Photo Caption: Dr. Martin Weisskopf, Chandra project scientist

Due to the weather forecast for tomorrow night, the scheduled telescope observing at Chickasaw Trace Park has been rescheduled to Wednesday, October 7^th, at Sunset (weather permitting).

(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Aug. 20, 2015) - - - Columbia State Community College's Pryor Art Gallery welcomes "Infinite Creation," an exhibit and program highlighting NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Space Project. The exhibit will run Sept. 8 - Oct. 19 and will feature a month of special activities, including a special presentation by Dr. Martin Weisskopf, project scientist.

"This exhibit is a multi-faceted art and educational experience," said Michele Wilkinson, Pryor Art Gallery curator. "It will be an inter-disciplinary experience that will appeal to science, art and humanities students, as well as the general appeal it will have to those who just want to appreciate the beauty of our universe."

This year marks the 15th anniversary of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory's launch into space with an X-ray telescope that allows scientists to take images of never before seen celestial events to help us better understand the structure and evolution of the universe.

The exhibit will include a scale model and 32 stunning posters with narratives in both English and Spanish that complement any science curriculum that touches on space exploration, astronomy and technology.

Artists and art students will display their interpretation of "infinite Creation" in multiple mediums. Music students and faculty are sure to find inspiration in the images as they will be providing original music to greet guests, and English students are offered a haiku workshop that will also be open to the public.

On Oct. 1 at 5 p.m., Weisskopf will present an audio visual presentation of "Great Science with a Great Observatory." The 30-minute presentation is free and open to the public and will take place in the Ledbetter Auditorium, located in the Frank G. Clement Building on the Columbia Campus. Seating is limited, so please contact Wilkinson for seating availability.

In conjunction with the exhibit, additional activities include:

• Sept. 16 and 30 - Night sky watch at Chickasaw Trace Park at sunset (weather permitting). For details, contact David Fawcett at 931.540.2665. Telescopes will be available or may be brought from home.
• Sept. 22 - Haiku poetry workshop in the Pryor Art Gallery at 3:30 p.m. For details, contact Judy Westley at 931.270.3774 or Anne Reeves at 931.540.3102.
• TBA - Tour NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center through Columbia State's science, technology and mathematics division.

Columbia State has partnered with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville, Alabama, which manages the Chandra project, to bring the exhibit to the gallery.

For detailed information related to the exhibit, please contact Wilkinson at 931.540.2883 or mwilkinson2@ColumbiaState.edu.

The Pryor Art Gallery is in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus, located at 1665 Hampshire Pike. The gallery is open and free to the public Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/PryorGallery for additional information.

Photo Caption: Digital image from NASA's Chandra Space Project.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.

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