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Education Overview
The Fairborn Institute, located in Payson, Arizona, supports STEM education at Gila Community
College (GCC) which also had one of its two campuses in Payson. The Institute provides
funding for the development of course materials and supports the travel of instructors and
students to mountaintop observatories and major conferences. GCC features an extensive
astronomy program with four courses. The emphasis is on published research. GCC offers a
STEM Research Certificate.
September 2025 observing session with 16 GCC AST 231 Advanced Astronomy Research
seminar students and supporters at Mt. Wilson Observatory. The famous 100-inch Hooker
telescope that Edwin Hubble used to discover the size and expansion of the universe is in the
background.
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