Second star to the right
Astronomy students start academic society
- posted: 23 Oct. 2007
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
Every guy knows what it takes to impress a date. He just has to be a well-groomed, punctual, creative, funny, intelligent, talented, wealthy gentleman who gives a girl a lot of compliments, right? Well, maybe in a dream world.
If any of these qualities are lacking, here is a secret that will help win any girl’s heart on a first date:
Join the Astronomical Society.
The BYU-Idaho Astronomical Society started in Winter Semester 2007. The society was formed by astronomy students, including this semester’s president, Flora Bruno, a junior studying English, to let students with a common interest in astronomy come together and explore the subject.
“After 15 years of teaching at BYU-I, I was delighted to find that there was a relatively high number of students interested enough in astronomy to actually start a society,” said Stephen McNeil, an instructor in the physics department.
The Astronomical Society meets every other week to have activities that pertain to astronomy.
“It’s a fun way for students to come and see God’s hands at work and know that everything has a purpose,” McNeil said.
Activities include building model rockets and shooting them off on campus and looking through the school’s telescope at the planets. They are also planning a mix and mingle for couples to come and learn about the stars together.
“This semester our [Astronomical society’s] purpose is two-fold. One, we want to create a fun environment for those interested and passionate about astronomy and two, we want to educate the general student about astronomy,” Bruno said.
“Being astronomically savvy can sure pay off when it comes to relationships. All it takes to get the girl is to look into her eyes and say, ‘I see the stars of Arcturus in your eyes,’” McNeil said. 
