Langley Research Center (LARC) DAAC - Disciplines: Radiation budget, clouds, aerosols, tropospheric chemistry. Section on
education.
(Added: 20-Apr-2001 Hits: 696) [Spider search][grade levels: unspecified]
Museums Teaching Planet Earth - Special museum elements for presenting Earth science data to the public have been developed by this project, which is developed and managed by Rice University and the Houston Museum of Natural History, under NASA sponsorship. Each product is fully tested and will be available for application at schools and museums around the nation. The first, "Earth Forum" is a series of simulation modules, which can be used either in exhibit mode or as problem-solving simulators for groups of students. The modules feature one continent and one related resource (e.g. fresh water for North America); Earth- and space-based imagery and data are used to show changes on Earth. Currently, more than 60 museums around the country are enrolled as subscribers, with a commitment to share special programming with their audiences.
Contact: Patricia Rieff, Rice University; Email: Rieff@rice.edu
(Added: 19-Apr-2001 Hits: 956) [Spider search][grade levels: all]
NSU/NASA Research Experience in Earth System Science (REESS) - A six-week program to educate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) undergraduate students in the visualization and interpretation of satellite data. Students will be assigned research projects relevant to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise coupled with an intense educational program.
At the end of the experience the students are expected to a) have an understanding of the Earth as a coupled system in which many interactions are critical to climate change; b) understand satellite data manipulation, image processing, and interpretations; c) be capable of accessing satellite images via Internet and making informed interpretations. Research work in NSU's scientific visualization laboratories will be coupled with field trips to NASA Langley Research Center. Details of student projects from previous years can be found on the program's Web site. Contact: Dr. S. Raj Chaudhury, BEST Lab, Norfolk State University, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504; Phone: (757) 683-2381; Fax: (757) 683-9054; Email: schaudhury@nsu.edu
(Added: 6-Feb-2001 Hits: 667) [Spider search][grade levels: post-secondary]
Project SUN - Students Understanding Nature - NASA's Genesis Mission currently sponsors Project SUN as part of its outreach effort to instill
knowledge in students about the natural links between the Earth and Sun. Through Project SUN, secondary students all over the world are contributing to the long term, time
resolved, monitoring of both visible and UV radiation on the Earth's surface. Data is usually transmitted to
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) via the Internet. Participating schools purchase their own
equipment, total cost about $600, not including the cost of a computer supplied by the school to use for
the data logger. Schools agree to supply NASA JPL at least two days of data per week for a full school
year. The equipment can be used the other three days for individual research projects such as investigation
of the efficiency of different items of solar energy equipment, use of UV skin blockers, effects of
enhanced UV radiation on plants, etc. It is hoped each school will integrate Project SUN as a continuing
program, using the concept of a school research team, just as the school has established athletic teams. Contact: Gilbert Yanow, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 264-370, 4800 Oak Grove Dr.,
Pasadena, CA 91109; Phone (818) 354-8060, Fax (818) 393-1392;
Email: gilbert.yanow@jpl.nasa.gov
(Added: 5-Feb-2001 Hits: 1082) [Spider search][grade levels: 6-8|9-12]
Student's On-Line Atmospheric Research (SOLAR): A SAGE III Educational Outreach Program - The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) will play a critical role in NASA's Earth
Science Enterprise by monitoring the distribution of aerosols and trace gases in the upper atmosphere,
from Earth orbit. The long-term data provided by SAGE III will enable atmospheric scientists to assess
possible influences of human activities and natural events and the Earth climate system and other
atmospheric processes such as ozone depletion. SAGE III is planned for launch in late 1999. Two
additional SAGE III sensors are planned for launch within the next several years, one of which will be
placed on the International Space Station. This combination of SAGE III instruments should provide
critical measurements well into the next century.
The SAGE III outreach program has selected a project that will help students in grades 9-12 develop
hands-on skills in working with scientific equipment. It will also give students experience in collecting,
analyzing, and reporting scientific data. The project involves collecting atmospheric data using a small
hand-held instrument, a sun photometer. Students can build a sun photometer from inexpensive parts
available at Radio Shack. This small hand-held device measures intensity of direct sun light, and can be
used to determine attenuation of sun light caused by aerosols and gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The sun
photometer is a simplified version of the satellite-based SAGE III instrument, and the measurement
concept is basically the same as that of SAGE III.
(Added: 5-Feb-2001 Hits: 827) [Spider search][grade levels: 9-12]
