Lauren was the "Telescope Queen" at Astrocamp during 1999.
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To remember her, the staff at the Desert Sun Science Center, where Astrocamp is located, and its parent, Guided Discoveries, named a portion of the telescope viewing program for Lauren. It includes the telescope equipment, CCD camera, computer and auditorium building, all of which are involved in taking images of deep space and showing them to students, as many as 15,000 per year. The Observatory is located at the lower of two sites, the one closer to the center of the campus.
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The Dedication of the Lauren Interess Observatory took place on November 7, 1999, the first time in the 25-year history of Guided Discoveries that any of its facilities have been named for an individual. Excerpts of the program have been transcribed and included in this web site. They are well worth reading and include:
- the poignant thoughts of Program Director Gil Walker,
- the delightful story of how the Observatory was named by instructor Derik Stone,
- the official dedication by Executive Director of Guided Discoveries Ross Turner,
- and the beautiful song written and performed by instructor Cris Kelly to honor the memories of Lauren Interess, Lauren Dunn, and Jody Wilson.
Also available from this page are links to deep space images taken by Lauren at the site of her Observatory and a photograph of Star Lauren Interess, also taken at the Lauren Interess Observatory in early November 1999.