HR: 11:30h
AN: ED12A-05 [Abstracts]
TI: Designing Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance Monitors -- a Unique Collaboration Between Scientists and Educators
AU: * Scherrer, D
EM: dscherrer@solar.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Mitchell, R
EM: rmitchell@sun.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Clark, W
EM: superdulie@hotmail.com
AF: San Leandro High School, 2200 Bancroft Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577 United States
AU: Styner, R
EM: styner@hotmail.com
AF: San Leandro High School, 2200 Bancroft Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577 United States
AU: Scherrer, P
EM: pscherrer@solar.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Inan, U
EM: inan@nova.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, EE Department
Packard Bldg.
350 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-9515 United States
AU: Cohen, M
EM: mcohen@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, EE Department
Packard Bldg.
350 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-9515 United States
AU: Tan, J
EM: jhtan@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, EE Department
Packard Bldg.
350 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-9515 United States
AU: Lee, S
EM: shannonl@sun.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Khanal, S
EM: sharadkhanal@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Winegarden, S
EM: scottw@sun.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AU: Mortfield, P
EM: Paul@backyardastronomer.com
AF: Stanford University, HEPL-4085
455 Via Palou, Stanford, CA 94305-4085 United States
AB:
Funding agencies such as NASA and NSF encourage E/PO programs to provide local educators with research experience. However,
many researchers have neither the time nor the
expertize nor the training resources to effectively
incorporate an educator into their computer- and
numerical-analysis-based research environments. Stanford's
Solar Center has been experimenting with a unique project
that teams community college and high school educators
with research groups to develop a hands-on instrument
that the educators's students can, in turn, use to
conduct their own research.
With support from the researchers, the Educators design,
develop, and classroom-test a VLF radio receiver that
monitors changes to the Earth's ionosphere caused by
solar activity. The educators bring to the table their knowledge
of classroom needs plus their amateur background in electronics.
Stanford's Electrical Engineering Department's Very Low
Frequency Group provides EE resources and knowledge of
ionospheric research. Stanford's Solar Observatories Group
completes the team with their expertize on the Sun and
solar activity. Together, the project team has designed and
developed two forms of monitors: 1) an inexpensive
Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance (SID) monitor that can be
produced in quantity and made available to high schools
and community colleges around the nation; and 2) a research
quality SID monitor, nicknamed AWESOME, that can be placed
in selected schools and will return data of sufficient quality
and sensitivity that it can be used both
by the students and for ionospheric research.
UR: http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 2400 IONOSPHERE
DE: 6900 RADIO SCIENCE
DE: 7500 SOLAR PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTRONOMY
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly