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1994 IDEA Abstracts

Table of Contents

A Teacher Workshop for Schools with High Hispanic Enrollments

Principal Investigator: Bernard McNamara, New Mexico State Univeristy.
Funds Awarded: $6,000

Funds are requested to hold an elementary school teacher workshop for 10 teachers within the Las Cruces Independent School District. Five schools with Hispanic enrollments of at least 60% are targeted. This workshop is an outgrowth of two previously supported NASA teacher workshops and will provide teacher training using hands-on activities dealing with the areas of light, gravity, the Earth, the Earth-Moon system, the Sun, the Solar System, and Space. These materials will be used in classroom instruction. A core of teacher module experts is also being developed as part of this project. These teachers will help train additional instructors within the district in the use of the hands-on modules.

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Toward Other Planetary Systems IDEA Workshop for High School Science Education

Principal Investigator: Karen Meech, Institute for Astronomy, HI.

Funds Awarded: $20,000

A workshop on the theme of "Toward Other Planetary Systems" will be held at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Kamuela, Hawaii from June 11-18, 1995 for 16 top science teacher-student pairs from high schools statewide. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce students and teachers to areas of planetary science that are pushing ground- and space-based limits of astronomical technology. Discussions of how NASA is using the Mauna Kea telescopes and in space facilities to search for evidence of planet formation in other solar systems will (i) open up a new awareness of the forefront of astromical research in Hawaii, (ii) will provide an exciting basis for young students to consider careers in astronomy and finally (iii) will provide a wealth of new teaching materials to science educators at the high school level. The workshop will involve collaboration between many research scientists, telescope support staff, and high school educators, and the format will involve discussions, demonstrations, handson activities, an observatory tour, and night time observing. Teachers will develop astronomy activities based on the workshop materials for use in their classes.

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Enhancing Earth and Space Science in 6-12 Classrooms through Images

Principal Investigator: Louis Gonthier, Hope College

Funds Awarded: $6,000

This proposal requests funds to support the efforts of the P.I. to train 6-12 teachers and students to use the INTERNET to access NASA educational resources and images from satellites, spacecrafts and observatories. The utilization of emerging technologies such as computers, INTERNET, gif-images and CD-ROMs in the classroom will applied to capture the innate fascination of students allowing an active learning opportunity and attraction toward the sciences. Within the context of astronomy and Earth science, the goal is to enhance and promote math and science education by having the teachers and students use images to illustrate certain physical phenomena, to explain how the images where taken and what they mean, and to reflect on the significance of the understanding they provide. While the function of the INTERNET is of interest to teachers and administrators at all levels, I will collaborate primarily with teachers of middle and high schools.

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An Astronomy and Space Science Resource Center for Teachers

Principal Investigator: Catherine Garmany, University of Colorado

Funds Awarded: $20,000

We propose to create a resource center to provide K-12 teachers with materials and information about astronomy and space science. Based on extensive surveying, we have found that teachers are overwhelmingly interested in such materials and information, but almost universally unaware of how it might be obtained. The resource center will rectify this situation with its two primary components: (1) a physical location where teachers can visit, associated with the popular Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory; and (2) a "Telephone Bulletin Board" offering a voice menu of selections including information about obtaining materials by mail and reports on exciting developments in astronomy and space science. Resource Center services will include: access to public domain educational materials; opportunities to sample commercially available materials; Internet access and training; reports on recent news in astronomy and space science; a speakers bureau to arrange classroom visits by university faculty or students; tours, workshops, seminars, and special events. Through a broad, collaborative effort, we expect to be able to reach the majority of teachers in the Denver/Boulder area, and a substantial fraction of other teachers throughout the Colorado region.

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Workshops for Elementary School Teachers

Principal Investigator: Gianfranco Vidali, Syracuse University

Funds Awarded: $6,000

Our program is centered on encouraging and enabling teachers to introduce topics of astronomy in elementary public schools within the City of Syracuse and in non-public (parochial) schools in the Greater Syracuse Area. These schools serve about 16,000 elementary school children, about half of whom belong to under-represented groups. Our major goals are: 1) To continue and improve upon the activities that were initiated in the last two years under AGSE sponsorship and that were very well received among elementary school teachers, parents, and children. These include the offering of workshops to prepare teachers for instruction in topics of astronomy, and the managing of a "Lending Library" of educational instruments and demonstrations which are borrowed by teachers. 2) To involve parents and local amateur astronomers in some of these activities. For example, last year we had a "star pizza night" event at a local school; we also instructed teachers on safe viewing procedures of the annular solar eclipse whose track passed directly through Syracuse. 3) To continue our liaison with local amateur astronomers in promoting astronomy to children and parents through the local astronomy network that we set up last year.

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Learning Club Hands-On Science Project

Principal Investigator: Bernard Sadoulet, University of California, Berkeley

Funds Awarded: $5,937

For a fourth year, funds are requested to support a collaboration between physicists at UC Berkeley and instructors from Creative Educational Consultants, Inc. (CECI). The program reaches African American and disadvantaged junior high and high school students who are under-represented in the astrophysics. We will provide 5 sessions of activities for 12-15 high school students, and 11 sessions for 25-30 junior high school students. High school students will serve as mentors for the junior high school program. Both groups will focus on - acoustics and wave properties of sound - somewhat familiar to the students, wave properties of light and light detection - perhaps unknown to the students and astronomy/space science. The students will study distance scales in the universe and learn about astronomical distance measuring techniques. In addition they will be introduced to the concepts of non-optical astronoimy and astronomical instrumentation. A field trip to SRI will broaden student's vision of opportunities available in science. Employment opportunities for the students through the Academy of Science have been added to the program. Our fourth annual "Science Fair" will close out the project, June, 1995.

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A Sky Full of Stories: Astronomy in Myth and Legend

Principal Investigator: Larry Lebofsky, University of Arizona

Funds Awarded: $19,841

Over the past 4 years, we have conducted inservice workshops funded by NSF and the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and a preservice class for future teachers funded by NASA. All of these programs have been designed for elementary and middle school teachers and have introduced teachers to the use of astronomy in the classroom. We have developed a series of hands-on activities for these programs that emphasizes the study of space sciences as a tool for integrating science, mathematics, language arts, fine arts, literature, and social studies. Many of these activities are available in both English and Spanish. Though these activities are now being used by hundreds of teachers locally and nationally, they have never been formally evaluated as to their effectiveness at a variety of grade levels. Before these activities can be ``packaged'' in a form that can be distributed nationally, they must be tested and evaluated. We therefore are proposing to distribute 6 activities which relate astronomy to literature to 10 elementary and middle school teachers in several locations around the country for testing and evaluation.

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Our Backyard Universe: Contributed Astronomy Reports to CNN's Production of Science and Technology Week I

Principal Investigator: Lucy-Ann McFadden, UM College Park
Funds Awarded: $20,000

This is a proposal to create a series of monthly television reports on the astronomical night-time sky which would be aired on Cable News Network's (CNN) production "Science and Technology Week", hosted by Miles O'Brien. The P.I. will write the segment based on her knowledge of astronomy and astronomical observing. CNN will provide graphics support and film the segments at the University of Maryland's observatory in College Park. The reports would be broadcast world-wide on a monthly basis with the objective of increasing the show's female viewership in the 18-49 year age bracket. Materials from the show would then be made available through CNN's educational department to teachers upon request.

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Pi in the Sky: Fundamental Priniciples of Astronomy, Physics, and Mathematics for Kids

Principal Investigator: Christine Jones, Smithsonian Institute Astrophysical Observatory
Funds Awarded: $5,982

We propose to develop and implement a curriculum unit for fourth through sixth grade students which would introduce them to fundamental principles of astronomy, physics, and mathematics. This unit would be used initially (i.e. this year) in seven public elementary schools in Arlington, Massachusetts and would reach 250 students, half of whom are girls. We aim to make the fundamental concepts and the related mathematics familiar and accessible to elementary school children with the goals of exciting students about the physical sciences, showing students the unity of these concepts, and giving students a good science and math foundation on which to build in middle and high school. Topics would include light (what is light and how does it behave), sizes and scales (from classroom scales to galaxy scales) with particular emphasis on the solar system including the Earth/Sun distance and relative sizes, mapping (longitude and latitude, right ascension and declination), gravity (planetary orbits, tides, introduction to Newton's equations) and the universality of physical laws, and the meaning of astronomically large numbers.

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A Teacher/Student Education Project Using Data Acquired by the Imaging Compton Telescope on NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

Principal Investigator: Edwin Frederick, New England Science Center
Funds Awarded: $6,000

The Space Science Center of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and the New England Science Center (NESC), Worcester, Massachusetts, will cooperatively develop an educational outreach program aimed at 5th through 9th-grade schoolchildren. Entitled "Unsolved Cosmic Mysteries," this project is based on the latest research on cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) being carried out by members of the Compton Observatory (CGRO) COMPTEL team at UNH. The goal of this project is to enhance and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching astronomy, and science in general, through the incorporation of the latest results of astronomical research in a setting involving hands-on discovery. NESC's Curator of Astronomy (Frederick) and staff will design "teacher as researcher" intensive workshops and class planetarium/observatory field visits targeting the "bridge" grades (5-9), where most girls and minority students are dampened in their enthusiasm for scientific exploration. About 70% of our school-age visitors fall into this category. The project addresses one of today's leading unsolved astronomical mysteries -- the origin of the enigmatic Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). In these workshops teachers will investigate the principles, detection, and sources of gamma rays as well as acquire a broad appreciation for the current scientific theories regarding the origin of GRBs. A software package will be developed in which actual gamma-ray data will be used to graphically represent some of the basic properties of GRBs (e.g, time profiles and directions of origin) providing students the opportunity to actively investigate this high-energy phenomenon. In addition to the project target groups, NESC staff will integrate the most successful aspects of "Unsolved Cosmic Mysteries" into ongoing inservice and professional development initiatives. NESC will also develop a public program based on this project which will, once evaluated and refined, be shared through existing Science Museum/Planetarium networks.

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Richmond Youth Academy Hands-On Science Project

Principal Investigator: Claudia J. Alexander, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Funds Awarded: $5,300

IDEAS funds are requested to support a collaboration between a physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a Firefighter sponsored program at the Richmond Youth Academy. The program reaches African American and disadvantaged junior high school students. This is a group who are under-represented in astrophysics on the professional level. Academic sessions will focus on four topics - mathematics, basic science, english skills, and history. The funding will support enrichment of the program with a collaboration with SIGHT, and CECI. These programs offer tutoring, hands-on astronomy oriented activities and field trips, for junior and high school aged children. The participation of Dr. Claudia Alexander of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will also enhance the program by bringing in an experienced physicist with knowledge of current projects and results returned from space missions. Dr. Alexander brings teaching experience and familiarity with hands-on activities. Dr. Alexander will bring prepared activities in science on frequent visits to the Academy, and will introduce them to activities which make use of data available over INTERNET. Funds are requested to support the development and implementation of these innovative activities. Because use of data via INTERNET is an integral part of the program Dr. Alexander intends to pursue, funds are requested for the procurement of a modest on-site computer for the Richmond Youth Academy.

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NICMOS: Opportunities for High School Research

Principal Investigator: D.W. McCarthy, Jr., University of Arizona
Funds Awarded: $5,995

NICMOS is a second-generation instrument for the Hubble Space Telescope now scheduled for on-orbit installation in Feb. 1997. Incorporating state-of-the- art detectors, NICMOS will provide the first high resolution infrared images and spectra from above the blurring and absorbing effects of the Earth's atmosphere. Members of the NICMOS science team wish to collaborate with high school researchers in the immediate analysis of this unique data. In this way they will model the process of research and bring the excitement of discovery into the classroom. To initiate and develop this IDEA, we propose to utilize a long-term collaboration between The University of Arizona and Sahuaro High School which has led to the development of an accredited course in "Astronomical Research" in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). This course, as well as the University's "Astronomy Camps" and TUSD's internship program, teams students and research scientists to solve real astronomical problems with the potential for discovery and publication.

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Development and Delivery of a Hands-On Astronomy Curriculum for Elementary Schools

Principal Investigator: Edwin Turner, Princeton University
Funds Awarded: $5,950

An innovative hands-on astronomy curriculum for elementary school children which has been developed with the support of a series of AGSE grants will be presented to self-selected teachers in several central New Jersey school districts via workshops, presentation of model lessons in classrooms and field trips to the Princeton University Observatory where several research class facilities will be made available to the trainees. The PI and Princeton University graduate students will work cooperatively with an elementary school science resource teacher. New lessons will be developed and will be piloted in programs involving direct contact with students. Preparation of a formal curriculum guide for wide distribution will also be initiated.

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Astronomy On-line: Ask Dr. Sue

Principal Investigator: Susan Hoban, Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Maryland
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We propose a two-part program to bring astronomy into the elementary and middle school curricula with innovative, interactive lessons over the Internet, Astronomy On-Line. We have assembled a Science Team of professional astronomers who are willing to provide examples of their data around which our Curriculum Team (consisting of teachers) will develop five mini-lessons to be posted on the Internet via the inherently interactive WWW client Mosaic. A Question and Answer interface, Ask Dr. Sue, will be developed for the students to ask questions about the lessons to a professional astronomer, who will post responses on a regular basis.

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Development of a Science Mentoring Program

Principal Investigator: Chris Impey, University of Arizona
Funds Awarded: $5,898

It is proposed to develop and refine a network of undergraduate science majors who make a series of classroom visits to conduct hands-on science demonstrations in physics and astronomy. This project is the continuation of an idea implemented under the former AGSE program, which has already refined a set of well-documented demonstrations, and has demonstrated the efficacy of sending enthusiastic undergraduates into the school classroom. In this second stage, the mentor project will be expanded specifically in the direction of elementary schools and schools with large minority enrollments. It is also intended to train teachers in the use of these science materials, so that they can benefit from the program after their mentor has stopped visiting their class. It is proposed that students get college credit for the mentoring program, and that future teachers from the College of Education participate, working alongside science majors.

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Teaching Astronomical Concepts Through IUE Data Analysis

Principal Investigator: Dr. Catherine Imhoff, Goddard Space Flight Center/CSC
Funds Awarded: $4,043

We propose to provide an active learning experience for high school students by involving them in small research projects using IUE data. The PI will work directly with the students by introducing IUE, discussing astronomical spectroscopy, and guiding analysis of the data. The astronomer and teacher will collaborate to develop four lessons that integrate the IUE data into the high school astronomy curriculum. These lessons will be piloted in the astronomy class at Montgomery Blair High School. After evaluation, the lessons will be revised by the Co-I and disseminated to other high school teachers.

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Public Outreach Through Public Transportation

Principal Investigator: Kimberly Dow, Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory
Funds Awarded: $10,759

We propose to produce two car-card advertising posters on astronomical themes for display on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's (MBTA) ''Red Line'' subway. The posters, developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Publications Department, Park Transit Displays, and Atomic Graphics, will use full-color NASA space mission photos and eye-catching graphics to pose a basic question about astronomy and/or the space sciences. The intent is to heighten public interest and appreciation of astronomy among general audiences. During Spring 1995, one hundred copies of the posters will appear on subway trains, simultaneously be distributed to Boston Public School libraries. This mailing will include supplementary information about each poster; suggested science-oriented field trips in the Boston area; and a list of information available to students, teachers, and parents from the SAO Public Affairs Office.

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A Computer-Based Astronomy Supplement for High School Physic Classes

Principal Investigator: R. Edelson, University of Iowa; J. Wurster, University of Iowa; L. Molnar, University of Iowa; R. Mutel, University of Iowa
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We request seed funding to begin presenting material from the University of Iowa astronomy survey course to Iowa City high school physics students. We are beginning to develop a series of computer-based astronomy modules that will provide a hook to draw bright students into the physical sciences. Multimedia and animation will allow intuitive demonstrations of how astronomical phenomena are derived from underlying physical principles. Our initial four modules (covering the development of the geocentric model, Kepler's and Newton's laws, and application to planetary orbits) will supplement the high school classroom instruction in classical mechanics. Eventually, we will utilize a total of 30 modules to cover most of the material in the university survey course.

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Space Explorers Outreach Program

Principal Investigator: Doyal Harper, University of Chicago
Funds Awarded: $20,000

For over three and a half years the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA) has operated a program for African-American K-12 students in Chicago. Space Explorers (the high school students in the program) participate in a wide range of educational activities in astronomy. They attend workshops at the Adler Planetarium, on the University of Chicago campus, and at Yerkes Observatory. CARA operates a summer institute for them every summer at Yerkes Observatory. A key program during the school year is one that uses the Adler Planetarium's Starlab. A Starlab is an inflatable, portable planetarium that can easily be transported to schools. The Space Explorers are highly experienced in the use of a Starlab and are trained to deliver programs for younger students. They reach over two thousand grammar school students each spring. Here is specifically where continuing help from NASA is needed. This proposal also contains two new small projects to amplify and translate this model for outreach. One is for an enhancement program for the teachers we serve. The second is to continue to build a similar program in Wisconsin.

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From Blackholes to Blackboards: A Workshop for Secondary School Teachers

Principal Investigator: Peter Boyce, AAS
Funds Awarded: $6,000

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) propose to join forces, sharing their experience and resources to present a workshop on modern topics in astronomy for secondary school teachers at the time of the Januray, 1995 meeting of the AAS in Tucson, AZ. Emphasizing what was learned from the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and new results from the repaired HST, this workshop will feature a master teacher and professional astronomers from the Tucson area. The format has been developed based on the assessment of years of past workshops, virtually guaranteeing an exciting and effective learning experience for the teachers building and enhancing the links between local teachers and the professional astronomers in the Tucson area.

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Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy9 with Jupiter: A Multimedia Presentation for Schools

Principal Investigator: Humberto Campins, University of Florida
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We propose to develop a presentation on the impact of the comet Shoemaker- Levy9 with Jupiter, targeted for elementary and high schools. This presentation, to be developed in English and Spanish, will be distributed to schools and community colleges. We plan to integrate existing images, video footage, slides graphics and text into a CD or floppy disks (for both the IBM and Macintosh platforms) so that they can be shown in classrooms. The Department of Astronomy and the faculty Support Center has the necessary hardware (PC and Macintoshes) and software (Powerpoint) to develop this presentation. This multi-media package will be tested by Mr. Dennis Dolan, an elementary school teacher at chwilla Elementary School.

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Support of the Development of Space Science Teacher Materials Project

Principal Investigator: Robert Millis, Lowell Observatory
Funds Awarded: $18,718

Lowell Observatory astronomers and education staff will collaborate with Arizona teachers to develop active learning materials to be used by educators and students prior to, and following, their visits to the Observatory. The materials will reach a diverse group of students across Arizona and into neighboring states. Many of the students from this region are from traditionally under-represented ethnic groups. The materials will emphasize the methods and principles used by astronomers to explore the universe from both ground-based and NASA space-based platforms. The effectiveness of these educational materials will be greatly enhanced by the direct participation of Arizona teachers with Lowell staff to develop and test these materials. A two-day teacher workshop will be conducted at the Observatory during which teachers will test and evaluate prototype hands-on classroom activities, demonstrations, and supporting reference materials. The active role of the teachers in the development process will insure that the materials will be optimally designed for easy use by other educators. We request $18,718 in order to execute this proposal.

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Multicultural Cosmology Educational Resource Center

Principal Investigator: Bryan Penprase, Pomona College
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We propose to compile a resource center for ancient astronomy. Our aim will be to collect and disseminate the materials necessary for increasing public awareness of the ancient astronomies of various world cultures. In this way we hope to emphasize the common bond between humans of all cultures and all times in their quest to understand and explain the awe and wonder inspired by the cosmos. Our proposal is an outgrowth of a freshman seminar taught at Pomona College entitled "Multicultural Cosmology". We hope to enlarge the sphere of our discussions about ancient astronomy and cosmology to include members of the surrounding Los Angeles community. We hope that from an examination of the astronomical contributions of the ancient Mayans, Native Americans, Asian and African societies, an increased respect and appreciation for the different cultures may be developed, while at the same time basic astronomical knowledge will be imparted. The proposal hopes to accomplish its aims with two main strategies. The first is to create a clearinghouse of educational materials in the subject of ancient astronomy and cosmology, where teaching resources will be made available to the educational community through workshops, and an online resource library available to the internet. The second is to create a new slide set and instructional guide based on astronomical sites of the ancient Southwest, and also based on the historical collections of area museums, such as the Huntington Library, Asia Pacific Museum, and the Southwest museum.

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Active Learning Exercises in Planetary and Solar Astronomy for K-3 Students

Principal Investigator: Frank Hill, National Solar Observatory, Michael Belton, National Solar Observator
Funds Awarded: $4,900

We propose to develop a unique, creative, hands-on active learning curriculum to teach eight basic solar and planetary astronomical subjects to K-3 students and teach- ers. The proposed topics are "The Natural Sun", "The Sun as a Clock", "Sunspots and Solar Rotation", "Solar Music", "The Living Solar System", "Build Your Own Comet", "Crashes and Hazards", and "Space Resources". These concepts will be presented via student-created experiments, and multi-media presentations by the astronomers, who will work closely with the educators to develop and present topics in a developmen- tally appropriate manner. The effectiveness of the project will be assessed using a pre- and post-test evaluation of the students' knowledge. If successful, the curriculum will be made available through several educational dissemination channels available in Tucson. We view this both as an exper- iment to see how students handle the concepts and methods of presentation, and as an opportunity for the astronomers to gain elementary classroom experience.

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Teaching Astronomy in the Wilderness

Principal Investigator: Linda French, Wheelock College
Funds Awarded: $6,000

Astronomy and the place of humanity in the natural world hold a deep fascination for most people. We propose to use a natural history approach to teaching astronomy to help make elementary teachres and the general public more comfortable with the sky. In the primary part of the project, preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a process-oriented astronomy course at Wheelock College will hike in the White Mountain National Forest, staying at huts operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) at night. The PI, an experienced Naturalist with the AMC, and two practicing teachers from the White Mountain area will accompany the group. Participants will make their own observations of the motions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. During the day, connections between different sciences will be illustrated through hikes with expert naturalists in the fields of botany, geology, and meteorology. The complex social history of people in the White Mountains will be explored with a social historian. In the second part of the project, the PI will instruct the AMC hut crews, who are college students with no formal astronomy training, and AMC education staff in hands-on, 'eyes-on' astronomy. Both aspects of this project will have significant multiplier effects: the preservice and inservice teachers will take their new understanding of astronomy and natural history into their classrooms, the hut crews will prepare presentations on astronomy which will reach 2000-3000 hikers each summer, and the AMC education staff will conduct workshops for another 1500 middle school students.

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Expanding Students' Scientific Horizons Through Hands-On Experience With IUE

Principal Investigator: Joy Nichols, NASA/CSC
Funds Awarded: $5,624

We propose to provide an active learning experience for 3-4 female high school students by including them in an IUE observing campaign. Previous experience has proven that involving students in the entire observing process at IUE is feasible and highly motivational and stimulating to the students. The students will assist in the preparations for observing and the real-time data acquisition at the IUE Observatory, where women astronomers play a major functional role. These students will prepare a video documenting the activities of the astronomer during the observing session. We also propose to introduce sixth grade science students to the excitement of astronomy and space observations through use of the video prepared by the older students, classroom visits by the PI, and exercises developed on classroom computers to teach basic observational astronomical concepts. The video, lesson plans, and computer exercises will be shared with all middle schools in the local school system during a teacher workshop. Extension of these educational activities to younger students is proposed in an effort to provide the excitement of astronomy conveyed by a female role model at an earlier stage in the educational process, before the interest is lost.

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Project ASTRAEA: Accessible Stargazing Techniques, Resources, and Activities for Educators in Astronomy

Principal Investigator: Robert Stefanik, Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory
Funds Awarded: $20,000

The beauty of the night sky draws many people to ask astronomical questions. What star is that? How far away is it? How bright is it? What would the Sun look like if we were Rout thereS? Due to lack of training, many teachers of astronomy find these questions more difficult to answer than questions with more mathematical or theoretical answers. We propose to teach the night sky and methods of studying it to a group of high school and middle school teachers who are currently teaching astronomy. Teachers will learn the naked eye constellations, sketch the phases of the moon, learn the use of small telescopes. We will study the effects of light pollution by observing the sky from dark back country sites as well as from more urban areas. Participants will be selected on the basis of their commitment to share their expertise with their students and with other teachers.

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Proposal for a 2-day Workshop

Principal Investigator: Joan Hayashi, University of Colorado
Funds Awarded: $5,984

We propose to conduct a two-day astronomy workshop for a diverse population of both pre-service elementary educators and girls (age 9-12). We anticipate the number of workshop participants to be about 25, with half educators and half girls. The participants will explore and gain understanding of important science concepts and phenomena in the fields of astronomy and planetary science through hands-on activities involving observation, investigation, and problem solving. During the workshop, cooperative teams will engage in meaningful interaction, critical thinking, and discussion. The workshop's curriculum will focus on the large conceptual themes of Order, Diversity, Patterns, Change, and Systems and incorporate key science concepts regarding the solar system, such as the earth's motion (day and night and changing seasons), lunar motion (phases of the moon), and composition and surface features of the planets (density of the planets, cratering, spectral analysis). The workshop will be interdisciplinary in that investigations will integrate science with mathematics, literature (Native American, Hawaiian, and Hispanic mythology), and the participants' everyday experiences.

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Integrating Astronomy Into Non-Science Curricula

Principal Investigator: Matt Bobrowsky, CTA Copr/University of MD
Funds Awarded: $4,885

We propose to enhance students' understanding of astronomy during the formative years of elementary school by incorporating astronomy into a wide range of non-science curricula. Educational material will be developed for teachers and students and training will be provided for the teachers in the form of a workshop where both information and hands-on activities will be disseminated. In addition, we will produce a video tape from the workshop which will be available not only to those who attended the workshop but to other teachers as well. A superb "multiplier effect" in this project comes from our focus on a school that is hosting a group of teachers in training. After these teachers receive certification, they will end up working in all different schools, thereby reaching large numbers of students for many years. The non-scientific subjects that we will connect to astronomy include history, music, art, language arts, social studies, and mathematics, as well as incidental subjects such as health and public safety. We are able to waive all administrative costs and therefore maximize the educational benefit from this project.

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Starquest

Principal Investigator: George Nelson, University of Washington
Funds Awarded: $6,000

Starquest is a series of astronomy workshops designed for Native American high school students. In these innovative evening workshops, students, tribal school teachers, professional astronomers and community members come together to learn, share Indian legends and folklore, and enjoy the beauty of astronomy. Starquest uses the activity-based astronomy curriculum from Astro Adventures (see below) to engage students in the learning process in a supportive and exciting environment. Astronomy has long been a vital part of Native American culture and is a topic that naturally draws young people. Students will profit from these biweekly community science activities and from the interest and support of teachers, community leaders, and professional astronomers. They will also earn college credit for completing the series of workshops. Community leaders and teachers will gain knowledge of astronomy, and the teachers will learn new methods of teaching hands-on science. The value of education, and astronomy in particular will be reinforced for all participants. Over 50% of the 6,200 Native American high school students in our local area are expected to drop out prior to receiving their diplomas. Obviously, there is a strong imperative to draw Native American youth to science during the years when their dreams and goals for the future are forming. Only four states in the country have more Native American citizens than Washington state. There are 26 Indian tribes in Washington and five tribes in Oregon, totaling more than 80,000 persons, all living on or near reservation land. By the 1990 census count, 42,618 Native Americans are living within the immediate serving area of Starquest. Some reside on one of the 12 reservations in the area and some are urban Indians living in metropolitan centers. This program effectively addresses a vital need in the Native American community to provide engaging extracurricular learning experiences for students in the context of an appealing study of astronomy which incorporates their own traditions.

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The "Exciting News From Space" Project

Principal Investigator: W. Thomas Vestrand, University of New Hampshire
Funds Awarded: $ 5,950

We propose to carry out a collaborative project involving research astronomers, planetarium staff, professional educators, students, and parents. These project participants will form "news" teams to cooperatively develop short multimedia programs on selected "hot topics" in space astronomy for presentation as "Exciting News from Space" segments during planetarium programs for K-12 schoolchildren and the general public. One of the objectives of this project is to convey the excitement of space astronomy to students that are primarily interested in subjects other than the physical sciences (e.g., the visual arts, journalism, music, and history), and involve as producers and reporters for the "news" segments. The "news" teams will also develop curriculum materials that will help prepare students for a visit to the planetarium. Beyond the educational activity of the teachers and students in creating the programs and curriculum materials, the project has a significant potential for multiplying its educational impact since approximately 30,000 K-12 students from all over the State of New Hampshire view the planetarium programs annually.

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Workshop Astrophysics I

Principal Investigator: Eileen Friel, Maria Mitchell Observatory
Funds Awarded: $13,300

Recognizing the K-12 curriculum must change if American schools are to remain competitive, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and others have established new model curricula, new assessment strategies, and new models of good teaching practice. This achievement has resulted in a critical need for materials to support these emerging standards. Summer seminars which utilize the Case Method for teaching Astrophysics have been conducted at the Maria Mitchell Observatory through funding provided by a NASA AGSE supplement. Focusing on individual topics like the morphology of Neutron Stars, or the evolution of Betelgeuse has proven engaging and permits students a much more detailed glimpse of the physics and mathematics of astrophysics. This experience makes it clear that substantial portions of the emerging mathematics curriculum can be taught using astrophysical concepts and data. This proposal seeks funding to develop two seminars that use current NASA data, materials developed at Dickinson CollegeUs Workshop Physics, and materials from the Exploratorium Cookbook Series, to teach mathematics identified in the NCTM Standards. The initial audience will be students at Nantucket Elementary, but the program could serve as a model for other NASA efforts and the materials it generates could have wide appeal.

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Astronomy and Science Education for Elementary School Students

Principal Investigator: David Turnshek, University of Pittsburgh
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We propose to continue our program (originally an AGSE program) which aims to enhance astronomy and science education at the elementary school level in western Pennsylvania, and in particular in the Hempfield Area School District and West Hempfield Elementary (WHE) School. We will: (1) make presentations and demonstrations for elementary school students in order to encourage an understanding of science in general and astronomy and space sciences in particular, (2) conduct observing sessions in order to develop an understanding of telescopes and foster an appreciation of observational astronomy, (3) offer an enrichment program for gifted students, and (4) work with teachers to help them improve their science offerings through personal contact with them and by making them aware of the resources available to them through the NASA Teachers Resource Center. The program will emphasize NASA's involvement in astronomy and space science research. It is primarily intended to foster contact between real astronomers, educators, and elementary school students.

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Voyage - A Walking Educational Sculpture on the National Mall Dedicated to the Spirit of Human Explortion

Principal Investigator: Jeff Goldstein, Smithsonian Institute/NASM
Funds Awarded: $20,000

We propose the development of an educational sculpture on the National Mall celebrating humanity's quest to understand the nature of the world and our place within it. Dedicated to the spirit of human exploration, Voyage would be a model of our solar system at 1/10,000,000,000 its actual size, stretching 600 meters on the Mall's southern foot path from the National Air and Space Museum to the Smithsonian Castle. All solar system bodies with a diameter greater than 1000 km [the Sun and 24 worlds] would be depicted to scale as raised bronze hemispheres on 13 pedestals. Each planet (and its moons where appropriate) would reside on a plaque of bronze and porcelain enamel, located atop its own pedestal. Along the periphery of the bronze plaque would be located the names of the planet, in raised relief, in major languages of Earth. Color images from human and robotic expeditions to other worlds would be displayed in porcelain enamel, as well as language-independent pictograms which describe basic properties of these worlds in simple terms. Voyage will be an elegant, tactile learning experience accessible to all. The pedestals would be modified National Park Service wayside stations allowing comfortable access for wheelchairs. The educational approach would foster interdisciplinary, inquiry- based learning, stress concept development, and be consistent with the National Standards in K-12 space science education. Multilingual audio tours, docent/naturalist led tours, and curriculum support packages for class visits by educators, and for distribution nationally and internationally, are under consideration. Voyage's unique placement, on the National Mall, would celebrate our national heritage as spacefarers, and provide both national and international visibility. Voyage will invite all people of Earth to experience the true nature of our world, and of its inhabitants. It will allow visitors to experience the joys of science and discovery as they walk the path of solar system exploration. It will be testimony to what the human race can accomplish, and hopefully launch dreams for the next generation.

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Can Apples Fall Upwards? Exploring the Notion of Gravity Through Hands-On CCD-Based Travel Within the Solar System

Principal Investigator: Fabrizio Pinto, Oregon State University
Funds Awarded: $5,116

Recent science education research in the US, Europe, Israel, and Nepal on the basic astronomical understanding of individuals of such diverse cultural backgrounds has shown remarkable similarities among the beliefs of very young children. Despite the evidently positive effect of any degree of education received, such basic phenomena as day and night, the rotundity of the Earth, the real nature of gravity, and lunar phases are poorly understood by a dramatically large segment of the US population well into their high school and college years. Such students are perfectly able to recite both the accepted scientific truths and the historical lore surrounding their discovery. However, when tested by means of appropriate survey instruments, they show to have either in fact clung to their original beliefs, or to have interbred their own ideas with the notions the teachers were attempting to trasmit to them. The author's experience as the PI in two different NASA-funded projectsduring the last two years, suggests that visualization by means of computers and advanced imaging techniques can dramatically improve the situation. Unfortunately, our Earth-bound location and the distance scales involved forbid both children and adults from personally exploring these basic issues. The Department of Physics at Oregon State University has decided to commit faculty time and financial resources to the development of a facility for interactive astronomy learning. As part of such initiative, quite unique in a large geographic area within the Pacific North West, the teaching of the introductory astronomy courses will be restructured to include learning activities that can better reach out to the incoming general student population and to the surrounding community at large. Initially, learning activities will focus on hands-on partecipation in the use of the solar system as a discovery lab where to understand and to learn about gravity, motion, the meaninglessness of such concepts as up and down, day and night on other celestial bodies, etc. Such activities will gravitate around the use of a new CCD camera and image processing software acquired by the university as part of this effort and of an adequate commercial telescope to be acquired as part of this grant proposal. The PI will develop written materials and seminars to study the dynamics of learning of basic astronomical concepts and how they are affected by directly witnessing the behavior of worlds outside ours. Appropriate pre-testing and post-testing will be carried out to establish the effectivenss of the procedures so implemented. Any relevant results will be submitted for publication and CCD-image-based activities will be prepared for use by teachers and high school students.

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The Asteroid - Meteorite Connection

Principal Investigator: Faith Vilas, NASA/Johnson Space Center
Funds Awarded: $6,000

The core of our proposed project is to share a unit of lessons called The Asteroid-Meteorite Connection with groups of teachers and youth leaders. Through the experience of hands-on presentations, teachers will become excited about the concepts put forward and thus eager to help their students participate in astronomical discovery. The Asteroid-Meteorite Connection is curriculum that addresses scientists' current knowledge of asteroids and meteorites. The lessons emphasize astronomy and applied math for grades 4 -12. The curriculum makes use of spacecraft and telescope observations as well as laboratory studies of meteorites. The proposed project includes curriculum development, dissemination, and evaluation. Some of the lessons exist as part of Exploring Meteorite Mysteries, a curriculum developed for NASA through a teacher-scientist partnership. An additional lesson will be created to allow students to work with spectral data and observations to match asteroid types with corresponding meteorites. Presentations will be made in local school districts, teacher education classes, NASA education workshops, and Girl Scout trainings. These forums will allow us to increase scientific literacy among students who are traditionally underrepresented in science and math.

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Improving 9th Grade Unified Science Curricula via the Inclusion of NASA Space Science Data

Principal Investigator: Michael T. Carini, Center for Scientific Research/CSC
Funds Awarded: $4,325

Advances in science knowledge occur at a rate so fast that neither science educators nor textbooks can keep pace. As a result, science education is lacking in both quality and content. Textbooks convey information which is no longer current and teachers lack the skills and time to find and integrate into their curriculum current information. We propose a project which will redesign a 9th grade unified scienc lesson to incorporate current NASA Space Science Data into an inter-disciplinary activity. Not only will the project greatly improve the quality of information conveyed by the lesson, it will also succeed in training the educator in how to access this data in a timely and efficient manner. This will provide the educator with skills which can be applied to other lessons and other disciplines.

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Video and Classroom Curriculum for DC Public Schools Students Introduction to Astronomy and Space Science

Principal Investigator: George Carruthers, Naval Research Laboratory
Funds Awarded: $20,000

We propose to develop a curriculum in Astronomy and Space Science, as a supplement to general science courses at (primarily) the junior high school level, to be piloted in 10 DC public schools during the 1995-1996 school year. The curriculum consists of an extension of a video program series, "Pyramids to Planets", to be broadcast on DC Public Schools cable television Channel 28, supplemented by hands-on classroom activities we will develop. A two-week teacher training session will be given in the summer of 1995 to prepare selected teachers to implement the curriculum in their schools. The proposed activities build upon the existing "Pyramids to Planets" video series, developed and currently being broadcast by The Young Technocrats and DCPS Channel 28, and on previous workshops for teachers and students given by the P.I. (with the support of previous AGSE/IDEA grants).

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A Satellite Operations Class for Teachers Featuring NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Mission as an Educational Outreach Tool

Principal Investigator: Michael Lampton, University of California, Berkely
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We propose to offer a semester-long teacher inservice training class featuring a satellite-based NASA astrophysics project. We wish to provide this unique opportunity for teachers of all science disciplines through a U.C. Berkeley Extended Education class to take place during January-May 1995. We will use NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite mission as a tool for educational outreach. The underlying theme will be how scientists use astrophysical data for carrying out fundamental research. Emphasis will be given to problem-solving techniques, with specific examples taken from the pre- and post-launch stages of the EUVE mission. The class will be a collaboration between U.C. Berkeley's Center for EUV Astrophysics (CEA) and School of Education. The highlight of the course will focus on a project for teachers to develop lesson plans based on EUVE and other NASA satellite missions that they can use in their own classrooms. These lesson plans will be placed in CEA's World-Wide-Web Mosaic server by the teacher participants. We will support the teachers in the development of activities and curriculum materials that take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Internet. Projects that appeal to students typically underrepresented in the sciences, including collaborative learning, multidiciplinary approaches, non-traditional teaching techniques, and the role of students as researchers and discoverers will be emphasized. The projects will involve classroom implementation and assessment. This model treats teachers as professionals, allowing them to collaborate with scientists, and to refine their lesson-plan development skills -- important aspects of their professional growth.

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Walk Through the Rainbow: Color In Astronomy

Principal Investigator: Douglas Duncan, Adler Planetarium and University of Chicago
Funds Awarded: $20,000

We propose to build two relatively simple and inexpensive exhibits. "Walk Through the Rainbow" would produce a large, bright "rainbow" - a spectrum large enough to walk into, distinct enough to show the effects of different colors of light reflecting off skin and clothing, and bright enough to attract a lot of attention. "Color in Astronomy" would show sets of astronomical images from the Hubble Space Telescope, Kitt Peak, and David Malin (astrophotographer). Each image would be presented in 4 parts: black-and-white images taken through 3 separate color filters, and a combined, full-color image. The captions of each exhibit, and activities which view the photographs through color filters, will explain how astronomers gather and use color information.

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A Planetarium Series for Teachers, Students, and Families

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Bennett, University of Colorado/Boulder
Funds Awarded: $5,996

I propose to create and offer a series of four, interactive Planetarium shows for audiences of teachers, their students, and the parent/guardians of the students. The twin aims of the series are: (1) to teach the audience about the relationship between modern astronomy and the beauty of the night sky; and (2) to encourage sky watching, stargazing, and astronomy as a family learning experience. Each show in the series will last approximately 90 minutes. Over the series the audience will learn the major constellations of the northern hemisphere; the basic motions of the sky and principles of celestial navigation; and about the science behind the objects visible in the night sky. No part of the shows will be "canned"; they will be live, interactive presentations. The project will begin with the identification of selected schools from which the audience will be drawn. Each participant will sign a "contract," agreeing to attend all four shows and to participate in a detailed evaluation effort. After the series is completed, the evaluations will be analyzed and the results disseminated so that others may reproduce the series elsewhere.

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Night Walks in Astronomy

Principal Investigator: Irene R. Little-Marenin, University of Colorado
Funds Awarded: $5,944

Our goal is to assist Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) interpretive personnel in their presentations of astronomical shows during the 1995 summer season. Additionally, we will develop an astronomy education section to be a part of the environmental education program given in the fall and winter in the park and add a "night walk for astronomy" program to the summer program at the park. To accomplish the first of these goals we will continue to work closely with the interpretive personnel with whom we developed an astronomy slide show last summer and will continue to schedule constellation shows at which we will be in attendance. The latter two goals will be addressed with the help of two local teachers (Crane and Adams) a college student majoring in park interpretation (Humphrey) and a park interpretive ranger (Maugans). Principal Investigator: Dr. Charles McGruder, III, Western Kentucky U Co-Investigators: Dr. Roger Scott, Western Kentucky U Dr. Richard Hackney, Western Kentucky U Dr. Karen Hackney, Western Kentucky Funds Awarded: $7836 Title: Team Astronomy Experience for Minorities ABSTRACT The purpose of this proposal is to increase minority interest and appreciation of science using astronomy as a tool. This goal is to be achieved by inviting high school minority students and their teachers to the campus of Western Kentucky University (WKU) to participate along with minority role models in team based learning experiences. All participants will work together in many hands-on activities and events centered around the exploration of space. This two dayprogram is referred to as TAEM for Team Astronomy Experience for Minorities.

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The Remote Access Astronomy Project: A University/High School Collaboration for a Research-Oriented Approach to Physics and Astronomy Teaching

Principal Investigator: Philip M. Lubin, University of California, Santa Barbara
Funds Awarded: $20,000

The Remote Access Astronomy Project (RAAP) is a computerized optical telescope and dial-in data distribution system that has the potential to substantially change the way science is taught to high school and undergraduate students on a large scale. The project uses high resolution astronomical and earth resource images and image processing techniques that appeal to the natural curiosity young people have about space and astronomy, as well as the natural affinity that young people have for computers. Our project serves as a forum for low cost and rapid distribution of images, data, and curricula among teachers and students from middle school through college. By applying basic concepts taught in introductory physics classes to astronomy and planetary physics, the traditional curriculum becomes far more appealing to high school students. Astronomy is one of the most popular science courses on any college campus, and by introducing astronomy at the secondary level, we hope to attract more students to further study of math and science. In addition, by offering access to our telescope to high schools, students have the opportunity to do research at an early age, and take a more active role in their own education. We seek funds to continue our efforts in the following areas: salary support for summer research positions for one teacher to work in our lab, developing further curricula for PC and Macintosh platforms; salary support for two undergraduate assistants to maintain the telescope, database and network; one large (40-50 teachers) and several small (5-10 teachers) workshops in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to train teachers in the use of our telescope and data distribution system, and for reproducing our educational materials. Travel expenese to annual national educational meetings is also requested.

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Elementary School Astronomy Lab

Principal Investigator: David Hathaway, Marshall Space Flight Center
Funds Awarded: $4,960

We propose to augment the elementary school science curriculum by developing and providing hands-on astronomical activities for elementary school children using a local school for testing. A Science Lab has been established at this school and an experienced teacher has been hired by the PTA to produce hands-on science activities coordinated with their science curriculum (state and local funds are unavailable for this). We will work in conjunction with this teacher to insure that the activities we develop are effective for the the targeted grade levels. Use will also be made of local planetarium and its staff. Astronomical concepts we hope to present include: motions of the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets; exploring the night sky with mall telescopes; the exploration of the solar system; the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter impacts: and pulsars, quasars, black holes, and the Big Bang. Once developed and tested these activities will be presented by the investigators to other schools throughout north Alabama and south-central Tennessee through the MSFC LASER program.

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Observing and Modeling Astrophysical Shocks

Principal Investigator: Sanjoy Ghosh, Goddard Space Flight Center/Applied Research
Funds Awarded: $5,999

Astronomy has always been grounded in observation. But increasingly, the tool used to understand what is observed is the computer--in particular, computer modeling. Many people feel intimidated by computer modeling, but simulations can be made accessible even to high-school students. This proposal uses the observation and modeling of astrophysical shocks as a vehicle for introducing high-school astronomy students to the excitement and satisfaction of modern astronomical research. The project brings together NASA-supported astronomers, a university professor, graduate students, and secondary-school science educators. The audience for the project is a specially-selected astronomy class at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George's County, Maryland; minority students make up over 50 percent of the student body. First, professional astronomers will introduce students to astrophysical shocks through lectures. Then students themselves will visit a university observatory and learn to point a telescope, observe, and photograph objects where shocks are present. An actual research code will be modified and given a graphic (visual) interface so students may easily run it. Students will use this simple, user-friendly simulation program to explore the processes that affect shock formation and will thereby gain a better understanding of their own observations.

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LUNAR II: Learning Using New Astronomical Resources II

Principal Investigator: Saul Adelmal, Jr., The Citadel
Funds Awarded: $6,000

We request continued support to help implement astronomy teaching objectives in the elementary school curriculum of the Charleston and Berkeley County School Districts of South Carolina. Over the past three years our educational supplemental grants have brought resources and ideas to classroom teachers through hands-on workshops presented by three astronomers and four master elementary school teachers. Our collaboration has clarified the need for specific content items and topic areas that require inservice training. The recent introduction of a new science curriculum and the School Districts' mandate to use computers in the classroom provides an excellent opportunity to expand our contacts with the local schools, to coordinate resources across the Low Country of South Carolina, and to provide access to accurate astronomical information. During the last year we started a ftp site for educational programs and materials in astronomy and other related sciences. We want to solidify our partnership so that we can continue to make astronomy an exciting and important element of elementary education.

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Internet DuSable!

Principal Investigator: Donald York, University of Chicago
Funds Awarded: $20,000

DuSable High School is an inner-city school in a highly isolated, impoverished community. In a DuSable poll, 15% of the students cited computer science as the profession that most interested them, yet DuSable offers no course in programming, and these students indicated that they had used a computer on fewer than 10 occasions on average. We propose to connect DuSable to the Internet and provide quality, unstructured access to network services as well as structured settings for students and teachers to explore Internet resources with the assistance of a network-savvy teachers. Co-investigators from the University of Chicago with experience in network administration and use will train five DuSable teachers and two students to manage DuSable's network beyond the period of the grant. DuSable HS will continue funding the network connection from discretionary funds. The project will be used as a pathfinder to help other Chicago schools join the Internet and inculcate a computer network culture.

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Woman's Science Forum

Principle Investigator: Laura Danly, Space Telescope Science Institute
Funds Awarded: $5,145

We seek funding to support the Women's Science Forum, a monthly workshop series for high school girls who are interested in math, science, and engineering. Our goal is not to "sell" science to a general audience, but rather to provide insight and perspectives which may prevent women from leaving the field prematurely. The Women's Science Forum has been conducted for the past three years, providing information and follow-up opportunities in scientific and technical fields for girls throughout the state of Maryland. Each year the program has been conducted with a different emphasis and with slight alterations to the program format and content to search for the most effective means of providing a meaningful experience to the participants. In past years we have found the program to be highly successful in reaching, motivating and encourgaging the girls to remain in a scientific or technical field as they continue their educational training. We describe the lessons learned from previous years' experiences, and how we hope to address the problems with support from the Astrophysics Grant Supplements for Education program.

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