The EAC Discovery Park Campus has recently been renovated to offer high technology instructional television (ITV) classes. The Jupiter Room and the Ranch House Conference Facility barn are both set up to have internet access for faculty and instructors. LCD projectors are also available for use in classroom presentations. Other audio/visual devices are available to the faculty presenting classes as well.
With the space and space technology themes of the Gov Aker Observatory, students have access to the astronomy museum galleries and the virtual tour through the solar system on the Space Shuttle Polaris. In additional to the main observatory, kivas were constructed to represent celestial bodies and events. Also available is a 20-inch, research-grade, Cassegrain reflector telescope, donated by the University of Arizona. This resource allows visitors and students the opportunity to view celestial bodies.
Within the Jupiter Room is one of the world's largest Camera Obscuras. The term camera obscura is Latin for dark chamber. This 500-pound, three element, 40-inch assembly is mounted on the southwest wall of the Jupiter Room. Opening the outer aperture of the camera obscura allows for a full inverted image of Mt. Graham which mirrors the function of the eye.
The Discovery Park Campus is the official visitor's center to the Mt. Graham International Observatory Visits . These visits are conducted from May through October, weather permitting.
The Desert Skygazers Astronomy Club also holds special events at the facilities, including star parties.
The Discovery Park Campus offers many of the EAC academic, occupational, and personal interest classes, including Astronomy, Biology, Ecology, Birds of the Gila Valley, Clogging, Desert Survival, Horseshoeing, Rocketry, Water Resource Conservation, Yoga, and more. The Discovery Park Campus is also home to EAC's Adult Education Program which teaches Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) for those preparing to take their General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency test. Another important part of the Adult Education effort is our English Language Acquisition for Adults (ELAA) Program, the replacement for the old English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. For information on participating in the Adult Education or GED classes in Graham County, call 928-428-6260. For information on the Greenlee County complement of these classes, you may also call 928-865-5559.
Culture, history, and travel lectures, as well as special meetings and events, are held at the Discovery Park Campus each semester. These include anthropology slide shows, archaeology discussions, foreign art demonstrations, poetry readings, Articulation Task Force meetings, storytelling events, alumni gatherings, and Gila Valley Leadership classes. The facilities at the Circle D Ranch allow for events including BBQ dinners, catered luncheons, and refreshments.
The Discovery Park Campus facilities can be rented for events and classes through the EAC Student Life Office at (928) 428-8354. All activities are conducted in accordance with the official policies of Eastern Arizona College.
