Sign our petition! https://www.change.org/save_dvc_observatory

Dear Editor,

Our beloved, historic observatory at Diablo Valley College is in danger of imminent demolition due to issues around compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other hefty associated costs to modernize the facility. The building’s destruction would not only be a devastating loss for our Astronomy Department, but a monumental step backward in terms of making STEM pathways accessible to all. As a student whose life was changed here, I implore DVC to be open to alternative solutions so we do not lose our gateway to the stars.

Our observatory is more than just a building. For the past 50 years, it has been DVC’s hands-on laboratory for astronomy classes, where countless students, including myself, have gotten their first telescope training and conducted their first-ever research projects. It is the only place on campus where we are able to operate our telescopes. The observatory is also where we host seasonal observing nights for the public, where hundreds turn out in attendance.

Most importantly, our observatory has served as the first step to higher education and careers in STEM fields for generations of students. It is a place that brings dreams within our grasp. Our observatory should be protected as a key part of the school’s legacy and architectural heritage, not demolished.

I am not alone in this sentiment of urgency to save our observatory. The following are statements from professionals in astronomy and education, and voices of concerned DVC students and alumni.

“The DVC administration is on the verge of making a decision that will erase one of the most inspiring and historically meaningful corners of its campus,” states Dr. Kitran Colwell, professor of physics at DVC. “Destroying an observatory, rather than upgrading it, is the opposite of accessibility: it removes a rare and irreplaceable gateway to the universe for all students, present and future.”

Colwell added, “This experience can set the course of a student’s life. It is not hyperbole to say that observatories, and the mentors who guide students through them, have launched countless careers in science.

DVC alum Jesus Ochoa is one such example.

“DVC’s observatory was not just a building to me, it was a launchpad for my academic career,” said Ochoa.

“As a former student now pursuing astrophysics at UC Berkeley, I can trace my academic success directly back to this facility. This [place] didn’t just teach me astronomy, it inspired me.”

Ronald Gamble, PhD, who works at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, cites another example of how this specific facility has inspired top level national talent to emerge from the school’s program.

For that student, “the existence of DVC’s astronomy program, particularly the campus observatory and planetarium, played a decisive role in their decision to reinvigorate their educational pursuits and study astronomy. Through this pathway, the student secured paid research and tutoring opportunities, became involved in nationally recognized STEM development programs, and was selected for competitive scholarships supporting underrepresented students in physics and astronomy.”

Thanks to DVC’s astronomy department and facilities, Gamble added, “this trajectory—from reentry and uncertainty to national-level STEM engagement—was made possible. Removing the observatory would eliminate a critical access point that enabled this student’s reentry, persistence, and upward mobility in STEM.”

Ian Weaver, PhD, based at the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center for Research, echoes this sentiment and advocates strongly for the preservation of the DVC Observatory.

“I speak from personal experience when I say that access to these types of resources changes lives. I would not have remained in the STEAM field without the hands-on engagement and support that institutions like yours provide,” Weaver writes. “This facility is an invaluable asset [that] provides rare and critical access to astronomical research tools at the community college level.”

“With over 40 percent of students nationwide taking their introductory astronomy courses at community colleges, facilities like the DVC Observatory serve as a vital gateway” he adds. “For many, this is their first meaningful contact with the sciences. By maintaining this facility, DVC ensures that this introduction is a positive and inspiring one, directly contributing to improved matriculation and retention—particularly among historically underrepresented groups in these fields.”

The legacy impact of the DVC Observatory cannot be overstated, says Dr. Simon Steel, deputy director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research and principal investigator for the NASA Community College Network.

“Many will transfer to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees at four-year schools, including some of the top astrophysicists in the country,” Steel writes. “It is the role of the college, in supporting both these groups, to provide not only a grounding in science literacy but an inspiration and fascination with science and the world around them.”

“Facilities like this should be absolutely protected for the future of science and a scientifically literate public, and be a flagship resource of any college teaching astronomy.”

For Dr. Jae Calanog, a DVC alum and Chair of Physical Sciences at San Diego Miramar College, campus observatories like the one at DVC “are increasingly rare ‘classrooms without walls.’”

“I strongly advocate for the preservation and modernization of the DVC Observatory,” Calanog writes, because “[the observatory provides] vital, equitable access to the cosmos—access that is rapidly vanishing due to urban light pollution and the rising cost of astronomical equipment. To demolish this observatory is to lose a critical piece of scientific infrastructure that connects the public to the universe.”

As NASA’s Gamble states, “campus observatories are not symbolic amenities.”

“This facility is not peripheral to the mission of the college,” he says, “they are proven instructional and research-focused tools. The students who benefit most from access to an on-campus observatory are precisely those that community colleges serve.

Dr. Weaver urges the DVC administration to “protect this observatory so its legacy can continue to inspire the next generation of academics and professionals.”

Colwell likewise concludes that the school’s iconic building lies at the heart of DVC’s mission for students.

“The observatory was DVC’s way of tethering that dream to reality.”

“At a time when fewer young people are entering the sciences, tearing down a functioning observatory is a step in precisely the wrong direction,” he adds. “We should be doing everything we can to make astronomy more engaging, more hands-on, and more accessible, not less.”

“Demolition [of our observatory] is not compliance: it is surrender.”

Sincerely,

Bonnie Chi