
The program is a collaboration between Associated Universities Inc. (AUI) and Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and the observatories they manage in Chile.
While in South America, McKay visited sites including the Gemini South, Rubin and Alma observatories.
The collaboration between Chile and American educators began seven years ago, and fewer than 70 so far have participated. McKay was a part of the 10-person group selected for 2023.
She left for the adventure on Aug. 1, flying first to San Diego then to San Pedro de Atacama and La Serena in Chile. The travel took about one day. The ACEAP program in Chile began Aug. 4, and lasted through Aug. 14.
"We saw some of the largest optical and radio telescopes (in the world)," McKay said. "We got a behind-the-scenes look in the instrumentation and the control rooms."
She noted that at her highest point, she was about 11,500 feet above sea level.
"Where we stayed, you just felt like you were on another planet," McKay said. "You could see as far as the eye could see -- and there was just us. It was absolutely beautiful."
The American educators also got to teach some astronomy lessons to high school students while in Chile.
"The U.S. and Chile work collaboratively on research, and a lot is given back to the community," she explained.
"We met with a group of indigenous folks, and they shared their stories about their ancestors and their love of astronomy."
The U.S. and Chile "are in tune with preserving their culture and not disrupting their habitat," McKay noted.
McKay became involved with ACEAP after taking some of her students to a summer camp at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia over the years.
During the COVID pandemic, she was offered an opportunity to do some educational user testing with the Rubin Observatory that is presently under construction. She participated in a pilot program to determine what programs there could be used in the classroom.
"Then for me to get to see it ... I never thought in a million years that I would get to see the closeup," she said. "It's like one of the world's largest optical telescopes that is on land."
In addition to being at a high elevation, there is very little humidity or light pollution in Chile, McKay explained. The country's location makes it an ideal spot for observatories and giant telescopes.
The environment provides a crystal clear view of the sky, she continued. It never gets totally dark there, but rather the sky turns a twilight blue.
McKay works part-time at the Schrader Environmental Education Center at Oglebay Park, and plans to share the knowledge she collected through astronomy classes there.
"The takeaway is that people really can work together for a common good," Mckay said. "The most rewarding thing is we can all work together."