Through the years, the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) has been a source of information and guidance to students who decide to study variable stars for class or science fair projects. The idea to develop a formal curriculum using the AAVSO's unique variable star database, however, came about when I attended "An Education Initiative in Astronomy" workshop, supported by NASA, in Washington, DC, in February of 1990. The opportunities, objectives, strategies, and recommendations that were discussed at that workshop, along with the presentation by Dr. Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, then Director of the National Science Foundation's Education Division, who suggested that we as astronomy educators have the best tools to attract the attention and imagination of students, other teachers, and the public, provided the impetus and ideas for Hands-On Astrophysics.

My colleague John R. Percy, a leading advocate of astronomy education for decades, had been using AAVSO variable star observations in many projects for his students at the University of Toronto. Inspired by the Washington, DC, workshop, Dr. Percy and I, with the strong endorsement of the AAVSO Council, decided to develop together a curriculum, Hands-On Astrophysics, based on our many years of experience in guiding students, and utilizing many decades of AAVSO variable star observations.

Variable stars are stars that change in brightness, and these changes in brightness help us understand the nature and evolution of stars and galaxies. The study of variable stars is particularly suited to science, math, and computer education. Students can observe variable stars with binoculars, telescopes, and even with the unaided eye, and then can analyze the changes in brightness of the stars they observe by using the over 600,000 million observations and the computer programs provided with Hands-On Astrophysics. As students discover the unique qualities and the oddities of a star's behavior, they can find out more about "their star" through further research in the library and via the Internet.

With members in over 45 countries, the AAVSO is the largest organization in the world dedicated to variable stars, and with over 10 million variable star observations from its founding in 1911 to the present, the AAVSO is custodian of the world's largest database on variable stars. Many variable star observing groups around the world submit their observations to the AAVSO to be part of the AAVSO International Database, so they can be used by researchers and educators around the world. AAVSO members and observers range in age from eight to over 90, and come from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common: a love of and curiosity about variable stars. These dedicated amateur astronomers have provided the unique component of the Hands-On Astrophysics curriculum - real data which can be used by students, teachers, and amateur and professional astronomers alike to discover the secrets of the stars, including our own Sun.

All components of the Hands-On Astrophysics curriculum were designed with the discovery process in mind. Our intention in offering this curriculum to you is to help students acquire fundamental science skills and to develop an understanding of basic astronomy concepts, to provide interdisciplinary connections, and to take students through the whole scientific process. It is our hope that while having fun in working with real data, students will develop more sophisticated math and computer skills. We further hope that Hands-On Astrophysics will foster, among both students and teachers, a love of and interest in one of the most fascinating branches of science - astronomy.

Hands-On Astrophysics is not just for students and teachers: it has been developed for everyone who is interested in astronomy and in learning more about the wonders and workings of the universe. HOA materials are suitable for amateur astronomers who wish to learn more about the fascinating nature of variable stars. There is a wealth of information which can be utilized for science projects, for astronomy club activities, and for family learning.

As Co-Directors of HOA, John Percy and I gratefully acknowledge the funding provided to the AAVSO by the Education Division of the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Grant No. ESI-9154091, which enabled us to develop this curriculum. We express our sincere thanks to Dr. Gerhard L. Salinger, NSF Instructional Materials Development Program Director, who recognized the potential of our project and provided us with his invaluable guidance and recommendations throughout its development.

We express our gratitude to the thousands of amateur astronomers worldwide who contributed observations to the AAVSO International Database - without their efforts we would not have the real data on which the HOA curriculum is based.

Finally, we recognize with deepest appreciation the efforts of Donna L. Young, lead teacher and principal author of the HOA Manual, and the invaluable contributions of many teachers, students, amateur astronomers, AAVSO staff members, and other individuals to the development of Hands-On Astrophysics.

By Janet Akyüz Mattei, AAVSO Director and HOA Co-Director

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
December 1997