Abbie's Space Party Sleepover - Da Vinci Science Center

H/Abbie’s Space Party Sleepover

Abbie’s Space Party Sleepover

January 25, 2020

On this night, we celebrate the memory of girl scout Abbie Zukowski and share her love of the stars.

About Abbie

Abbie Zukowski, an 11-year-old Girl Scout from Emmaus, PA, loved the stars. She wanted to be an astronomer and often visited area science centers with her family. She even had a birthday party at the Da Vinci Science Center. For her 10th birthday, she got a telescope and looking through it was her favorite part of the day. In 2015, Abbie was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street on her way home from school. For the third year in a row, we honor Abbie’s life on what would have been her birthday weekend.

Activities

Mobile planetarium shows from Stars on the Move
Telescope observations of the night sky (weather permitting)
Special presentation from Dr. Jennifer Levasseur from the National Air and Space Museum, talking about her work as a curator of the Space History department.
Make a constellation circuit pin and learn about the different light stars emit
Paint a rock to take home in memory of Abbie
Engineer a stomp rocket
Explore the power of the Sun with ultraviolet nail polish
Enjoy a cupcake in honor of what would have been Abbie’s 16^th Birthday

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020; 6 p.m.-9 a.m.
Juniors and up
Includes a Science Center sleepover patch
Pizza dinner options available or bring own dinner
A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the Abigail Zukowski Scholarship Fund.

Activities will cover most or some of the requirements below:

Junior Space Science Investigator Badge
Cadette Space Science Research Badge
Senior Space Science Expert Badge
Ambassador Space Science Master Badge

Donate Here

Dr. Jennifer Levasseur

Dr. Jennifer Levasseur received her BA in history from the University of Michigan in 1999, an MA in American Studies from The George Washington University in 2002, and PhD in history at George Mason University in 2014. Her dissertation, Pictures By Proxy: Images of Exploration and the First Decade of Astronaut Photography at NASA, looks at the cultural significance of astronaut photography. She serves as the responsible curator for the Museum’s astronaut cameras, Skylab program, and astronaut personal equipment (pre-shuttle) collections.

Prior to her work at the National Air and Space Museum, she worked as a historic interpreter at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and did a valuable internship at the National Portrait Gallery’s Department of Photography. There, she cataloged photographs acquired through donation and developed strategies for recording portrait information in the museum’s electronic database.

For over 16 years, Jennifer has worked on Museum programs including artifact loans, acts as the Program Committee chair for the biennial Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums conference, and as a department representative on digital projects. She curated the 2015 anniversary exhibit Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity and currently serves as exhibition curator for the Moving Beyond Earth exhibition.