The objectives of this project are to combine the School of Galactic Radio Astronomy (SGRA) and Stellar Classification Online Public Exploration (SCOPE) with NSDL; to organize four 2-day workshops for teachers, homeschoolers? parents, and informal learners; and to support distance learning via webinars and podcasts. Working with the NSDL Resource Center, the project creates the publishing and harvesting tools for SCOPE and SGRA through NSDL. A high-speed, reliable and secure networking and storage services provide a productive user experience. The use of the PLONE Content Management System built on top of the open source application server ZOPE means content automatically applies Dublin Core metadata adapted by NSDL.
This project is conducted by the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) and available for national use through the NSDL infrastructure. It enhances STEM education by combining research with education where learners study as Staff Scientists at PARI. Users can remotely access a 4.6-m radio telescope to study physics and methods of research. Learners control, in real-time, the radio telescope through a web-browser, pointing the telescope at targets, and with a neutral hydrogen detector either map or take spectra taken of radio sources. In SCOPE, learners, as citizen scientists, explore the visible stellar sky. Digitized images of archived astronomical photographic data taken over three decades are available through a user-friendly web interface and designed for classification of stars.
This project advances the competence of formal and informal STEM learners through PARI?s digital resources. The resources place a stimulating environment of research and education within the reach of a computer. Outcomes are disseminated to broad audience to energize K-12 professional development opportunities such as NSTA conferences, webinars, and published articles. Research outcomes are reported through a peer-reviewed journal published by the International Astronomical Union.
