Who We Are
McDonald Observatory was founded in 1939 under the dark night skies of the Davis Mountains in West Texas. As a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin, we are one of the world’s top-ranked research observatories, with strong capabilities in observations, instrument design, and undergraduate and graduate education.
The Observatory is also a world leader in public education and outreach with our Frank N. Bash Visitors Center hosting over 80,000 visitors each year and providing programs for the public and K-12 audiences. Additionally, McDonald Observatory produces the longest running science show in the nation, StarDate radio, which reaches millions each week on over 300 radio stations across the country.
What We're Fundraising For
In a typical year, hundreds of students visit the Observatory for learning field experiences and even more connect with education staff through interactive videoconferences. We train thousands of teachers from Texas and beyond through hands-on workshops, which include the opportunity to meet and work with professional astronomers as they conduct their research.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced us to cancel our in-person programs, but this has created an exciting opportunity for us to utilize livestream technology and reach an even larger audience! We expect to serve over 8,000 K-12 students in Texas and beyond through online videoconference experiences hosted by education staff at the Observatory. These programs provide a brief tour of the Observatory; live telescope observations of Venus or the Sun with specially equipped telescopes and cameras; guided exploration; and follow up discussion with students and staff. All online education programs will be offered free of charge to students everywhere.
Your 40 for Forty gift helps make all this possible, bringing the majesty of the night sky to children all over the country!
Your Impact
Your gift directly supports our virtual education programs. These can look like our teacher workshops or even a deep sky livestream hosted on YouTube! Using cutting edge technology, our staff guide viewers through some of the Universe’s most stunning celestial objects, all made possible by you. Nothing sparks the imagination more than the mysteries of the night sky! “My preschooler (3.5 yrs old) drew the Sun! I was amazed how curiosity notched up from the book he read. All in all, wonderful of you to serve your community and encourage future citizens to live well under one sky.”
Thank you to everyone for another amazing campaign! Below are some of the challenge winners for the second day of the campaign!
It’s Another Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER UT Child Development Center San Jacinto
2nd Place: WINNER Texas Crew
3rd place: WINNER UT Child Development Center Comal
Hungry Bevo Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Texas Crew
2nd Place: WINNER UT Child Development Center San Jacinto
3rd place: WINNER Texas Women's Rugby
40 to the 40 Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Texas Crew
2nd Place: WINNER Texas Women's Rugby
Final Countdown Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Texas Crew
2nd Place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
3rd place: WINNER Liberal Arts Council
Longhorn Pride Social Media Challenge
1st Place: School of Nursing Area of Greatest Need $1,000 Prize
Runner Ups:
Texas Orange Jackets $250 Prize
Dell Medical School Scholarships $250 Prize
6,000 Milestone Award Winner- Texas Crew
7,000 Milestone Award Winner- Shakespeare at Winedale
8,244 Milestone Award Winner- Texas Women’s Club Lacrosse
What a day! We have a surprise tonight! Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. CST the top three colleges, schools, units, and organizations that receive the greatest number of gifts will receive an additional reward.
1st Place: $1,500
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $250
Rally behind your favorite participating area of campus before 10 p.m!
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $2,000 | Texas Crew | 95 |
2 | $500 | Texas Women's Rugby | 75 |
3 | Texas Orange Jackets | 57 | |
4 | Texas Taekwondo | 20 | |
5 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 8 | |
6 | University of Texas Libraries | 7 | |
7 | McCombs School of Business | 6 | |
8 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 6 | |
9 | Texas Athletics | 6 | |
10 | Steve Hicks School of Social Work | 5 | |
11 | Texas Exes Chapters and Networks | 4 | |
12 | Texas Exes | 3 | |
13 | TX Votes | 3 | |
14 | Jackson School of Geosciences | 2 | |
15 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 2 |
Rank | Prize | Final Countdown Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $5,000 | Texas Crew | 103 |
2 | $1,500 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 72 |
3 | $1,000 | Liberal Arts Council | 52 |
4 | McCombs School of Business | 26 | |
5 | Texas Exes | 23 | |
6 | Jackson School of Geosciences | 20 | |
7 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 15 | |
8 | Department of Asian Studies | 15 | |
9 | College of Natural Sciences | 13 | |
10 | Moody College of Communication | 11 | |
11 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 11 | |
12 | Black Studies | 11 | |
13 | School of Human Ecology | 9 | |
14 | University of Texas Libraries | 9 | |
15 | College of Liberal Arts | 9 |
Rank | University-Wide Leaderboard Gifts | Gifts |
---|---|---|
1 | Texas Crew | 930 |
2 | Liberal Arts Council | 451 |
3 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 340 |
4 | UT Child Development Center San Jacinto | 331 |
5 | McCombs School of Business | 325 |
6 | Texas Exes Chapters and Networks | 299 |
7 | UT Child Development Center Comal | 293 |
8 | Texas Women's Rugby | 293 |
9 | Department of Asian Studies | 229 |
10 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 215 |
11 | Texas Exes | 211 |
12 | Texas Taekwondo | 210 |
13 | Texas Athletics | 163 |
14 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 162 |
15 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 144 |
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Exes Chapters and Networks | 181 |
2 | $750 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 45 |
3 | $250 | UT Women's Club Soccer | 44 |
4 | Liberal Arts Council | 40 | |
5 | Texas Crew | 23 | |
6 | UT Child Development Center Comal | 22 | |
7 | McCombs School of Business | 13 | |
8 | Department of Asian Studies | 13 | |
9 | The University of Texas at Austin | 10 | |
10 | Texas Athletics | 6 | |
11 | College of Natural Sciences | 6 | |
12 | Black Alumni Network | 5 | |
13 | Longhorn Powerlifting | 5 | |
14 | IEEE RAS | 5 | |
15 | Steve Hicks School of Social Work | 5 |
Rank | Prize | Hungry Bevo Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Crew | 204 |
2 | $750 | UT Child Development Center San Jacinto | 168 |
3 | $250 | Texas Women's Rugby | 120 |
4 | Texas Taekwondo | 70 | |
5 | UT Child Development Center Lavaca | 12 | |
6 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 12 | |
7 | LBJ School of Public Affairs | 11 | |
8 | McCombs School of Business | 10 | |
9 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 9 | |
10 | Kendra Scott WEL Institute | 7 | |
11 | Department of Asian Studies | 7 | |
12 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 7 | |
13 | Texas Athletics | 6 | |
14 | Shakespeare at Winedale | 6 | |
15 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 6 |
Rank | University-Wide Leaderboard Dollars | Raised |
---|---|---|
1 | Dell Medical School | $1,306,294.21 |
2 | McCombs School of Business | $529,345.36 |
3 | Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy | $416,134.00 |
4 | Jackson School of Geosciences | $310,339.42 |
5 | Landmarks | $277,804.94 |
6 | Texas Exes | $112,410.00 |
7 | Texas Athletics | $91,341.00 |
8 | College of Natural Sciences | $56,851.51 |
9 | University of Texas Libraries | $38,656.00 |
10 | Department of Asian Studies | $33,051.00 |
11 | Longhorn Band | $32,870.00 |
12 | The School of Architecture | $29,550.00 |
13 | Cockrell School of Engineering | $27,144.10 |
14 | LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease (LCID) | $21,900.00 |
15 | Forty Acres Scholars Program | $19,870.00 |
Rank | Prize | It's Another Surprise Challenge! | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | UT Child Development Center San Jacinto | 120 |
2 | $750 | Texas Crew | 99 |
3 | $250 | UT Child Development Center Comal | 88 |
4 | Texas Women's Rugby | 55 | |
5 | UT Sailing Team | 44 | |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 39 | |
7 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 16 | |
8 | Texas Athletics | 16 | |
9 | The University of Texas at Austin | 14 | |
10 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 14 | |
11 | Moody College of Communication | 12 | |
12 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 12 | |
13 | Dell Medical School | 11 | |
14 | The School of Architecture | 10 | |
15 | School of Law | 10 |
Rank | Prize | Late Night Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $2,500 | Liberal Arts Council | 59 |
2 | $1,500 | UT Archery Club | 45 |
3 | $1,000 | Texas Crew | 36 |
4 | Texas Taekwondo | 9 | |
5 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 4 | |
6 | First-Gen Equity | 3 | |
7 | The University of Texas at Austin | 3 | |
8 | Texas Exes | 2 | |
9 | Longhorn Band | 2 | |
10 | School of Nursing | 2 | |
11 | Forty Acres Scholars Program | 2 | |
12 | Texas Rock Climbing | 2 | |
13 | Texas Women's Rugby | 2 | |
14 | College of Fine Arts | 1 | |
15 | UT Amateur Radio Club | 1 |
Rank | Prize | Longhorn Lunch Special Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Crew | 116 |
2 | $750 | UT Child Development Center Comal | 85 |
3 | $250 | Center for Leadership and Ethics | 28 |
4 | McCombs School of Business | 20 | |
5 | Texas Exes | 19 | |
6 | Steve Hicks School of Social Work | 17 | |
7 | Department of Asian Studies | 16 | |
8 | College of Natural Sciences | 13 | |
9 | Texas Athletics | 13 | |
10 | Jackson School of Geosciences | 13 | |
11 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 11 | |
12 | College of Liberal Arts | 10 | |
13 | School of Law | 10 | |
14 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 10 | |
15 | Liberal Arts Council | 10 |
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Crew | 121 |
2 | $750 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 90 |
3 | $250 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 80 |
4 | Liberal Arts Council | 55 | |
5 | Center for Leadership and Ethics | 21 | |
6 | UT Sailing Team | 20 | |
7 | Department of Asian Studies | 17 | |
8 | Texas Exes | 15 | |
9 | Texas Athletics | 11 | |
10 | McCombs School of Business | 7 | |
11 | Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research | 7 | |
12 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 7 | |
13 | Communication Studies Graduate Community | 6 | |
14 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 6 | |
15 | School of Nursing | 5 |
Rank | Prize | Happy Horns Happy Hour Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Taekwondo | 87 |
2 | $750 | Liberal Arts Council | 45 |
3 | $250 | Texas Exes Chapters and Networks | 31 |
4 | Department of Asian Studies | 15 | |
5 | McCombs School of Business | 13 | |
6 | The University of Texas at Austin | 12 | |
7 | College of Liberal Arts | 12 | |
8 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 11 | |
9 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 8 | |
10 | Texas Athletics | 8 | |
11 | Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy | 8 | |
12 | School of Law | 7 | |
13 | Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research | 7 | |
14 | University of Texas Libraries | 7 | |
15 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 6 |
Rank | Prize | Day 1 Leaderboard: Gifts | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,000 | Texas Crew | 312 |
2 | $750 | Liberal Arts Council | 286 |
3 | $500 | Texas Exes Chapters and Networks | 269 |
4 | $250 | Texas 4000 for Cancer | 253 |
5 | $100 | UT Child Development Center Comal | 190 |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 136 | |
7 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 118 | |
8 | Department of Asian Studies | 106 | |
9 | Texas Taekwondo | 100 | |
10 | Texas Exes | 95 | |
11 | Center for Leadership and Ethics | 89 | |
12 | Texas Athletics | 84 | |
13 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | 74 | |
14 | College of Natural Sciences | 67 | |
15 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 64 |
Rank | Prize | Early Bird Challenge | Raised |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | College of Natural Sciences | $15,050.00 |
2 | $750 | Steve Hicks School of Social Work | $10,350.00 |
3 | $250 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | $5,400.00 |
4 | Texas Athletics | $5,175.00 | |
5 | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | $2,385.00 | |
6 | Cockrell School of Engineering | $2,245.00 | |
7 | McCombs School of Business | $2,100.00 | |
8 | Texas Exes | $1,960.00 | |
9 | Electrical and Computer Engineering | $1,650.00 | |
10 | Moody College of Communication | $1,550.00 | |
11 | Counseling and Mental Health Center | $1,500.00 | |
12 | Longhorn Racing | $1,500.00 | |
13 | The University of Texas at Austin | $1,140.00 | |
14 | School of Human Ecology | $1,000.00 | |
15 | Dell Medical School | $910.00 |
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