UNDERGRADUATES

This is the second summer of the two year program funded by the National Science Foundation Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program.  We are developing a StarLab planetarium and multimedia curriculum displaying the radio sky.  Called “Sensing the Radio Universe”, 6 undergraduates from Furman University and UNC-Asheville majoring in multimedia or physics and three faculty plus me joined forces to put together a multimedia sensation for educators, students, and thegeneral public to experience the night sky as though they see it with radio eyes. For details on the project and status, please click here to go to the Sensing the Universe web site.

The Summer 2005 IPSE Team. L-R Kneeling: Dana, Moffett, Chuck. L-R Standing: Castelaz, LaFratta, Becky, Lauren, Tommy, Lauren, Hayward

In addition to the IPSE Interns, two other undergraduates from UNC-Asheville are working with their advisor, Dr. Brin Dennison, and me, on two projects: pointing model for 26-W; and Smiley telescope fiducial marks hardware/software. 

Rodney, a Physics major at UNC-Asheville, is working on the 26-W radio telescope pointing model.  The model was done two years ago, but one of the telescopes encoders failed since then.  The failure resulted in a loss of the zero point for the pointing model.  Rodney is making the observations necessary to model the correct zero point.

Root, a Physics major at UNC-Asheville,is writing the JAVA code web interface to a tilt sensor mounted on the Smiley 4.6-m radio telescope. The tilt sensor outputs 2-axis leveling to within 0.0001 degrees to an RS232 interface.  The JAVA code will read the values and display them to a web page.  The ooutput will also be fed into the Smiley telescope control software.  The tilt sensor provides an absolute zero home position for the telescope.

Finally, under the guidance of Dr. Joe Daugherty, his Object Technology Computer Science class worked on a new component to the Smiley Radio telescope system.  The component is a Data Analysis Room where teachers and students can place their data and use tools to determine such features as Doppler velocities from their observed spectra. I help the students understand what the tools teachers need in the data analysis room.

HIGH SCHOOL

PARI continues to host the DukeTalent Identification Program (TIP) Summer Field Study in Astronomy.  This year, nine high school students worked on projects that included building a 20 MHz reciever for solar observations, observed the motions of the moons of Jupiter to calculate the mass of Jupiter, and made observations of 21-cm radion from the Galactic plane with the goal of measure the rotation curve of the Milky Way Galaxy.  The students are mentored by a Duke TIP Instructor and Assistant Instructor.  I help facilitate by providing training on the use of the telescopes.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program offers a broad range of programs and resources for gifted young adults. One of their programs is the Domestic Field Study in Radio Astronomy at PARI.

Taken from the website description for the 2005 Field Study in Astronomy:

• · With guidance, students will complete a research project related to some facet of radio astronomy or electrical engineering. During the first few days, this course will be conducted like a traditional class, where the students are paired into teams and explore their research interests. By the end of the first week, each research group will have begun its project in earnest. During the middle weekend, students will explore the mountains of North Carolina, relaxing with fun recreational activities such as hiking, canoeing, and visiting picturesque Brevard, NC. After the weekend break, students will work exclusively on their research projects and prepare the final presentation of their work. On Saturday, there will be a student-led scientific symposium to which students’ families are invited.
  
  A TYPICAL DAY
  A typical day at PARI will consist of a morning group meeting, in which students may share the status of their projects and plans for the day. Afterwards, students will be busy with instruction or project work for the bulk of the day. In the late afternoon, students will meet in a journal club, where they will present a journal article to the rest of the group. Students who desire to dive into astronomical research and to work with radio telescopes and computers in a beautiful outdoor setting should apply

THE SPACE SCIENCE LAB.

The Space Science Lab is a new initiative. We are in the process of seeking funding for this project. Here is the Executive Summary from our grant proposal to support this program:

Ninety Native American, Hispanic, African American, and underrepresented high school students in Henderson, Jackson, and Transylvania counties over a three year period will have the unprecedented opportunity to conduct authentic space science research through visible and radio observations of the Sun. Not only will they conduct their own research, but they will interact with scientists around the world sharing their data during week-long summer sessions and throughout the school year.  The primary goal is motivation of students to begin and continue improving their critical thinking skills necessary for objective scientific inquiry.  Students will improve their competence in science by developing skills in electronics, computer sciences, astronomy, physics and earth sciences. Equally important is the hope that the students will become interested in pursuing careers in research or other science-related areas after they live and work at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) campus with professional scientists, by linking them to other scientists in a global research project, and by proving them the tools and means to continue their research after returning home. The objectives are aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for grades 9-12, in the areas of Earth/Environmental Science, Physical Science and Physics Curriculum Goals.

The students will make daily observations and analyses of solar activity, which directly impacts telecommunications, the Earth’s weather and our nation’s space program.  Additionally, students will construct their own radio telescope so they can continue their observations and experiments while at home, and as part of continuing school-related projects. They will have continuing Internet access to radio telescopes and solar monitoring equipment at PARI, with regular follow-up sessions throughout the school year.  We expect their enthusiasm for science will increase by experiencing research investigations that are fun and relevant to their understanding of the world around them.  Each student will participate in a  one week session at PARI, with continued participation throughout the school year. There will be two sessions each summer, involving a total of 30 students per year.

The students will be Space Science Lab scientists. The Space Science Lab is based at the PARI, the former NASA east coast tracking station near Brevard, NC. The 200-acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, and offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. PARI is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI.