Research Experiences for Teachers
Teacher Workshop - July 6 - 10, 2009
Program Details can be found here
Workshop Registration is Closed
RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS PROGRAM
RET Program Filled for 2009
MIT HAYSTACK OBSERVATORY
Westford, MA
The Haystack Observatory in Westford, MA, will host two local area high school science teachers during the Summer of 2009, under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. These teachers will work with staff scientists on a project using observational instruments and will receive hands-on experience in the field of radio astronomy and atmospheric science. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend weekly seminars focusing on various areas of research conducted at Haystack. The goal of the program is for the teachers to develop a unit of inquiry-based lesson plans for a particular high school level, based on their summer research internship.
Project for 2009: What's Going On Up There? Studying Ozone in the MesosphereMentors - Alan Rogers, Larisa Goncharenko
As people endeavor to learn more about global climate change, there is a need to better understand the various processes taking place in Earth's atmosphere. To enable students to gain knowledge of the composition and interaction processes at work in the atmosphere, the teachers taking part in the 2009 RET program will collaborate to explore Earth's atmosphere. They will learn the basics about the atmosphere - its layers and their temperature profiles, how energy is transferred, global circulation patterns, how the atmosphere is affected by energy received from deep space as well as from the Earth's surface, and other related topics. After this introduction, they will focus on the mesosphere and the ozone concentrations found there. Mesospheric ozone is quite fascinating in that it is dramatically destroyed by photodissociation every morning and reformed again by simple chemical reactions after sunset. In addition to this daily cycle, there is evidence that mesospheric ozone concentrations vary through the seasons of the year. Using an ozone spectrometer developed at Haystack Observatory, the RET participants will take measurements that will help provide an understanding of ozone chemistry and atmospheric dynamics. Working together, they will develop lesson plans to introduce their students to this process, and learn how their students can take and analyze data in their own school.
PROGRAM DETAILSWe plan to host two high school science teachers for seven to eight weeks during the Summer of 2009 who will work at the research facilities of the MIT Haystack Observatory. Following an introduction to Haystack Observatory's programs in radio astronomy, geodesy, and atmospheric science, the teachers will work together learning about the dynamics of Earth's atmosphere. Studying with MIT scientists at Haystack Observatory, the teachers will acquire sufficient background information to develop lesson plans at the requisite grade level for students in the classroom. The teachers will interact with staff and students, and learn about special research projects as they attend the summer seminar series and activities planned for students and teachers. As they begin their project, scientists will guide them in their studies of the subject. The specific details for this year's project have been provided above by the staff mentors.
The goal of the program is for the teachers to develop introductory lesson plans for a particular K-12 level based on their summer research internships. These plans can then be followed by other teachers interested in using these units or by students pursuing independent study. The lesson plans will be placed on the Haystack Web site and will be linked to a rich base of other research and educational materials located there. Links will also be provided to other sites associated with Haystack's research disciplines and to educational materials relevant to the effort. This will simplify access to the materials by all teachers and students in the future. Haystack will encourage all interested teachers to take advantage of these materials and to apply them to their class activities prior to visits or interactions with our group.
During the summer, stipends of $1,000.00 per week will be paid to the participating teachers. Scheduling of time is somewhat flexible, but requires a joint starting date. While the project is in progress teachers will have the use of working space equipped with a personal computer connected to our network to allow observations, analysis of data, access to the Web, and development of the lesson plans. Opportunities are also available for the participants to report on their projects at selected professional meetings. Participation in this program requires a commitment from each teacher to integrate some part of this experience into his or her classroom activities.
A meeting will be held at Haystack Observatory on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, at 4:00 PM to provide more information and answer any questions related to this program. Attendance is encouraged but not required for participation in this program. Directions to the Observatory can be found on the Haystack Web site. Questions about the program can be e-mailed to info@haystack.mit.edu or addressed to Madeleine Needles at 781-981-5407.
Application deadline is February 28, 2009. All applications must include the following items:
The application should be addressed to:
RET ProgramMIT Haystack Observatory
Off Rte. 40
Westford, MA 01886
The decision on teacher selection is expected to be made by March 13, 2009.
OUTCOMEThe results will be a series of inquiry-based lesson plans to be used as an introduction to the research discipline described above not only by the participating teacher but also by other teachers. These lesson plans will also be made available through the Web to all teachers as part of our expanding education program. Teachers are also encouraged to present the results of their experiences at professional forums such as the AAS or AGU meetings.
ABBREVIATED VITAEThe primary staff mentors and coordinators of the RET program at Haystack Observatory include the following key personnel. Summaries of their vitae with emphasis on their educational experience and interests are outlined briefly.
Alan E. E. Rogers. Ph.D. 1967, MIT. Former Asst. Director, MIT Haystack Observatory and Senior Research Scientist, MIT; (Currently retired and working as a MIT Research Affiliate) Member of the team that received the Rumford Prize in 1971 for the development of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI); Measured the abundance of Deuterium in the Galactic anticenter using the radio line at 327 MHz; Developer of the Small Radio Telescope (SRT), the VSRT, and the VSRT Ozone Spectrometer; Worked with industry to develop radio location systems for cellular phones; Current research interests include radio arrays and spectrometers specializing in the detection and measurement of weak radio astronomy signals.
Larisa Goncharenko. M.S. 1988, Kharkov National Polytechnic University, Kharkov, Ukraine. Research scientist in the Atmospheric Science Group at Haystack Observatory. Major areas of interest are ionospheric-thermospheric coupling, dynamics and electrodynamics of ionosphere and thermosphere, with emphasis on processes in the lower thermosphere and coupling between different altitudes. Participant in RET and REU programs.
Philip Erickson. Ph.D. 1998, Cornell University. Research Scientist in Atmospheric Sciences Group, with emphasis on the study of light ions in the Earth's exosphere and on the design of experiments using incoherent scatter radar at Millstone Hill Observatory. Participant in REU, RET, and Young Scholars programs.
Vincent Fish. PhD. 2004, Harvard University. Scientist specializing in radio astronomy, with emphasis on science and techniques using interferometry. Coordinator in the REU program, and participant in the RET program.
Madeleine Needles. M.S. 1997, Simmons College; B.A. Education. Coordinator of pre-college outreach and teacher interactions. Information specialist, and materials and media services coordinator at Haystack and Millstone Hill Observatories. Coordinator of the RET program, participant in Young Scholars program and facilitator of REU student projects.
781.981.5407 
