Coordinates
29°02'54.0"S 70°41'01.0"W -29.048333, -70.683611
Social Impact
Social impact and community engagement are at the core of the Giant Magellan Telescope’s work. We are taking a leading role in developing inclusive and accessible STEM education, outreach, and engagement programs throughout Chile and the United States. Through a community-based approach, we partner with local leading organizations, and subject matter experts to co-develop equity-driven programs that are intentionally designed to broaden participation in STEM.
Our Impact
8,500+ Students & Teachers
With the launch of our Universo Expansivo program, and the continued operations of our LabMovil ConCiencia, our programs have brought hands-on astronomy education to a diverse range of audiences in Chile and the United States.
45+ Community Events
From City of STEM in Los Angeles to Ladera Sur in Santiago, our team has brought informal STEM learning, including mobile planetariums, public talks, and tactile workshops to 45 events in 2024.
12 Cities Visited
Our Lab Movil Conciencias hosted programming in 12 communities across Chile, bringing STEM education and inspiration to students and educators nationwide.
17 Community Partnerships
In alignment with our commitment to community-centered programs, this year we partnered with 17 community organizations on programs and events.
In the Community
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Students from the Braille Institute of America with a multisensory model of the solar system from Universo Expansivo's 'Astronomy for All Senses' tactile kit. Image credit: Braille Institute of America
Festival participants engaged in an educational experience at Ladera Sur Festival 2024. Image credit: Gonzalo Torres
Giant Magellan Telescope Vice President Oscar Contreras sharing the multisensory education program, Universo Expansivo, to a group of students. Credit: Giant Magellan Telescope–GMTO Corporation
Solar telescope activities with our traveling astronomy laboratory, the Lab Móvil ConCiencias. Image credit: Juan Pablo Fernández Carter
Astronomy activities inside our traveling astronomy laboratory, the Lab Móvil ConCiencias. Image credit: Juan Pablo Fernández Carter
Our pop-up planetarium brings an inspiring and educational experience to events across Chile. Pictured here at Kidzapalooza 2023. Image credit: Valentina Osnovikoff
Our pop-up planetarium brings an inspiring and educational experience to events across Chile. Pictured here at Ladera Sur Festival 2024. Image credit: Gonzalo Torres
Software and Controls Manager, Marianne Cox, sharing her personal journey in STEM and her role at Giant Magellan with 50 girls in Coquimbo at our Girls in STEM event hosted with the U.S Embassy in Chile. Image credit: Pablo Izquierdo
Software and Controls Manager, Marianne Cox, sharing her personal journey in STEM and her role at Giant Magellan with 50 girls in Coquimbo at our Girls in STEM event hosted with the U.S Embassy in Chile. Image credit: Pablo Izquierdo
Solar telescope activities with our traveling astronomy laboratory, the Lab Móvil ConCiencias. Image credit: Juan Pablo Fernández Carter
Systems Engineering Manager, Brian Walls, engages with youth at the Los Angeles City of STEM festival. Image credit: Damien Jemison, Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
Youth engage with our teams' scientists and engineers at outreach events to learn about optics and the making of giant mirrors. Image credit: Damien Jemison, Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
Our Programs
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Community OutreachOur community outreach program is a dynamic initiative that spans the United States and Chile. Through public events including experiences ranging from pop-up planetariums to virtual-reality telescope tours, this program aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds through the wonders of astronomy and the exciting future of the Giant Magellan Telescope.
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Lab Movil Conciencias AstronomiaIn collaboration with Fundación Ecoscience and Las Campanas Observatories, and with support from the US Embassy in Chile, our flagship K-12 Education Program provides thousands of Chilean K-12 students hands-on astronomy education through our LabMóvil ConCiencia Astronomía. The LabMóvil travels around Chile to remote and underserved communities.
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Extrasolar ProgramScience and art come together with Extrasolar, the first Chilean digital art contest that invites both the youth and adults to imagine what the universe is like beyond our solar system. The initiative – driven by Fundación Antenna and the Giant Magellan Telescope – seeks to promote the relationship between astronomy and art through creativity, to visualize distant exoplanets.
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Universo Expansivo Program2024 marked the launch of Universo Expansivo, a new education program designed to increase accessibility in astronomy education, particularly for students with vision loss, through tactile astronomy kits and accompanying lesson plans. Materials for Universo Expansivo were developed in collaboration with Parque Explora in Colombia and Red Aprender in Chile, and is supported by the US Embassy in Chile and its network of 14 “American Spaces. Discover more at Universoexpansivo.org.
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Science Community EngagementOur science community engagement program enables astronomy students, observers, theorists, and instrumentalists to learn about, and engage with the Giant Magellan Telescope teams. Events include our annual Community Science Meeting, as well as public talks, booths and open houses at scientific conferences like the bi-annual American Astronomical Society meetings.
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Dark Skies PreservationChile is the best astronomical location in the world, due to its incredible dark and clear skies. By 2030, nearly 70% of the world’s astronomical infrastructure will be in Chile. The Giant Magellan Telescope is a founding member of the Fundación Cielos de Chile (FCC), an organization dedicated to protecting the dark skies of Northern Chile. We are long-time supporters and collaborators with the Oficina de Protección de los Cielos de Chile (OPCC). Together with government officials, the FCC and the OPCC work to establish periodic improvements to the Norma Lumínica, the regulatory body for public and other open spaces illumination, and astronomy-friendly fixtures.
