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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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13 The Sun, ionosphere, and radio waves

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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

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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

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16 Detecting Solar Flares SID(s) SID Events! Not all events are readily explainable students can research these

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17 GOES-12 Weather Satellite Detecting X-Rays

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18 Connecting SID to GOES Data C4.5 C5.9 C3.8 M1.3 Students have also found flares not cataloged by GOES!!!

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19 Connecting SID events to sunspots (Active Regions) #Event Begin Max End Obs Q Type Loc/Frq Particulars Reg# #------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1960 + 1727 1736 1744 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C4.5 3.1E-03 0424 1990 + 1930 1946 1954 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C5.9 5.9E-03 0424 2000 + 2112 2134 2140 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C3.8 3.1E-03 0424 2040 + 2341 2354 0002 G12 5 XRA 1-8A M1.3 8.5E-03 0424

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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

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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

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22 For more information on Space Weather Monitors http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID dscherrer@solar.stanford.edu