Highlighting the Space Weather Monitor Program Deborah
Scherrer, Roberta Johnson, Ramon Lopez, Pat Reiff, Marius
Schamschula Stanford U., NCAR, Florida Institute of Tech., Rice U.,
Alabama A&M CISM Space Weather Professional Development for
Educators
Slide 2
2 Quick Overview Objectives The Plan Details CISM
Interconnections Center Leverage Educational Professional
Development Web-based Training IHY The Monitors SID and AWESOME
Project Structure Our Team
Slide 3
3 Objectives Provide space weather resources and professional
development for grades 6-14 teachers Integrate CISM research and
education Leverage off Center concept and engage CISM scientists
with the educational program Respond to diversity needs
Slide 4
4 The Plan Team community college & high school educators
with scientists to: Design, develop, & classroom-test VLF radio
receivers that track changes to the Earths ionosphere caused by
solar activity Provide Standards-based, hands-on, inquiry-driven
science experience for teachers and students Return data useful to
researchers Involve high school, undergraduate (incl. community
college), and graduate students Involve researchers
Slide 5
5 How? Based on AAVSO original concept 2 versions: SID
inexpensive (~$150) AWESOME research quality (~$3000) Preassembled,
but students build their own antenna (~$10) Centralized data
repository & chat site
Slide 6
6 Are placing 100 SIDs and 15 AWESOMES in under-represented
high schools, community colleges, & science museums Leverage
from CISM Education Partners Teacher workshops (NCAR) University
application (Alabama A&M) Integration into teacher-training
courses (Rice U.) Development of web-based training (Exploratorium,
NCAR, Stanford) Engagement from CISM Science Partners: Distribute
in a Partnership model, to encourage scientist-teacher-student
collaborations Return data to CISM and other researchers All
materials standards-based Professional formative & summative
assessment Obtained supplemental funding from NASA
Slide 7
7 CISM Interconnections Space Weather Monitor Program --
Helping to address multiple dimensions of CISM review criteria K-14
Introduced to Space Weather Infrastructure for science or education
Web-based training resources, produced in conjunction with CISM
scientists: Exploratorium website NCAR website Stanford website
Space Weather data returned Engagement of scientists with K-14
schools & students Pipeline bridges High School -> community
college/university grad school Teacher interns, students,
professional development, workshops, courses Integration of
research and education Diversity Sphere of Broadening impact
Centralized data repository Software for data analysis
Slide 8
8 It takes a Center Space Monitor program leverages off Center
concept Provides coherence interconnection with multiple partners
and varied programs Integrates research and education
Slide 9
9 Educator Professional Development NCAR provides professional
development workshops, in person and online, about space weather
topics to teachers these will be modified to include the Space
Weather Monitors Rice U. will be integrating the monitors into
their Physics of Ham Radio course for teachers. Alabama A&M
will be integrating the monitors into their space science
program
Slide 10
10 CISM Web-based Training Resources Exploratorium Space
Weather Research Explorer
http://www.exploratorium.edu/spaceweather/ Produced in conjunction
with CISM partners @ UC Berkeley & Stanford Includes CISM
imagery, interviews with CISM scientists, pointers to live CISM
data NCARs Windows to the Universe Space Weather
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/space_weather/space_weather.html
Stanford Solar Center Space Weather Monitors
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID
Slide 11
11 IHY 2007 The United Nations and organizers of the
International Heliophysical Year, 2007, have designated these Space
Weather Monitors as official IHY instruments, to be placed in 191
countries around the world.
Slide 12
12 Overview of the Monitors The Sun & Earths Ionosphere VLF
Transmitters About our monitors Data & tracking Connecting
monitor data with GOES Connecting data to solar active regions
Slide 13
13 The Sun, ionosphere, and radio waves
Slide 14
14 VLF Transmitters 200 Towers Antenna Wires 24 around the
world NLK 24.8 KHz Navy Radio Station, Jim Creek, WA 1 cycle = 7.5
miles (12 km) VLF signals can be received all over the world,
because of the ionosphere! Primarily U.S. Navy stations for
communicating with submarines
Slide 15
15 Our Monitors SID Low Cost (~$150) Single band 1 sample/5
seconds Preassembled & tuned Students build antenna Available
free to underserved schools AWESOME Moderate cost (~$3000)
Broadband; sample rate of 100kHz on each channel Capture ELF/VLF
frequencies ~30 Hz - 50kHz Dual use system: Daytime: monitor solar
activity Nighttime: monitor atmospheric phenomena (e.g. lightning)
So sensitive that nearly any signal above the ambient Earth noise
floor can be detected Data useable for ionospheric and solar
researchers
Slide 16
16 Detecting Solar Flares SID(s) SID Events! Not all events are
readily explainable students can research these
Slide 17
17 GOES-12 Weather Satellite Detecting X-Rays
Slide 18
18 Connecting SID to GOES Data C4.5 C5.9 C3.8 M1.3 Students
have also found flares not cataloged by GOES!!!
20 Teachers Solar ResearchersIonospheric Researchers Students
AAVSO NCAR Rice U Teacher Workshops & courses Partnerships
Engagement of CISM scientists with teachers & students
Distribution Science museums 5 AWESOME Teachers and classrooms high
school & community college 100 SIDs10 AWESOME Centralized
database & communications General Public Interest in &
awareness of Space Weather Partners Funding NSF-CISM NASA
Distribution Technology & expertize Traffic Control Production
Planning Communications Design & develop SID & AWESOME
Reporting Coordination Integration back into science research
Web-based training in space weather NCAR Exploratorium Solar Center
Integration into university environment Alabama A&M D D D D DD
D D = Includes diversity component
Slide 21
21 Our Team Stanford Partners Philip Scherrer, Solar
Observatories Group Umran Inan, Stanford EE Hao Thai, Solar
Observatories Group Deborah Scherrer, Stanford Solar Center
Students Morris Cohen, Stanford EE Justin Tan, Stanford EE Shannon
Lee, Chabot Community College Sharad Khanal, Stanford Physics Scott
Winegarden, Mid Penninsula High School (now at UC Irvine) Mitch
Patenaude, Cal State Hayward Sam Penrose, Cal State Hayward Kenny
Oslund, Castro Valley High (now at CalTech) Educators Ray Mitchell,
Chief Engineer; Chabot Community College, Cal State Hayward William
Clark, San Lorenzo High School Richard Styner, San Lorenzo High
School Sean Fotrell, Castro Valley High School Tim Dave, Chabot
Community College CISM Partners Roberta Johnson, NCAR Ramon Lopez,
Florida Institute of Tech. Pat Reiff, Rice University Marius
Schamschula, Alabama A&M Concept: Paul Mortfield
Slide 22
22 For more information on Space Weather Monitors
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID
[email protected]