1

On the Inside

Awards 3

Updates 3

E/PO in New Missions 4

OSS Support Network - Origins Forum 5

Education Products

 Solar Eclipses & the Mysteries of the Corona 6

 Invisible Universe GEMS Guide 6

 Auroras: Mysterious Lights 7

 Deep Impact Activities 7

 Paper Plate Education 8

Education Programs

 Invisible Universe Online Course 9

 Southern University - Partnerships in Astronomy

 & Astrophysics Education and Research 10

Scientists in Education & Public Outreach 11

On the Horizon 12

Voyages in Education and Public Outreach

An Office of Space Science Newsletter

January 2003 Issue 7

Cosmic Questions Explored in New

Traveling Museum Exhibition

Mary Dussault, Structure and Evolution of the

Universe Forum

What is the universe like? Was there a

beginning to time? How do we fit into the

cosmos? Visitors to the new traveling exhibition

Cosmic Questions: Our Place in Space and Time

began exploring these questions on September 19,

2002, at the exhibit debut at Boston’s Museum of

Science. Led by educators and scientists at the

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

(CfA), the development of this national exhibition

and education project was supported by scientists

and astronomy education and outreach programs

from institutions nationwide. The Boston

opening launches a three-year tour of Cosmic

Questions to science centers nationwide, where it

is expected to reach an audience of millions of

public and school-based visitors.

Dr. Roy Gould and Mary Dussault of the

Structure and Evolution of the Universe NASA

Forum at CfA, directed the creation of Cosmic

Questions. “This project involved the participation

of dozens of scientists, Space Science E/PO

programs, and astronomy research centers— from

the CfA and Chandra, to the Marshall and

Goddard NASA Centers, to observatories and

research groups from Mauna Kea, Caltech, and

MIT, among others,” said Dussault. “Researchers

contributed their time, knowledge, thoughtful

advice, images and data throughout the

development of the project—from early

brainstorming meetings that shaped the

conceptual framework of the exhibition, to lastminute proofreading and text review that helped

to preserve the accuracy of the content.” The

Universe Forum will continue to facilitate and

coordinate the participation of members of the

space science community in lectures,

demonstrations and other live events as the

exhibition tours.

A young visitor to Cosmic Questions gets a "feel" for

the Milky Way's structure.
2

Three years in the making, the 5,000 square

foot Cosmic Questions exhibition is organized

around four highly visual and interactive exhibit

areas. In Our Place in Space, visitors are transported

to the grand spectacle of our own Milky Way

Galaxy and out to the billions of galaxies beyond.

They can even launch from Earth and “fly”

through the 3D structure of the universe using a

joystick that controls a state-of-the-art

visualization.

Observing the Universe gives visitors

opportunities to “be the astronomer” as they take

interactive virtual tours of the Mauna Kea

observatories and the Chandra X-ray space

telescope. Using tools such as an infrared camera,

a spectroscope and special multiwavelength

image viewers, visitors can investigate how

astronomers piece together the story of the

universe from clues provided by faint light from

deep space.

In Our Place in Time, visitors encounter the idea

that although human thoughts have only recently

arrived in the cosmos, the very atoms in our bodies

date billions of years back in time. A unique

Cosmic Kitchen animated theater production

explores Carl Sagan’s quote “to make an apple pie

from scratch, first you must invent the universe”

by taking visitors young and old on a 10-minute

adventure from Big Bang to apple pie.

The Cosmic Mysteries section of the exhibit

highlights some currently unanswered cosmic

questions—about black holes, life elsewhere in the

cosmos, and the basic ingredients of the

universe—acknowledging that while we have

learned much about our place in space and time,

there are deep mysteries yet to be understood.

A comprehensive set of Cosmic Questions

education programs—created in partnership with

the Museum of Science in Boston—extends and

enhances the learning experience for school and

public visitors to the exhibition, and helps host

site museum staff to get the most out of their run

of Cosmic Questions. Programs include: a two

character play (Girl Meets Boy: a Comedy about

the Universe); a live stage demonstration about

the idea that looking out in space is looking back

in time (The “Real” Time Machine); a set of

activities, equipment, and background material for

museum docents; an Educators’ Guide for teachers

of grades 6-12; resources for professional

development workshops for teachers; and

resources for lecture series and additional

programming. In addition, the planetarium show

Journey to the Edge of Space and Time is available to

host venues that have a planetarium.

Visitor feedback has been very positive and

preliminary results suggest visitors are spending

longer-than-average amounts of time in the

exhibition and teachers are very positive about it.

From a 9 year old girl: “I learned that stars are

going to explode some day, I thought they lived

forever but they’re going to explode....The exhibit

helped me know what the universe was like

because I didn’t know it was so big, I didn’t know

there were so many stars...it made me really think

about it.”

From a teacher: “It means so much to me as a

teacher to have meaty exhibits [like this one].”

Visitors are also very positive about the

programs being offered in conjunction with the

exhibit. Some comments on the play, “Girl Meets

Boy”:

“We thought that it was very good. It gave

you information without realizing it because it was

in a script. We look forward to the exhibit.”

“Interesting! Poetry and science at the same

time. I liked it a lot. You learn so much!”

Please contact Mary Dussault at

mdussault@cfa.harvard.edu or visit http://

cosmicquestions.org for more information on

Cosmic Questionsincluding the 2003 tour schedule

which is being managed by the Association of

Science Technology Centers. This project was

made possible by support of the National Science

Foundation and NASA’s Space Science Education

and Public Outreach program.

Museum visitors enjoy the theatrical

"Cosmic Kitchen" production.
3

Updates

Student Explores Jupiter in new

Hubble Book.

Awards

Hammel Receives 2002 Carl Sagan medal

Heidi Hammel, a senior research scientist with

the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado

has been awarded this year’s prestigious Carl

Sagan Medal by the Division for Planetary

Sciences of the American Astronomical Society.

The Sagan Medal is awarded each year to a

scientist whose efforts have significantly

contributed to public understanding of, and

enthusiasm for, planetary science.

“Hammel’s dedication to communicating the

excitement of planetary science is evident in the

large number of lectures to children and the

general public that have complemented her

scientific career,” said the AAS Newsletter,

announcing the award. “She has a talent for

understandable and enthusiastic descriptions of

scientific results.”

Hammel receives the 2002 Sagan Medal from Wes

Huntress, Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of

the American Astronomical Society.

Nancy Leon of JPL received the NASA

Exceptional Achievement Medal this fall for her

pioneering work in the creation of the Space Place

(see Voyages, issue 1). The Space Place education

and public outreach program includes a widely

used website in both English and Spanish, regular

contributions to newspapers and educator

publications, museum displays, and

collaborations with youth organizations. The

Space Place effort is sponsored by the New

Millennium Program, and is available to all NASA

missions and programs who wish to participate.

Leon receives the NASA Exceptional

Achievement Medal

Braille Hubble Book Released

On November 21, 2002, Touch the Universe – A

NASA Braille Book of Astronomy was released

during two events

that were held

simultaneously at

the National

Federation for the

Blind in

Baltimore, MD

and DePaul

University in

Chicago, IL. The

events featured

blind and visually

impaired students from across the country. Touch

the Universe was developed under a Hubble Space

Telescope E/PO grant by Braille book author

Noreen Grice, Hubble scientist Bernhard BeckWinchatz, and Colorado School for the Blind

teacher Ben Wentworth (see Voyages, issue 3). The

team views the publication as a first step toward

fully including the blind and visually impaired in

space science. “The book is a great example of

how space scientists can make valuable

contributions in E/PO by teaming up with

experienced educators. Our next goal is to develop

activities and observing programs that actively

engage blind and visually impaired students from

elementary grades through introductory college

level in space science”, says Beck-Winchatz, who

Nancy Leon receives award from Dr. Ed Weiler (L), NASA

OSS Associate Administrator and Dr. Charles Elachi (R),

JPL Lab Director.
4

NIRCam E/PO: “Linking Girls with the Sky”

Don McCarthy, The University of Arizona

Astronomical images can inspire a new

generation. The clarity of the James Webb Space

Telescope, combined with the near-infrared

camera’s (NIRCam) ability to see farther back in

time and through murky regions of space, may

unveil the “First Light” from a newborn universe

and the origins of planetary systems. However,

the true legacy and impact of NIRCam images

will depend on the educational foundation laid

years earlier.

The NIRCam team, led by Dr. Marcia Rieke at

The University of Arizona, unites scientists from

across the US, Canada and Lockheed Martin with

prominent science educators including Dr. L.

Lebofsky, Dr. T. Slater, Dr. S. Pompea, and

Dr. D. McCarthy. The E/PO program targets K14 girls to combat misconceptions that women

can’t do or enjoy physical science. NIRCam has

partnered with the Girl Scouts of the USA, to

address such specific needs as (1) the review of

existing badge programs for younger girls, (2) new,

community-based activities and research

experiences for older girls, (3) interaction

experiences in person and on-line with inspiring

mentors and role-models, and (4) leadership and

training experiences for adult trainers.

The NIRCam E/PO activities will incorporate

such topics as light pollution, image processing,

and space science. The inquiry-based activities

will be appropriate in both formal and informal

settings and also used for training future teachers

of science.

Girl Scouts and their adult leaders will be

trained with these and other materials at the

Astronomy Camp facilities on historic Mt.

Lemmon using hands-on experiences with 60-

inch telescopes, CCD and infrared cameras, and

 NEW MISSIONS

NASA recently selected a team to provide the Near

Infrared Camera for the James Webb Space Telescope.

The E/PO program associated with this instrument is

detailed below.

Future Venues for Space Science Exhibits

Cosmic Questions

(http://www.astc.org/exhibitions/cosmic/

dcosmic.htm)

February 1 - April 30, 2003 (tentative)

Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI

October 1 - December 31, 2003 (tentative)

Orlando Science Center, Orlando, FL

Hubble Space Telescope - New Views of the

Universe

(http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/)

Large Exhibit

June 14, 2003 - August 24, 2003

US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL

Small Exhibit

September 20, 2003 - January 6, 2004

Miami Museum of Science, Miami, FL

is a faculty member at DePaul University in

Chicago. Information on obtaining Touch the

Universe may be obtained at http://

books.nap.edu/catalog/10307.html.

image processing techniques. NIRCam scientists

will also be involved in developing authentic

research-based activities using NIRCam datasets

for in-class use by middle and high school

teachers.

For information on the James Webb Space

Telescope, please see

http://ngst.gsfc.nasa.gov/

The 61-inch Kuiper telescope (center) is one

of several telescopes available in

NIRCam training workshops for Girl Scout leaders

nationwide with the Astronomy Camp facilities at

Mt. Lemmon Observatory.
5

NASA OSS

Support Network Profiles

This is the second in a series of articles which

highlights contributions of the organizations of the

NASA OSS E/PO Support Network (ESN). The 12

groups which make up the Support Network are

involved in coordinating and integrating the OSS

E/PO program. They provide a point of entry for

individuals and organizations wishing to participate

in the OSS E/PO program. A brochure describing the

Support Network can be found at http://

spacescience.nasa.gov/education/resources/ecosystem/

brochure_low_res.pdf

MarsQuest (http://www.astc.org/exhibitions/

mars/imars.htm)

February 1 - April 30, 2003

 Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ

June 1 - August 31, 2003

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton, OH

Information on exhibits and tour schedules

may be obtained from the indicated links.

The Origins

Education Forum is one

of the four national

Education Forums

established by NASA

OSS to help organize the

education and public

outreach (E/PO) efforts

of OSS missions and

research programs. Led by the Space Telescope

Science Institute, the Forum specializes in

evaluation and computer technology, offering

program evaluation support for Origins missions

and playing a key role in the development of the

NASA OSS Space Science Education Resource

Directory, an on-line directory of educational

resources produced by OSS missions and

programs. (http://teachspacescience.org and see

Voyages, issue 3).

The Forum provides Strategic leadership for

Origins mission E/PO efforts and is an association

of the EPO leads of the Origins missions, with a

Secretariat based at the Space Telescope Science

Institute. Forum members work together to

determine how the various mission E/PO efforts

fit into the broader context of the Origins research

which seeks answers to the fundamental

questions: Where do we come from? Are we alone?

It seeks high-leverage opportunities to

maximize the usefulness and effectiveness of E/

PO materials and programs created by Origins

missions. Forum members collaborate to enhance

activities in formal education, informal education

(e.g. exhibits), news, and online audiences in a

manner to avoid duplication of effort and utilizes

limited resources for maximum effectiveness. The

Forum coordinates distributed activities and

serves as an information resource for measuring

the impact of E/PO efforts conducted by the

Origins missions and research programs.

The activities of the Origins Education Forum

currently are largely centered in the areas of

sharing good ideas and developing recommended

practices on such matters as product development

and evaluation, with some time spent helping

enhance the ESN infrastructure and services.

Within these areas, the Origins Forum has

specialized in evaluation, computer technology

and Informal Science Education, drawing on the

experience of the Hubble Space Telescope E/PO

programs and staff.

As Origins and ESN E/PO efforts have

matured and evolved, the Forum has been reevaluating the needs of the communities it serves

in anticipation of needs for new services. At a

recent strategic planning retreat in Baltimore

Maryland, forum members developed a new

charter, mission vision and goals for the next five

years. A new strategic plan resulting from these

deliberations will be published in March 2003.

The observatories and programs comprising

the Origins program include the Hubble Space

Telescope, the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic

Explorer, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,

Kepler, the James Webb Space Telescope, the

Navigator program, and the NASA Astrobiology

Institute.

The Origins Web site is http://

origins.stsci.edu/. For more information about

the Origins Forum E/PO effots, please contact Dr.

Ian Griffin at griffin@stsci.edu.
6

New GEMS and TOPS Guides

Lynn Cominsky and Philip Plait, Sonoma State

University

NASA OSS announces the release of two broad

classroom activity guides based on the Swift and

Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST)

missions in the Structure & Evolution of the

Universe (SEU) theme area.

Invisible Universe: The

Electromagnetic Spectrum

from Radio Waves to

Gamma Rays is a set of

classroom activities

created by the Lawrence

Hall of Science Great

Explorations in Math and

Science (GEMS) program

in conjunction with the

Swift E/PO group at

Sonoma State University (SSU). The Guide

contains five thoroughly-tested activities that use

the mystery of gamma-ray bursts as a “hook” to

teach students about the electromagnetic

spectrum, the different ways astronomical objects

emit energy across the spectrum, and how

astronomers detect these objects. The supplies

New Educational

Products

Total Eclipse: Solar Eclipses and the

Mysteries of the Corona - A New Video

Exploratorium and NASA’s Sun-Earth Connection

Education Forum

Perhaps the most spectacular natural

phenomenon visible from Earth, total solar

eclipses have captivated humankind with their

dramatic beauty for

thousands of years. Total

Eclipse: Solar Eclipses and

the Mysteries of the Corona,

a new video in VHS and

DVD formats, explores

the science behind

eclipses and how these

events can provide

insight into the dynamic

nature of the Sun and its

effects on Earth and

society. The video,

produced by the Exploratorium and NASA’s SunEarth Connection Education Forum, features the

best footage of recent total solar eclipses from the

Caribbean, Turkey, and Africa. The modular

thirty-minute program covers the following areas:

• The mechanics of eclipses.

• A historical perspective tracing human

interest in this awe-inspiring natural event.

• The role of eclipses for studying the solar

corona, and the importance of NASA Sun-Earth

Connection research on our modern

understanding of the Sun.

• Modern eclipse expeditions shared with

thousands of remote viewers via webcast.

Rich imagery, a fascinating storyline, as well

as clear explanations and analogies offered by SunEarth Connection scientists contribute to making

this video an engaging new product. The

scientists featured in the video include Janet

Luhmann, Nahide Craig, and Gibor Basri of UC

Berkeley, David Alexander of Lockheed-Martin,

Todd Hoeksema and Madhulika Guhathakurta of

NASA Headquarters, and Fred Espenak of

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

The video will be shown on NASA Television

in connection with upcoming solar eclipses. The

video was produced to help the informal

education community share the wonder of total

solar eclipses with their audiences. Use of this

video as background material can help bring the

“totality experience” to life as part of a

planetarium eclipse demonstration, or a multimedia museum program. The video can help

informal educators in their task of providing the

public with a clearer understanding of our nearest

star and its effects on Earth and society. The video

will also be useful to formal educators, particularly

at the middle school level, where eclipses are

covered as part of the curriculum. The video is

available at no cost, and has been distributed to

more than one hundred informal science

educators who requested a copy at the 2002

International Planetarium Society (IPS) and

Association of Science and Technology Centers

(ASTC) conferences. Additional copies can be

requested by contacting personnel from the SunEarth Connection Education Forum. Please send

email to outreach@sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov .
7

Shimmering New Auroras Book for

Children

Sun Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF)

Have you seen the auroras, those mysterious,

colored curtains of light, high in the night sky?

For more gorgeous visions, check out our new

book called Auroras: Mysterious Lights in the Sky,

appearing in both on-line (using Flash animation)

needed to perform the lessons are inexpensive,

and are readily available in most schools or can

be found easily in hardware stores.

Far Out Math! is a series of activities created

by TOPS Learning Systems Inc. and the GLAST

E/PO group at SSU. Using ordinary classroom

supplies, the students create a series of slide rules

(remember them?) to learn how to manipulate

logarithms, exponents, powers of two and orders

of magnitude. The activities are well-tested in the

classroom environment and are fun to do. Along

the way, the students will learn about NASA

science, high-energy astronomy, and the GLAST

mission, using logarithms and exponents to solve

problems involving GLAST.

Both GEMS and TOPS are highly-respected

educational programs with long and successful

histories of classroom activity development. The

GEMS guide was created with close involvement

of the Swift Education Committee (SwEC), a group

of scientists and educators familiar with the

science and E/PO goals of the Swift mission. The

SwEC gave input at every step of the development

of the guide, ensuring the highest-level quality of

both the science and the pedagogy of the guide.

In addition, members of the Swift science team

did a final, thorough review. Scientists of the

GLAST Science Working Group were active in

overseeing development of Far Out Math! and

greatly enhanced the math activities’ tie-in with

the science of GLAST and the objects it studies.

Activities in both guides were also tested by the

GLAST, Swift and SEU Educator Ambassadors , a

group of top-quality educators selected to help

develop and disseminate SEU materials. The

Ambassadors provided very useful feedback on

the guides that were used to further improve them.

Both guides are standards-based. For more

information or to obtain a copy of the activities,

go to http://swift.sonoma.edu/education/

index.html and http://www-glast.sonoma.edu/

teachers/teachers.html respectively.

and print versions.

Auroras is directed at

primary school

children, as well as their

parents and teachers (it

includes a special

section of Science Facts

at the end of the book).

The striking aurora images are real – in the online version they are from NASA spacecraft, and

in the print version the images are photographs

taken by Jan Curtis. A collaboration between

SECEF and Ideum, it was made in support of the

next Sun-Earth Day (see article, page 12) on March

18, 2003 (http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/

sunearthday), whose theme is “Live from the

Aurora.” The print version of Auroras: Mysterious

Lights in the Sky will be released shortly. The online version can be found at http://

ds9.ssl.berkeley.edu/auroras/

New Educational Products from Deep

Impact

Dr. Lucy McFadden, University of Maryland

The Deep Impact E/PO team has released

several educational products on its web page

http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/educ and its

mirror site http://deepimpact.umd.edu/educ

These products are the result of planning and

interactions with educators over the past two years

since the project began in January, 2000. They have

been designed for use in a wide range of grades

from grade 2-12.

Make a Comet Model and Eat It was designed

for younger students, beginning with grade 2 to

develop knowledge of the basics of comets and

to experience the process of observations and

Northern aurora
8

Serving the Universe – One Plate at a Time

Chuck Bueter

Astronomy enthusiasts have long used

moveable paper instruments to understand the

motion of the sun, moon, stars and planets. With

the assistance of the NASA OSS Broker/Facilitator

at DePaul University, Paper Plate Education

continues that tradition with its collection of

hands-on activities that are made from simple

paper plates.

The Paper Plate Education website at http://

analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate reduces complex

notions to simple explanations, all with the aid of

the humble paper plate. Planetarians, teachers,

astronomers and students alike have designed

many lesson-supporting paper plate activities that

range from tactile star charts to satellite tracking

bowls.

A key to the success of Paper Plate Education

is that its activities are simple, low cost, and nonintimidating. “They’re definitely helpful, even

something as simple as this,” said one visuallyimpaired college student as he touched the Big

Dipper on a tactile “Platisphere”. “It makes life a

lot easier when you can actually get a picture of

it.”

Paper Plate Education became accessible to a

larger audience when DePaul University

provided use of its web server to Chuck Bueter, a

member of the Great Lakes Planetarium

Association who manages the Paper Plate

Education website. After being featured by Yahoo!

and USA Today, the website saw its daily traffic

jump to over 600 distinct visitors who are accessing

over 20,000 files every day. Another DePaul

A collage of paper plate activities.

keeping records. It can be adapted for use in high

school chemistry classes if desired. The materials

contain directions for the activity, discussion of the

National Science Education Standards related to

the activity and a worksheet for students to record

their actions and observations.

Deep Impact Comet On a Stick emphasizes the

process of modeling used in the planning, design

and execution of a NASA mission. In this unit,

the students will have to build a model using their

limited knowledge of comets and materials they

might find at home.

Exploring Comets and Modelling for Mission

Successis a combination of the above two modules

and includes supplementary and background

material.

In Collaborative Decision Making middle school

and high school students form groups to solve a

problem that the Deep Impact science team is

currently working on – determining the best time

of day to impact the comet in July, 2005. The

mission team needs to have good coverage by

NASA’s Deep Space Network ground stations, but

also want the best telescope observing sites around

the world to witness and record the impact and

its aftermath. Students have to understand the

issues for impacting at different times of day and

night, and are asked to come to a solution which

they may pass on to the Prinicpal Investigator.

Educators at McCREL, Aurora, Colorado wrote

this unit with help from Mike A’Hearn (University

of Maryland), Karen Meech (Univeristy of

Hawaii), Brian Muirhead (NSA JPL) and Lucy

McFadden (University of Maryland).

Excavating Cratering is a student inquiry into

the question “How do you make a 70 foot deep,

football field sized crater in a comet?” The lessons

are designed to provide students with experience

in conducting scientific inquiries, gain a greater

understanding of scientific modeling and get the

students involved with the excitement of a NASA

mission in development. Students design

experiments and test materials that the impactor

will hit, as well as evaluate the composition of the

impactor. Students conduct their experiments,

plot their results, and write a report that they can

send to the Deep Impact project management. The

Deep Impact team will answer any reports they

get. Gretchen Walker (University of Maryland)

developed and tested this module and received

cratering expertise from Pete Schultz at Brown

University and Jay Melosh at University Arizona.
9

Invisible Universe Online: A Distancelearning Course for Science Teachers on

Astronomical Origins

 John Keller, University of Arizona

To expand the number of teachers that NASA

Space Science E/PO programs impact, a new

online, distance-learning course, Invisible Universe

Online, was designed and implemented this past

year in a partnership with the SIRTF (http://

sirtf.caltech.edu) and SOFIA (http://

sofia.arc.nasa.gov) E/PO Programs, Montana

State University, and the University of Arizona.

The Invisible Universe Online traces the long chain

of events from the birth of the universe in the Big

Bang, through the formation of galaxies, stars, and

planets by focusing on the scientific questions,

technological challenges, and space missions

pursing the search for origins. The 15 week,

Internet-delivered, graduate course for secondary

school science teachers highlights the use of

multiwavelength astronomy to address issues

central to the NASA Origins Program. The course

is intended to emphasize how astronomers use

data from multiple wavelengths of the

electromagnetic spectrum to advance our

understanding of “astronomical origins” as

outlined by the NASA Origins Program. Course

topics are divided into three categories. The first

five weeks of the course focuses on the NASA

Origins Science Roadmap (http://

origins.jpl.nasa.gov) and developed an

understanding of light and the electromagnetic

spectrum. The next six weeks cover the formation

and evolution of stellar and planetary systems.

 Educational Programs

initiative - a PLATO grant - supported production

of a 70 minute videotape by the Great Lakes

Planetarium Association to detail the construction

and use of nine paper plate astronomy activities.

“This has really energized me,” said high

school astronomy teacher Gary Norcia. “It

stimulates you to come up with other ways to

present things, and that’s terrific.”

The final weeks focus on cosmology and galactic

evolution. The course syllabus and weekly

assignments can also be accessed at the National

Teacher Enhancement Network website: http://

btc.montana.edu/ceres/origins/. The course was

first offered during the Spring 2002 semester and

will be repeated through the next several

semesters as part of the Montana State University

Master of Science in Science Education program

(http://btc.montana.edu/distributed/) and the

NSTA Professional Development Institute (http:/

/ecommer ce.nsta.or g/institute/

courses_web.asp). Forty-four science educators

have completed the course thus far; enrollment

for the Spring 2003 semester should double this

number. Participants have been spread

geographically throughout the country and

abroad.

During the Spring 2002 semester, the course

was extensively evaluated. Participant survey

responses repeatedly and consistently attested to

the overall effectiveness and success of the use of

an on-line distance-learning course for enhancing

astronomy content knowledge and pedagogical

reflection among secondary school science

teachers. The results of both formative and

summative evaluations provide the basis for

continued development and revisions of the

course. Through this venture, we hope to learn

more about effectively using the Internet to reach

out to science educators. Furthermore, the course

serves as a test-bed for developing and testing

various approaches to distance-learning that will

inform the extent to which a flexible SOFIA flighttraining workshops can be delivered via the

Internet for secondary teachers selected to fly on

SOFIA missions.

The course has been developed and taught by

University of Arizona Professor Tim Slater and

astronomy education graduate students John

Keller and Adrienne Gauthier, and University of

Colorado Fiske Planetarium astronomy educator

Sanlyn Buxner. A detailed course description and

evaluation summary will soon appear in the

Astronomy Education Review (http://

aer.noao.edu/). Course development, formative

and summative evaluation, and funding for the

Spring and Fall 2002 participating teachers was

provided by the SOFIA and SIRTF E/PO

Programs. For further information, please contact

John Keller at jkeller@lpl.arizona.edu.
10

Minority University

Education and Research

Partnership Initiative

This is the fourth in a series of articles which

highlights the programs of the institutions participating

in NASA’s Minority University Education and

Research Partnership Initiative in Space Science

(described in Voyages, issue 2)

Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Education and Research at Southern

University

J. Gregory Stacy, Southern University

Under the auspices of NASA’s Minority

University Education and Research Partnership

Initiative in Space Science, Southern University,

the largest Historically Black College and

University (HBCU) system in the country, is

pursuing two collaborative research and

education projects involving undergraduate

students in the areas of experimental high-energy

and solar astrophysics. With the Space Science and

Particle Astrophysics research group at

neighboring Louisiana State University (LSU,

Lead Co-I M. Cherry) in Baton Rouge, Southern

is collaborating in an experimental detectordevelopment effort related to gamma-ray

astronomy. Student participants in the MARGIE

(Minute-of-Arc Resolution Gamma Ray Imaging

Experiment) project receive broad-based

multidisciplinary instruction and hands-on

training in state-of-the-art experimental

techniques in newly refurbished laboratories.

Southern is also collaborating with space

scientists at the Smithsonian Astrophysical

Observatory (SAO, Lead Co-I L. Strachan)

associated with the Ultraviolet Coronagraph

Spectrometer (UVCS) aboard the Solar and

Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.

Southern students are being mentored, instructed,

and trained in the research skills required to

actively participate in ongoing UVCS calibration,

data-analysis and scientific studies related to the

Sun’s corona and the solar wind.

Among the key accomplishments of the past

year has been the inauguration of a space-science

lecture series on the Southern campus featuring

invited talks by visiting SAO, NASA, and LSU

scientists to introduce students to current areas of

space research. These visits have already afforded

two Southern undergraduates the opportunity to

participate in summer research internships, one

(G. Simms) at SAO with the SOHO/UVCS group

(research mentor: L. Strachan) in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, and the other (M. Mbonye) in the

Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (research

mentor: K. Gendreau).

These new partnerships have contributed

significantly to a major revitalization of the

curriculum in astronomy and astrophysics at

Southern which had lain dormant for many years.

Student interest continues to rise as these and other

initiatives have allowed a continued expansion

and enhancement of laboratory facilities and

equipment. Southern students are also becoming

increasingly involved in public-education and

outreach efforts at the local level, especially those

associated with the Highland Road Park

Observatory, a newly established public facility

in Baton Rouge. Finally, students and faculty are

particularly excited about a recent invitation from

their SAO colleagues to become a formal partner

in the proposed Advanced Coronagraphic and

Spectroscopic Explorer (PI J. Kohl), one of four

mission concepts under consideration by NASA

for a MIDEX launch in 2007 or 2008, in which

extensive student involvement is anticipated.

Telescope captures attention of Southern students for solar

observing.
11

Profiles of Scientists in

Education and Public Outreach

Current professional position:

I’m a Senior Research Scientist with the Space

Science Institute (SSI) in Boulder, CO. I live in

Ridgefield CT, and I telecommute to Boulder. My

work is studying the outer planets in our solar

system. My background is in Earth and planetary

science, and I consider myself a planetary

astronomer.

Why Heidi contributes to Education and Public

Outreach (E/PO):

When I do E/PO and I’m working in the

classroom, or in front of cameras or giving public

lectures, I have a great time. It is a lot of fun to do!

I also believe that it’s important to make a positive

impact on kids. I have had many opportunities to

be a role model, and to me that’s really important

— to be demonstrating for students what scientists

really look like and who they are. There are far

too many

misconceptions in

the media about

what a scientist is

and what scientists

do. We can really

set some good

examples,

showing that

scientists are not

people with white

lab coats and thick

glasses who can’t

speak in languages

that most people

understand. We’re

really down-toearth people, and I

think that’s a great message to communicate. I

try to reach out to kids, especially girls, who may

not have realized that science and engineering are

careers they might pursue.

How Heidi balances research and E/PO:

It’s always a tough game balancing research

and E/PO because I’m a “soft-money” researcher.

Dr. Heidi Hammel

I’m only paid to do research; I’m not paid to do

anything else. You really have to want to put in a

few extra hours. It’s part of our responsibility as

scientists – to give back to people, to kids, and to

the public. Through their tax dollars they support

this work, so I make the time and create the

balance. I also try not to let the E/PO get out of

hand. I’m first and foremost a scientific researcher

and this E/PO work is completely voluntary. I

do it when I can, and I try to do as much as

possible. At the same time, I find if I’m not careful,

I can be completely overwhelmed. I’m very

selective about what I do, and I try to find E/PO

activities that have leverage. I look for things that

are big ticket, because you reach a lot more people

that way.

The biggest challenges to her E/PO involvement:

The biggest hurdle is that it’s not often

perceived well in the research community. If you

do a lot of this kind of work, people will think

you’re not taking your research seriously – you’re

more interested in doing Education and Public

Outreach, and you’re not a “serious” scientist.

That can be a problem when you’ve put in

proposals for grants, and they say, well, how much

is she going to do on this research, and how much

is she going to go off talking to TV cameras and

school kids. It is fortunate, however, that

professional organizations like NASA and NSF are

placing more importance on E/PO. There is a

need for more scientist participation in education

and public outreach, and I’m not fully sure that

these ideas have percolated down into the rank

and file yet - there’s still a lot of education that

needs to go on.

Heidi’s words of wisdom to other scientists:

Not everybody has to do exactly what I do.

That’s an important point to understand. Not

everybody likes to be in front of a camera, or

talking to kids, or giving public lectures. I happen

to like doing those things, but there are a lot of

other roles that are just as important.

Don’t be limited in your thinking of what E/

PO is by just a few examples. E/PO programs

have many different facets and there is a whole

spectrum of things that you can be involved in. A

big part of doing successful E/PO is just to get

out there and find the things you like to do, and

do them well. Getting science out of the ivory

tower and into the public realm is one of the most

important and exciting things a scientist can do,

but not everybody has to do it the same way.

This profile is based on excerpts of an October 2002

interview with Dr. Heidi Hammel about her

involvement in Education and Public Outreach (E/PO).

Contributed by Dr. Cherilynn Morrow, Christy

Edwards and Preston Dyches, Space Science Institute.
12

New GEMS Guide

Isael Hawkins, Sun-Earth Connection Education

Forum

The “Living with a Star” teacher’s guide will

be released in early 2003 as part of the awardwinning Great Explorations in Math and Science

(GEMS) series. This middle school guide,

produced by NASA’s Sun-Earth Connection

Education Forum and the UC Berkeley Lawrence

Hall of Science, examines the Earth’s relationship

to the dynamic Sun. The guide provides a series

of engaging activities for students to help them

understand aspects of the Sun-Earth system that

affect life and society. A key goal of the guide is to

make students aware of the risks of living with

our nearest star, the Sun, and how ‘space weather’

impacts astronaut safety, satellite operations,

power grids, and communications. The guide will

include a complementary CD-ROM and website

that will provide access to NASA space weather

information, satellite imagery, movies, scientist

interviews, and other multimedia resources. The

guide will be distributed nationally through an

existing network of more than 50 GEMS sites that

offer professional development and training on

how to use the guides to teachers in their region.

If you would like to receive an electronic copy

of future newsletters, contribute an article or just

have questions about getting involved with the

NASA OSS E/PO Program, contact Larry Cooper,

Editor, at lcooper1@hq.nasa.gov . Prior issues of

Voyages are online at http://

spacescience.nasa.gov/education/news .

E/PO Workshop for Scientists, Engineers &

Education Mangers

The Space Science Institute announces its 9th

annual K-14 Education Workshop for Scientists,

Engineers & Education Mangers, currently

scheduled for April 27-30, 2003 in Boulder, CO.

The four-day workshop will offer participants

valuable information and experience necessary to

both contribute meaningfully to education, and

to design and implement effective education and

public outreach programs in association with

scientific research programs. For more

information, visit http://www.spacescience.org

or contact Christy Edwards at

edwardcl@colorado.edu or 303-735-4880

Sun-Earth Day 2003- “Live From the Aurora”

Elaine Lewis, Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum

Students and educators are invited to

participate in several exciting opportunities

leading to Sun-Earth Day on March 18th. There

are opportunities for museums, planetariums and

science centers to participate in a live web cast on

February 22-23 and again on March 1-2. These

events will offer the audience a chance to see a

sounding rocket launch and view an auroral event.

Museums participating in ‘Sleep over’ events will

be supported with activities, scientist interviews

and astronaut reactions to the light shows

provided by our Sun. On March 18th, Passport to

Knowledge will bring a live Webcast called, “Live

From the Aurora”, to classrooms and NASA

centers through NASA TV and local PBS stations.

Students will be able to visit with scientists and

other students to learn more about the aurora and

local cultures in Alaska. In April, a new NASA

Connect program, “Dancing in the Night Sky” will

be featured. Scientist researchers working with

the IMAGE and POLAR spacecrafts will join the

program in Norway to share their growing

knowledge about the Aurora.

This year Sun-Earth Day will introduce the

Student Observation Network - a new way for

students to work with real NASA data. S.O.N.

was developed to provide educators with unique

teaching tools that are compelling and help interest

students in pursuing careers in science,

technology, mathematics and engineering.

Students will have the opportunity to conduct

investigations, use NASA data, make predictions

and collaborate with other students across the

nation. They will also have the ability to collect

and analyze data from several sources including

on-line observatory telescopes and satellite

imagery.

An Educator’s Resource Packet is also

available. This packet includes specific materials

related to learning more about the aurora and a

new teacher’s guide complete with activities

supporting involvement in the Student

Observation Network. The Educator’s Resource

Packet can be ordered through NASA CORE or

by registering on the Sun-Earth Day website

(http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday)

through the Student Observation Network.

On the Horizon