LOWELL OBSERVATORY RECEIVES $1.4 MILLION IN GRANTS FROM KEMPER AND ETHEL MARLEY FOUNDATION
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Feb 20, 2020 Update:”]As of February 2020, The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is now known as the Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT).[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Flagstaff, AZ. – The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation of Phoenix is supporting Lowell Observatory’s research and education efforts with a three-part grant totaling $1.4 million. The largest fraction of monies will support 70 nights of research by Lowell astronomers with the Observatory’s Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT). The remainder will pay for facility upgrades and long-range planning efforts.
Lowell is undertaking an unprecedented period of growth in both its research and education efforts. The DCT is operating at full capacity and, thanks in part to this funding from the Marley Foundation, astronomers at Lowell are kicking off a new era of exploration with projects ranging from the study of exoplanets planets and characterization of asteroids and comets, to deciphering the evolutionary history of stars and galaxies.
Meanwhile, public interest in the Observatory and its educational programs has skyrocketed, with record numbers of people visiting Lowell for the second consecutive year. Current visitor and support facilities need to be expanded to accommodate this growth and, with the guidance of some of the world’s leading consultants, the Observatory is nearing completion of a facilities master planning effort to meet these needs. The Marley Foundation funding will cover all consultant and architect fees, as well as help to finish the electrical upgrade of the Observatory’s 100-year-old Slipher Building that houses both educational programs and research offices.
Lowell Director Jeff Hall said, “We are incredibly grateful to the Marley Foundation for this extraordinary gift, and we look forward to sharing all our discoveries with them and with everyone as the work unfolds.”
The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation was established in 1990 and principally supports higher education programs, human service organizations, historic preservation efforts, and the arts.