Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Announces 2024 Discovery Camp Registration

CONTACT US

(508) 228-9198

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Announces 2024 Discovery Camp Registration

Jan 08, 2024

NANTUCKET, MA – The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), your portal to Nantucket’s natural world, announces its 2024 Discovery Camp schedule and registration is now open to children ages five through sixteen. The MMA will offer age specific weekly sessions this summer full of science education, research, and exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.

The MMA’s award-winning Discovery Camps kick off on June 17 and continues for ten weeks of curiosity, wonder, and exploration. The popular camps featured include, “Animal Signs & The Five Senses,” “Aware in the Wild,” “Underwater Explorations,” “Exploring Art in the Ecosystems,” “Marine Biology Boot Camp,” “Cosmic & Climate Connections,” “Green Guardians,” “Junior Historians - A Walk Through Nantucket,” and “Junior Astronomers – Reaches of the Universe.”

Visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/camp-programs to check enrollment availability and to register. Island Families Registration began January 8, and open registration for All Members begins January 15 at 6am.

Camp registration is open to MMA Members only. Membership can be activated or renewed at https://www.mariamitchell.org/membership. Membership gives you many benefits including unlimited free admission to the Aquarium, Natural Science Museum, Loines Observatory, and the Historic Mitchell House, discounts on programs and merchandise, and much more.

Thanks to a generous gift from EGCF, a non-profit foundation, the MMA offers scholarship opportunities for eligible Nantucket Island residents and visitors. This financial aid program provides an 80% discount off the price of camp sessions. Any family who can demonstrate a need is encouraged to apply. To learn more, visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/scholarships-discounts.

Please review the camp programs webpage at https://www.mariamitchell.org/camp-program

to learn about the variety of camps offered for each age level and come explore with us!

The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the

first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

####

For Immediate Release

January 8, 2024

Contact: Molly Mosscrop, Marketing Director

mmosscrop@mariamitchell.org

< Older Post Newer Post >

Recent Posts

Is That A Wrap?

22 Apr, 2024

Yes. Well, almost. After about a month of working – and some living (staff and or neighbors) – on Vestal Street with all the sewer and water replacement work, the paving happened today (April 17, 2024). This is the first “layer” – a three-inch binder coat. In the fall, once time has passed, they will return for the final one inch of the finish layer. Some of the other things along Vestal Street will also be repaired and updated between now and the final coat – and a bit after that. But we are very happy, after all these years to have a modern system of piping – and all new drainage we never had before! While the curator in me loved the old clay pipes, they were riddled with roots from the trees, holes, and in some places, collapsed, and the twelve inches of asphalt had to go. Vestal Street was only paved in about 1946/1948 – and has not been paved in maybe twenty years so that is a lot of asphalt in about fifty years! And with climate change and the increase in how much rain we get in these heavy rain events, all that water rushed down Vestal Street with nowhere to go – except our cellars. I am sure the neighbors are happy too! A thank you to the Town of Nantucket’s Sewer Department, especially David Gray (who may regret giving me his cellphone number forever), N&M Excavating and Utilities (Dean, we appreciate you being so nice when we had too many questions), Victor-Brandon Corp for paving, and numerous others. We are looking forward to great flushing, powerful hose lines, and rainwater being whisked away via the new, never-before-had storm drains! JNLF And to all the N&M workers who wondered why I was constantly looking down as I walked along Vestal Street, you should see the trove of porcelain shards, glass, old nails, a bottle neck, 19 th century spoon, and even possibly a Wampanoag stone tool I found!

Vestal Street Updates

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • 08 Apr, 2024

Vestal Street has seen a bevy of activity of late. In January, we began the renovation of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory’s (MMO) Seminar Room addition – as it has been referred to since it was built in 1987. When it was created, the point was for it to serve as meeting, lecture, work space on three floors for the Astronomy Department – in particular the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate (NSF REU) interns we have each summer, visiting astronomers, and the astronomy staff. Believe it or not, it was the first time the Observatory had a bathroom! And, it connected to what we refer to as the Astronomer’s Cottage (ca. 1830 and purchased for the MMA in 1922) so that staff could move between the house and the Observatory without going outside – convenient! With a gift from board member and Mitchell family descendant, Richard Wolfe, we have been able to renovate this space, bringing it up to date and adding HVAC, an accessible bathroom and kitchenette, three office spaces, a seminar/meeting area, and space for intern workspaces. Lighting and interiors are being improved as this is written and we hope to have the space ready by June 1, 2024. A special thank you goes to John Wise, another Board member, who has been working with the MMA to make sure this renovation happens in a short timeframe. The work here dovetails nicely with the conservation of the historic observatory to which the Seminar Room is connected. The historic MMO, built in 1908 with a 1922 addition, has seen exterior conservation work over the last several years with support from the Community Preservation Act and the M. S. Worthington Foundation. This fall, we will move inside with more grant funding which will allow us to conserve the historic interiors and install a proper HVAC system to protect the historic fabric and historic astronomical equipment and papers. We will restore the floor in the Astronomical Study from 1922 – it’s hidden under wall-to-wall carpet and 1950s tile but it’s still there – and allow us to conserved the historic plaster and all of the original varnished woodwork. Stay tuned on this project. JNLF