- Email: [email protected]
Space science public outreach at Louisiana State University
Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126 www.elsevier.com/locate/asr
Space science public outreach at Louisiana State University T.G. Guzik
a,*
, E. Babin b, W. Cooney c, J. Giammanco a, D. Hartman d, R. McNeil a, M. Slovak a, J.G. Stacy a
a
d
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001, USA b Prairieville Middle School, 16200 Highway 930 Prairieville, LA 70769, USA c Baton Rouge Astronomical Society, 13800 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, USA Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, 3140 North Sherwood Forest Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70814, USA Received 26 February 2003; received in revised form 26 April 2003; accepted 26 April 2003
Abstract Over the last seven years the Astronomy/Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Louisiana State University has developed an extensive Space Science education and public outreach program. This program includes partners from state and parish government, the local community, museums and school districts and has directly led to the development of the Highland Road Park Observatory, in-service teacher training program, content standards aligned classroom material and new technology for the classroom. In addition, a new planetarium/space theater opening soon in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana will provide our group with new space science education and public outreach opportunities. In this paper, we will discuss details about some of our individual projects. Ó 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Public outreach; Space science; Astronomy and astrophysics; Space science education
1. Introduction Seven years ago the Louisiana State University (LSU) Astronomy/Astrophysics group had little background in education/public outreach (E/PO) but a strong desire to help address problems associated with teaching space science content in the K-12 classroom. Our effort since then has included establishing a partnership between the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University (LSU), Southern University (SU), part of the largest HBCU system in the nation, the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC), the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society (BRAS), an active group of local *
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 225 578 8597; fax: +1 225 578 1222. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.G. Guzik).
amateur astronomers, and the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum (LASM) to develop a program of space science/astronomy education & public outreach in southern Louisiana. This effort has directly led to the development of the BREC, LSU, BRAS Highland Road Park Observatory (HRPO) that supports undergraduate and graduate student astronomy training at LSU and SU, amateur observations, classroom field trips, a summer ‘‘Space Camp’’ program for children and a public program for all members of the community (Guzik et al., 1998). A continuing problem, however, is that many middle and secondary school science teachers do not have the background in astronomy and astrophysics needed to engage their students in learning about the astronomy concepts that, nevertheless, constitute a significant fraction of the content standards found in the Louisiana Science Curriculum Framework (Louisiana Content
0273-1177/$30 Ó 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2003.04.071
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T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
Standards, 2001). This lack of background directly affects how effective a teacher can be in addressing content standards in the classroom. A number of research studies have found that students come to class with a common set of naı¨ve conceptions that must be directly addressed in the classroom by teachers who possess a good understanding of the nature of science (Lederman, 1990; Aikenhead, 1999a,b). However, in 1998, the National Center of Education Statistics found that only 41% of classroom teachers felt very well prepared to implement new teaching methods, and only 36% felt well qualified to implement state or district curriculum or performance standards (Snyder and Wirt, 1998). Without the appropriate background teachers will either avoid the content or teach it badly. As a result our group established a series of teacher professional development workshops in astronomy and physics including the ‘‘Physics Learning and Astronomy Training Outreach (PLATO)’’ project that is designed to improve teachersÕ level of space science content knowledge. To aid the teacher in the classroom there are several high quality materials, such as ‘‘Project Astro: The Universe At Your Fingertips’’, which provide an inexpensive, and standards aligned activities to illustrate space science concepts. However, due to the nature of space science direct experience of some of these concepts (e.g., ‘‘seeing’’ at wavelengths other than visible light, Doppler shift of electromagnetic radiation) requires equipment generally too expensive for individual schools. Thus, during the ‘‘Robots for Internet Experiences (ROBIE)’’ project we developed several instruments (e.g., HAM radio, radio telescope, optical telescopes) that can be controlled over the Internet by students and teachers in the classroom and shared by schools across many parishes in the southern Louisiana area. In this paper we will discuss details of the HRPO, PLATO and ROBIE efforts, the lessons learned during these programs and our plans for the immediate future.
diameter dome), utilities and facility maintenance while LSU obtained funding through the state for the 2000 Ritchey–Chretien f8.4 telescope, back-illuminated CCD camera, filter wheel, automated computer control system and Internet T1 link to LSU campus. Amateur astronomer members of BRAS provided expertise and assistance during the observatory development and continue to support observatory public programs. Construction started in October 1996 and was completed by June 1997 with the major telescope components installed in November 1997. Fig. 1 shows the facility building located at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge. Fig. 2 shows the HRPO telescope and mount on the facility observing deck and Fig. 3 is a picture of the 4 position instrument selector, 8 position filter wheel and CCD camera. On-site public outreach and educational programs at the HRPO have been fully active since the fall of 1997. The most popular program is the Friday Night Campfire, where invited speakers lead an informal talk on astronomy or related topic under open skies around a blazing campfire. On clear nights sky observing using the main 20-inch telescope, augmented by BRAS personnel with their portable telescopes, follows the camp-
Fig. 1. The HRPO facility building.
2. The highland road park observatory In the mid-1990Õs there were few resources in our area that served teacher needs and public interest in astronomy. At the same time the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy needed to upgrade its venerable 1100 Clark refractor to a system that could be used to teach LSU students modern observational instrumentation and techniques. As a result a partnership was formed between LSU, the Parks and Recreation Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) and the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society (BRAS) to develop a public astronomical observatory (Guzik et al., 1998). BREC provided the park land site (about 10 miles from LSU campus), the 2,300 sq. ft. facility building (with 25 ft.
Fig. 2. The 2000 R–C HRPO telescope.
T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
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Fig. 3. The HRPO telescope selector, filter wheel, and camera.
fire discussion. Typical attendance is about 60 people per Friday. On Saturday mornings BRAS members, HRPO staff, LSU/SU faculty, or area teachers lead hands-on activities with an astronomy/space science education theme. Recently, the LSU Department of Mathematics has started a monthly ‘‘Math Saturday’’ program featuring innovative math lessons for high school students. The observatory is also equipped with a ‘‘STARLAB’’ portable planetarium, a workstation cluster and multi-media projector to support teacher workshops, classroom visits and public presentations. BREC has also added to its summer camp program a ‘‘Stargazers’’ astronomy camp at the HRPO for 7–13 year old children. This camp combines recreation with space science education. Overcoming local seeing conditions, the HRPO telescope system has greatly exceeded expectations allowing many different kinds of student training, classroom activity and amateur observation projects. In particular, BRAS members have used the HRPO to discover 55 new asteroids and a high school student working on her science fair project has measured the photometric rotation curve of several 12–14 magnitude asteroids to an accuracy of 0.02 magnitudes! Typically, the HRPO can image objects down to magnitude 19 (down to 20 under good conditions) with a 3–5 min exposure. A few images taken with the HRPO telescope are shown in Figs. 4–6. Exposures for these images range from 10 min for M51 to 60 s for M57. Further, the 10-min
Fig. 5. The Crab Nebula (Ml).
Fig. 6. The Ring Nebula (M57).
M51 exposure is actually the result of twenty 30 s exposures automatically aligned and combined by using modern, commercial astronomical image processing software. This ability to take stunning images of nebulae and galaxies with short exposure times and without the need for guiding during the exposure greatly simplifies the use of the telescope and brings the capability for teachers and students to take their own pictures of such objects within reach. With these capabilities we expect that the HRPO will continue to play a key role in our teacher professional development program and our effort to bring new astronomy resources to teachers and their students in their classrooms.
3. Physics learning and astronomy training outreach (PLATO)
Fig. 4. The Whirlpool (M51).
Most school systems address space science content in middle school and these teachers usually have had little to no background in astronomy. As a consequence only the most basic space science concepts are generally taught to students. Further, many high school ‘‘physics’’ teachers are not certified in this subject. As a result we developed the PLATO program (Guzik et al., 2002) to provide professional development for middle and high
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school science teachers to improve these teachers command of basic astronomy and physics concepts and to acquaint them with current inquiry-based teaching methodology. The Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LaSIP) funded PLATO from June 1999 through May 2001. Over the course of the project 74 teachers in East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes successfully participated in the program receiving 6 h of graduate credit at LSU in either Astronomy or Physics. PLATO incorporated two identical three-week workshops held during June and July followed by a coordinated program of academic year activities. We capitalized on faculty expertise already in place at LSU including faculty who previously taught in middle or high school and had a background in education reform in addition to including several scientists interested in E/PO. We also hired a full time Site Coordinator (E. Babin) from the middle school teaching ranks to provide an interface between scientists and educators as well as to help manage daily activities. Each three-week workshop included 15 full days of activities, five days a week, plus a few evening sessions at the HRPO. Each day was split into two parts: a ‘‘common time’’ period and a ‘‘splinter group’’ period. The ‘‘common time’’ period, which all participants attended, covered the areas: (1) Science Reform, (2) Technology, and (3) Science Content based on the theme ‘‘Waves, Light, and Optics.’’ During the ‘‘splinter group’’ period the teachers divided into two groups for an in-depth study of astronomy for middle school teachers or physics for high school teachers. For the astronomy splinter we linked our discussions with the space science benchmarks, used exemplary materials such as ‘‘Project Astro’’ to guide the inquiry process and provided sessions on telescope basics including the assembly and operation of small telescopes from purchased kits (see Fig. 7). While assembling the telescopes, principles of reflection, refraction, absorption and scattering were studied and, with working telescopes, they received practical experience in using the telescope for student projects in the classroom. This training provided the teachers with the confidence, knowledge and practical experience necessary to maintain the instrument and to use it effectively in the classroom. The physics splinter
was organized in the same fashion with the exception that we provided in-depth investigation of wave characteristics, electromagnetic radiation, and geometric optics and wave interference. The academic year program included follow-up activities that allowed us to monitor the progress of the workshop participants and reemphasize the workshop material. Three times during the year each participant was required to prepare and present a hands-on activity for the public at the HRPO. This activity provided teachers with practice in using the knowledge they gained during the summer as well as allowing us to enhance the public outreach program at the HRPO. We also held several one day long ‘‘Update Workshops’’ for participants to share their classroom experiences, showcase new classroom activities and informing teachers about LSU research projects. Finally, the Site-Coordinator made at least 2–3 visits to each participant classroom to assist and advise teachers as needed. Multiple, real assessments were built into the PLATO program to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. One component in our evaluation was to give the participants the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (Hufnagel, 2002) prior to and following the summer workshop to assess how much they learned. In general, the teachers showed a 20–30 point improvement on the post-test and most participants scored above 70%. Toward the end of the workshop participants were also required to develop a lesson plan incorporating content, inquiry-based methodology and assessments. These lessons were submitted to the Louisiana Center for Education Technology (LCET) where they were evaluated and scored using the LCET rubric. Participants were also scored on their technical capability with the telescope including correct assembly, optical alignment and ability to locate objects. Finally, during the academic year participants were observed and evaluated in the classroom and during their activity presentation at the HRPO.
Fig. 7. Teachers constructing telescopes.
Fig. 8. Teachers learning to control the HRPO.
4. Robots for Internet experiences The ‘‘Robots for Internet Experiences (ROBIE)’’ project supported by the Louisiana Technology Innova-
T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
tion Fund builds upon both the HRPO and PLATO projects by developing the hardware/software, teacher guides, classroom lessons and teacher training necessary to bring particular space science associated instruments into the classroom over the Internet. These instruments currently include, (1) the Advanced Thin ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) cosmic ray scientific balloon experiment, sponsored by the NASA Office of Space Science, that is carried to the very edge of space by a large volume helium filled balloon for multiple 10–15 day missions over the Antarctic continent to study the relationship between supernova and cosmic rays (see Fig. 9), (2) a HAM radio station providing amateur voice and digital communications through orbiting satellites, ground-based digital repeaters, and to astronauts on-board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (see Fig. 10), and (3) the HRPO astronomical telescope system. In the near future we will also be adding two more optical telescopes plus a radio telescope to this collection of Internet accessible ‘‘robots’’. All of these instruments are too expensive or complicated for individual schools to purchase and maintain. Thus, making them available over the Internet is a cost effective solution to providing schools access to advanced technology. The ROBIE instruments are accompanied by a program guide and example lessons that are intended to assist teachers in integrating the ROBIE instruments with existing curriculum in the classroom. Some of these lessons include learning about data analysis and plotting using the ATIC housekeeping data, examining the role of satellites in our lives, tracking Earth orbiting satellites using the HAM radio stations, examining the Doppler shift of satellite telemetry signals, studying the Sun and Sunspots, and classifying/imaging Messier objects. All lessons were developed in collaboration with a group of teachers. During 2001 we held a pilot workshop for about eight teachers who previously successfully completed the PLATO program. During the workshop we detailed the ROBIE instruments and materials (see Fig. 8) and then followed these teachers over the 2001–2002 academic year as they used the ROBIE ‘‘robots’’ and lessons in their classrooms. In general, teacher and
Fig. 9. The ATIC experiment in Antarctica.
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Fig. 10. Satellite tracking HAM radio antenna.
student response to ROBIE has been very favorable, indicating that advanced technology in the classroom when accompanied by teacher training and appropriate guide materials can be very successful.
5. Conclusions The Highland Road Park Observatory remains an important part of the LSU Astronomy/Astrophysics group E/PO effort, providing a facility for exciting the imagination of teachers, students and the general public. Over the years our program has evolved to include teacher professional development, provide materials based upon content standards, train the teachers to use these materials, show them how the materials fit within existing curriculum, and provide resources that can be used over the Internet. Further, we have found that it is very important and satisfying to involve teachers in all phases of an E/PO project. While the scientist has command over the content, teachers contribute knowledge of what is feasible and appropriate in a classroom, plus are highly motivated to produce a quality product that they can use. All of these components are deeply integrated into our successful PLATO and ROBIE programs. For the future, our group is currently developing an expanded version of PLATO that would integrate elements of ROBIE. In this program we would provide teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge, instruct the teachers using standards based materials aligned with exiting curriculum, and train them in the use of resources that can be accessed over the Internet. In the near future, the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, located in downtown Baton Rouge, will be opening a new planetarium/space theater. We have established a new partnership with LASM and are currently working with them to bring live views of the heavens from the HRPO telescope to audiences attending planetarium shows, to use LSU space scientists as
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planetarium advisors and to develop shows that highlight LSU space science research. Acknowledgements These projects are supported by NASA, the Louisiana Space Consortium, Louisiana State University, the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program and the Louisiana Technology Innovation Fund. References Aikenhead, G.S. Authentic Science: What Do Students Believe? Research Matters – to the Science Teacher. National Association of Research in Science Teaching. Available from: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/research/authentic.htm, 1999a. Aikenhead, G.S. Authentic Science Teaching, Research Matters – to the Science Teacher. National Association of Research in Science Teaching. Available from: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/research/authentic2.htm, 1999b. Guzik, T.G., Motl, P.M., Burks, G.S., Fisher, P., Giammanco, J., Landolt, A.U., Stacy, J.G., Tohline, J.E., Wefel, K. An observatory for education and public outreach controlled through the
world wide web. In: Hilton, Lewis (Ed.) Telescope Control Systems III. Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 3351, p. 13. Published by SPIE — The International Society for Optical Engineering, P.O. Box 10, Bellingham, Washington 98227-0010, USA. Also available at: http://www.bro.lsu.edu/hrpo/3351-3.pdf, 1998. Guzik, T.G., Babin, E., McNeil, R. Strengthening TeachersÕ Content Knowledge of Physics and Astronomy through PLATO, in: Reuben Farley, Cathy Seeley (Eds.), Louisiana and LaSIP Best Practices: Innovative Standards-Based Approaches to Teaching Mathematics, Science, and Technology, p. 14. Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 2002. Hufnagel, B. Development of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test Astronomy Education Review vol. 1, No. 1 Available from: http://aer.noao.edu/, 2002. Lederman, N. Research Matters — To the Science Teacher: Improving StudentsÕ Understanding of the Nature of Science, No. 9004, Publication of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Available at http://wwwZ.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/publications/research/nature.htm, 1 March, 1990. Louisiana Content Standards, Louisiana Department of Education, Louisiana Center for Educational Technology, Making Connections. Available from: http://www.lcet.doe.state.la.us/conn/, 2001. Snyder, T., Wirt, J. The Condition of Education: 1998, National Center for Education Statistics, Publication No. NCES 98013 US Department of Education. Available from: http://nces.ed.gov/ pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98013, 1998.
Space science public outreach at Louisiana State University T.G. Guzik
a,*
, E. Babin b, W. Cooney c, J. Giammanco a, D. Hartman d, R. McNeil a, M. Slovak a, J.G. Stacy a
a
d
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001, USA b Prairieville Middle School, 16200 Highway 930 Prairieville, LA 70769, USA c Baton Rouge Astronomical Society, 13800 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, USA Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, 3140 North Sherwood Forest Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70814, USA Received 26 February 2003; received in revised form 26 April 2003; accepted 26 April 2003
Abstract Over the last seven years the Astronomy/Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Louisiana State University has developed an extensive Space Science education and public outreach program. This program includes partners from state and parish government, the local community, museums and school districts and has directly led to the development of the Highland Road Park Observatory, in-service teacher training program, content standards aligned classroom material and new technology for the classroom. In addition, a new planetarium/space theater opening soon in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana will provide our group with new space science education and public outreach opportunities. In this paper, we will discuss details about some of our individual projects. Ó 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Public outreach; Space science; Astronomy and astrophysics; Space science education
1. Introduction Seven years ago the Louisiana State University (LSU) Astronomy/Astrophysics group had little background in education/public outreach (E/PO) but a strong desire to help address problems associated with teaching space science content in the K-12 classroom. Our effort since then has included establishing a partnership between the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University (LSU), Southern University (SU), part of the largest HBCU system in the nation, the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC), the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society (BRAS), an active group of local *
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 225 578 8597; fax: +1 225 578 1222. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.G. Guzik).
amateur astronomers, and the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum (LASM) to develop a program of space science/astronomy education & public outreach in southern Louisiana. This effort has directly led to the development of the BREC, LSU, BRAS Highland Road Park Observatory (HRPO) that supports undergraduate and graduate student astronomy training at LSU and SU, amateur observations, classroom field trips, a summer ‘‘Space Camp’’ program for children and a public program for all members of the community (Guzik et al., 1998). A continuing problem, however, is that many middle and secondary school science teachers do not have the background in astronomy and astrophysics needed to engage their students in learning about the astronomy concepts that, nevertheless, constitute a significant fraction of the content standards found in the Louisiana Science Curriculum Framework (Louisiana Content
0273-1177/$30 Ó 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2003.04.071
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T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
Standards, 2001). This lack of background directly affects how effective a teacher can be in addressing content standards in the classroom. A number of research studies have found that students come to class with a common set of naı¨ve conceptions that must be directly addressed in the classroom by teachers who possess a good understanding of the nature of science (Lederman, 1990; Aikenhead, 1999a,b). However, in 1998, the National Center of Education Statistics found that only 41% of classroom teachers felt very well prepared to implement new teaching methods, and only 36% felt well qualified to implement state or district curriculum or performance standards (Snyder and Wirt, 1998). Without the appropriate background teachers will either avoid the content or teach it badly. As a result our group established a series of teacher professional development workshops in astronomy and physics including the ‘‘Physics Learning and Astronomy Training Outreach (PLATO)’’ project that is designed to improve teachersÕ level of space science content knowledge. To aid the teacher in the classroom there are several high quality materials, such as ‘‘Project Astro: The Universe At Your Fingertips’’, which provide an inexpensive, and standards aligned activities to illustrate space science concepts. However, due to the nature of space science direct experience of some of these concepts (e.g., ‘‘seeing’’ at wavelengths other than visible light, Doppler shift of electromagnetic radiation) requires equipment generally too expensive for individual schools. Thus, during the ‘‘Robots for Internet Experiences (ROBIE)’’ project we developed several instruments (e.g., HAM radio, radio telescope, optical telescopes) that can be controlled over the Internet by students and teachers in the classroom and shared by schools across many parishes in the southern Louisiana area. In this paper we will discuss details of the HRPO, PLATO and ROBIE efforts, the lessons learned during these programs and our plans for the immediate future.
diameter dome), utilities and facility maintenance while LSU obtained funding through the state for the 2000 Ritchey–Chretien f8.4 telescope, back-illuminated CCD camera, filter wheel, automated computer control system and Internet T1 link to LSU campus. Amateur astronomer members of BRAS provided expertise and assistance during the observatory development and continue to support observatory public programs. Construction started in October 1996 and was completed by June 1997 with the major telescope components installed in November 1997. Fig. 1 shows the facility building located at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge. Fig. 2 shows the HRPO telescope and mount on the facility observing deck and Fig. 3 is a picture of the 4 position instrument selector, 8 position filter wheel and CCD camera. On-site public outreach and educational programs at the HRPO have been fully active since the fall of 1997. The most popular program is the Friday Night Campfire, where invited speakers lead an informal talk on astronomy or related topic under open skies around a blazing campfire. On clear nights sky observing using the main 20-inch telescope, augmented by BRAS personnel with their portable telescopes, follows the camp-
Fig. 1. The HRPO facility building.
2. The highland road park observatory In the mid-1990Õs there were few resources in our area that served teacher needs and public interest in astronomy. At the same time the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy needed to upgrade its venerable 1100 Clark refractor to a system that could be used to teach LSU students modern observational instrumentation and techniques. As a result a partnership was formed between LSU, the Parks and Recreation Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) and the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society (BRAS) to develop a public astronomical observatory (Guzik et al., 1998). BREC provided the park land site (about 10 miles from LSU campus), the 2,300 sq. ft. facility building (with 25 ft.
Fig. 2. The 2000 R–C HRPO telescope.
T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
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Fig. 3. The HRPO telescope selector, filter wheel, and camera.
fire discussion. Typical attendance is about 60 people per Friday. On Saturday mornings BRAS members, HRPO staff, LSU/SU faculty, or area teachers lead hands-on activities with an astronomy/space science education theme. Recently, the LSU Department of Mathematics has started a monthly ‘‘Math Saturday’’ program featuring innovative math lessons for high school students. The observatory is also equipped with a ‘‘STARLAB’’ portable planetarium, a workstation cluster and multi-media projector to support teacher workshops, classroom visits and public presentations. BREC has also added to its summer camp program a ‘‘Stargazers’’ astronomy camp at the HRPO for 7–13 year old children. This camp combines recreation with space science education. Overcoming local seeing conditions, the HRPO telescope system has greatly exceeded expectations allowing many different kinds of student training, classroom activity and amateur observation projects. In particular, BRAS members have used the HRPO to discover 55 new asteroids and a high school student working on her science fair project has measured the photometric rotation curve of several 12–14 magnitude asteroids to an accuracy of 0.02 magnitudes! Typically, the HRPO can image objects down to magnitude 19 (down to 20 under good conditions) with a 3–5 min exposure. A few images taken with the HRPO telescope are shown in Figs. 4–6. Exposures for these images range from 10 min for M51 to 60 s for M57. Further, the 10-min
Fig. 5. The Crab Nebula (Ml).
Fig. 6. The Ring Nebula (M57).
M51 exposure is actually the result of twenty 30 s exposures automatically aligned and combined by using modern, commercial astronomical image processing software. This ability to take stunning images of nebulae and galaxies with short exposure times and without the need for guiding during the exposure greatly simplifies the use of the telescope and brings the capability for teachers and students to take their own pictures of such objects within reach. With these capabilities we expect that the HRPO will continue to play a key role in our teacher professional development program and our effort to bring new astronomy resources to teachers and their students in their classrooms.
3. Physics learning and astronomy training outreach (PLATO)
Fig. 4. The Whirlpool (M51).
Most school systems address space science content in middle school and these teachers usually have had little to no background in astronomy. As a consequence only the most basic space science concepts are generally taught to students. Further, many high school ‘‘physics’’ teachers are not certified in this subject. As a result we developed the PLATO program (Guzik et al., 2002) to provide professional development for middle and high
2124
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school science teachers to improve these teachers command of basic astronomy and physics concepts and to acquaint them with current inquiry-based teaching methodology. The Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LaSIP) funded PLATO from June 1999 through May 2001. Over the course of the project 74 teachers in East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes successfully participated in the program receiving 6 h of graduate credit at LSU in either Astronomy or Physics. PLATO incorporated two identical three-week workshops held during June and July followed by a coordinated program of academic year activities. We capitalized on faculty expertise already in place at LSU including faculty who previously taught in middle or high school and had a background in education reform in addition to including several scientists interested in E/PO. We also hired a full time Site Coordinator (E. Babin) from the middle school teaching ranks to provide an interface between scientists and educators as well as to help manage daily activities. Each three-week workshop included 15 full days of activities, five days a week, plus a few evening sessions at the HRPO. Each day was split into two parts: a ‘‘common time’’ period and a ‘‘splinter group’’ period. The ‘‘common time’’ period, which all participants attended, covered the areas: (1) Science Reform, (2) Technology, and (3) Science Content based on the theme ‘‘Waves, Light, and Optics.’’ During the ‘‘splinter group’’ period the teachers divided into two groups for an in-depth study of astronomy for middle school teachers or physics for high school teachers. For the astronomy splinter we linked our discussions with the space science benchmarks, used exemplary materials such as ‘‘Project Astro’’ to guide the inquiry process and provided sessions on telescope basics including the assembly and operation of small telescopes from purchased kits (see Fig. 7). While assembling the telescopes, principles of reflection, refraction, absorption and scattering were studied and, with working telescopes, they received practical experience in using the telescope for student projects in the classroom. This training provided the teachers with the confidence, knowledge and practical experience necessary to maintain the instrument and to use it effectively in the classroom. The physics splinter
was organized in the same fashion with the exception that we provided in-depth investigation of wave characteristics, electromagnetic radiation, and geometric optics and wave interference. The academic year program included follow-up activities that allowed us to monitor the progress of the workshop participants and reemphasize the workshop material. Three times during the year each participant was required to prepare and present a hands-on activity for the public at the HRPO. This activity provided teachers with practice in using the knowledge they gained during the summer as well as allowing us to enhance the public outreach program at the HRPO. We also held several one day long ‘‘Update Workshops’’ for participants to share their classroom experiences, showcase new classroom activities and informing teachers about LSU research projects. Finally, the Site-Coordinator made at least 2–3 visits to each participant classroom to assist and advise teachers as needed. Multiple, real assessments were built into the PLATO program to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. One component in our evaluation was to give the participants the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (Hufnagel, 2002) prior to and following the summer workshop to assess how much they learned. In general, the teachers showed a 20–30 point improvement on the post-test and most participants scored above 70%. Toward the end of the workshop participants were also required to develop a lesson plan incorporating content, inquiry-based methodology and assessments. These lessons were submitted to the Louisiana Center for Education Technology (LCET) where they were evaluated and scored using the LCET rubric. Participants were also scored on their technical capability with the telescope including correct assembly, optical alignment and ability to locate objects. Finally, during the academic year participants were observed and evaluated in the classroom and during their activity presentation at the HRPO.
Fig. 7. Teachers constructing telescopes.
Fig. 8. Teachers learning to control the HRPO.
4. Robots for Internet experiences The ‘‘Robots for Internet Experiences (ROBIE)’’ project supported by the Louisiana Technology Innova-
T.G. Guzik et al. / Advances in Space Research 34 (2004) 2121–2126
tion Fund builds upon both the HRPO and PLATO projects by developing the hardware/software, teacher guides, classroom lessons and teacher training necessary to bring particular space science associated instruments into the classroom over the Internet. These instruments currently include, (1) the Advanced Thin ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) cosmic ray scientific balloon experiment, sponsored by the NASA Office of Space Science, that is carried to the very edge of space by a large volume helium filled balloon for multiple 10–15 day missions over the Antarctic continent to study the relationship between supernova and cosmic rays (see Fig. 9), (2) a HAM radio station providing amateur voice and digital communications through orbiting satellites, ground-based digital repeaters, and to astronauts on-board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (see Fig. 10), and (3) the HRPO astronomical telescope system. In the near future we will also be adding two more optical telescopes plus a radio telescope to this collection of Internet accessible ‘‘robots’’. All of these instruments are too expensive or complicated for individual schools to purchase and maintain. Thus, making them available over the Internet is a cost effective solution to providing schools access to advanced technology. The ROBIE instruments are accompanied by a program guide and example lessons that are intended to assist teachers in integrating the ROBIE instruments with existing curriculum in the classroom. Some of these lessons include learning about data analysis and plotting using the ATIC housekeeping data, examining the role of satellites in our lives, tracking Earth orbiting satellites using the HAM radio stations, examining the Doppler shift of satellite telemetry signals, studying the Sun and Sunspots, and classifying/imaging Messier objects. All lessons were developed in collaboration with a group of teachers. During 2001 we held a pilot workshop for about eight teachers who previously successfully completed the PLATO program. During the workshop we detailed the ROBIE instruments and materials (see Fig. 8) and then followed these teachers over the 2001–2002 academic year as they used the ROBIE ‘‘robots’’ and lessons in their classrooms. In general, teacher and
Fig. 9. The ATIC experiment in Antarctica.
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Fig. 10. Satellite tracking HAM radio antenna.
student response to ROBIE has been very favorable, indicating that advanced technology in the classroom when accompanied by teacher training and appropriate guide materials can be very successful.
5. Conclusions The Highland Road Park Observatory remains an important part of the LSU Astronomy/Astrophysics group E/PO effort, providing a facility for exciting the imagination of teachers, students and the general public. Over the years our program has evolved to include teacher professional development, provide materials based upon content standards, train the teachers to use these materials, show them how the materials fit within existing curriculum, and provide resources that can be used over the Internet. Further, we have found that it is very important and satisfying to involve teachers in all phases of an E/PO project. While the scientist has command over the content, teachers contribute knowledge of what is feasible and appropriate in a classroom, plus are highly motivated to produce a quality product that they can use. All of these components are deeply integrated into our successful PLATO and ROBIE programs. For the future, our group is currently developing an expanded version of PLATO that would integrate elements of ROBIE. In this program we would provide teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge, instruct the teachers using standards based materials aligned with exiting curriculum, and train them in the use of resources that can be accessed over the Internet. In the near future, the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, located in downtown Baton Rouge, will be opening a new planetarium/space theater. We have established a new partnership with LASM and are currently working with them to bring live views of the heavens from the HRPO telescope to audiences attending planetarium shows, to use LSU space scientists as
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planetarium advisors and to develop shows that highlight LSU space science research. Acknowledgements These projects are supported by NASA, the Louisiana Space Consortium, Louisiana State University, the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program and the Louisiana Technology Innovation Fund. References Aikenhead, G.S. Authentic Science: What Do Students Believe? Research Matters – to the Science Teacher. National Association of Research in Science Teaching. Available from: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/research/authentic.htm, 1999a. Aikenhead, G.S. Authentic Science Teaching, Research Matters – to the Science Teacher. National Association of Research in Science Teaching. Available from: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/research/authentic2.htm, 1999b. Guzik, T.G., Motl, P.M., Burks, G.S., Fisher, P., Giammanco, J., Landolt, A.U., Stacy, J.G., Tohline, J.E., Wefel, K. An observatory for education and public outreach controlled through the
world wide web. In: Hilton, Lewis (Ed.) Telescope Control Systems III. Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 3351, p. 13. Published by SPIE — The International Society for Optical Engineering, P.O. Box 10, Bellingham, Washington 98227-0010, USA. Also available at: http://www.bro.lsu.edu/hrpo/3351-3.pdf, 1998. Guzik, T.G., Babin, E., McNeil, R. Strengthening TeachersÕ Content Knowledge of Physics and Astronomy through PLATO, in: Reuben Farley, Cathy Seeley (Eds.), Louisiana and LaSIP Best Practices: Innovative Standards-Based Approaches to Teaching Mathematics, Science, and Technology, p. 14. Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 2002. Hufnagel, B. Development of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test Astronomy Education Review vol. 1, No. 1 Available from: http://aer.noao.edu/, 2002. Lederman, N. Research Matters — To the Science Teacher: Improving StudentsÕ Understanding of the Nature of Science, No. 9004, Publication of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Available at http://wwwZ.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/publications/research/nature.htm, 1 March, 1990. Louisiana Content Standards, Louisiana Department of Education, Louisiana Center for Educational Technology, Making Connections. Available from: http://www.lcet.doe.state.la.us/conn/, 2001. Snyder, T., Wirt, J. The Condition of Education: 1998, National Center for Education Statistics, Publication No. NCES 98013 US Department of Education. Available from: http://nces.ed.gov/ pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98013, 1998.