The Only Native American Astronomer?

Dec. 13, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Dennis Lamenti believes he is the only Native

American astronomer in the U.S. with -- or working on -- a graduate degree. He actively has sought others

through conferences, speeches and committee meetings and comes up empty handed. But he intends to 

change that. The IU graduate student is planning a spring Bloomington campus visit and a retreat for 

Native American students to a national observatory, and is involved in a nation-wide event, all to bring more 

Native Americans to the field of astronomy while introducing his culture's astronomic heritage to the world. 

   "Our stories tell us how to live, and we don't have to lose them when we move into university settings," 

said Lamenti, a Navajo IU graduate student studying astronomy. "It's all in the stars." 

   Lamenti's cultural heritage will shine on center stage in 2009 during the International Year of Astronomy 

(IYA2009). The world-wide

celebration aligns with the 400th anniversary of modern astronomy, which began when Galileo first looked 

at the stars through a telescope. More than 30 countries will hold events throughout the year, including the 

United States. 

   Lamenti is chairing the United States' Cultural Astronomy and

Storytelling National Committee and is planning a big event for June 2009. Lamenti's plans involve a live Web 

cast of the summer solstice from an ancient observatory -- possibly from Chaco Canyon in New Mexico or 

Chitzen Itza in Mexico -- which will be broadcast to museums and observatories across the country. It mainly 

will target children, as will all of the IYA 2009 events, and hopefully will feature an elder from Native American

tribes, local to each site, to speak about astronomy in their respective cultures. "I really want the program to 

continue past 2009 to help children become interested in science," said Lamenti. 

   Additionally, Lamenti is actively working to attract more Native Americans to the field of astronomy and to 

higher education in general. He is attempting to raise funds to bring 20 Native American high school

students interested in college to Indiana University's Bloomington campus for a week. And he has already 

received almost $10,000 to take several Native American students to Kitt Peak National Observatory, l

ocated on the Tohono O'odham Nation near Tucson, Ariz., for a week-long study of astronomy. 

   "Many observatories like Kitt Peak are located on the sacred ground of local tribes," said Lamenti. 

"And I believe that if the employees and astronomers working at these sites can be Native Americans, 

then they should be. Hopefully these programs will help bring more Native Americans into the field."