Transcript Activities in Green Bank

Preparing Students for
STEM Careers:
The Pulsar Search
Collaboratory
The GBT is
the NRAO’s
newest
instrument.
World’s
largest fullysteerable
telescope.
NRAO EPO Program Goals
• Enlarge the pipeline of students ready to enter
college and graduate with a degree in STEM
(NAS, 2007).
• Increase the number of well-qualified and
highly effective STEM teachers in the
classroom (NSB, 2007).
• Involve students in research/inquiry-based
science.
• Increase public’s appreciation of STEM.
West Virginia Governor’s School
•
•
•
Partnership with the National
Youth Science Foundation.
2-week residential program at
NRAO.
60 rising high-school
freshman/year.
What’s next?
Pulsar Search Collaboratory
NSF ITEST:
“…increase the opportunities for students and
teachers to learn about, experience, and use
information technologies within the context of
STEM courses.”
Pulsar Search Collaboratory
– involves teachers and students in the
search for new pulsars.
– “Distributed community of researchers”.
– Partnership between WVU physics,
computer science, and education
departments, WV EPSCoR, and NRAO.
– Funded by NSF.
History:
1999 Higher Ed Symposium in
Charleston.
Offhand conversation with
Bob Gillespie (aka master
nagger) about “Pulsars at
Home” with the soon to be
finished GBT.
The years go by. Annual nag
by Bob.
2006: Two new faculty at
WVU-- pulsar astronomers!
2007: summer shutdown
pulsar survey-- over 130 TB of
raw data.
Program Elements
– Summer residential program at NRAO: PSC
Leaders
• 12-day teacher institute (20)
• 6-day experience for teachers and students (30)
– Academic Year Activities
•
•
•
•
Whole class activities
School based PSC teams (~5 students) analyze data
Remote observing on the GBT.
Online tools: Google site, Adobe Connect, Skype
– Capstone PSC seminar at WVU
• Poster presentations, student and professional talks.
• Tours and activities of WVU STEM schools.
– Students part of PSC throughout high school.
– Students can earn undergraduate PHYSICS credit.