The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a public nonprofit foundation staffed largely by volunteers, used for research and education. It operates in what remains of a tracking station maintained by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the peak years of the American space program. The facility in the Pisgah National Forest was dedicated on October 26, 1963. The site was selected because it was on government land and was in an area almost totally free of radio frequency and relatively free of light pollution. The key feature on the 200-acre campus was an 85-foot steerable parabolic reflector.
Lake Toxaway Charities approved a grant in 2020 to provide hands-on educational and research opportunities for local students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.
In 2021 Lake Toxaway Charities approved a grant to provide scholarships to local underserved students to attend residential summer camps for kids in grade 6 through 12 on topics like astronomy, robotics, cryptography, 3 D modeling & printing and more.
