Summer of Innovation with Teachers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Posted on 08/26/2010 by janeth

Part-II – by Ms. Kim Abegglen NASA Endeavor Fellow, 6th Grade Earth Science and Math. MESA Advisor.

I am a 6th Grade Earth Science and Math teacher at Hockinson Middle School in Brush Prairie, Washington. I am the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) advisor and I am a NASA Endeavor Fellow. Each of these experiences gives me the opportunity to interact with curious young people, experienced teachers, and parents,community members, and administrators who care about the future of STEM opportunities. I have a master’s degree in teaching, a K-8 teacher certification and, upon completion of the NASA Endeavor Science Teaching Project, will have a STEM teaching certificate from Columbia University’s Teaching College. Thereafter, I plan to complete the professional certification process in my state. As a NASA Endeavor Fellow, I have been given a unique, rare opportunity to complete a two-week internship at NASA Goddard with my mentor scientist, Dr. Charles Gatebe. The goal of this internship is to learn by watching, interacting, and doing work with members of the NASA team. In turn, I am planning science curriculum that integrates NASA materials into the classroom. If I were to describe myself in a couple of words, it would be that I love to learn!

Kim Abegglen in front of a spherical integrating sphere during the calibration of NASA Cloud Absorption Radiometer at NASA GSFC. (Photo by CK Gatebe).


Doing Science is Exciting: NASA Goddard, Day One

Doing science is EXCITING! I can hear some of my sixth graders now, sighing, rolling their eyes, and saying under their breath, “Really now, Ms. Abegglen? Really?” I say to the skeptical, yes, indeed. Doing science is exciting. Today I spent my first day at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland working with Dr. Charles Gatebe and two teacher-researchers, Robyn and Jim. After picking up my very cool NASA badge, I was greeted by my host, Dr. Charles Gatebe. Without a minute to waste, my two week science experience/adventure/internship began as we walked into Dr. Gatebe’s building. Dr. Gatebe EXPLAINED to me the purpose of satellites like TERRA and AQUA that collect data about Earth systems. I INTERACTED with scientists and their high school, undergraduate and graduate student interns. I EXAMINED data instruments including a Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) and sun photometers. I ASKED colleagues QUESTIONS as they shared their projects. They COMMUNICATED their investigations, results, frustrations, and ideas for further consideration. We COLLABORATED as we shared possible problem-solving strategies. I READ and STUDIED about climate and evidence of climate change using interactive technology. I spent the day with an EXPERT. Every interaction I had today with NASA Goddard science-doers had an undercurrent of EXCITEMENT. They were excited by their questions and projects. They were excited to share their ideas, their knowledge and their experimental results. They were excited to be doing science!

Some may ask why all the capitalized words like EXPLAINED, EXAMINED, ASKED, etc. My students know that I capitalize when I share something that I think is important. Today I EXPERIENCED the doing of science–I could smell it, see it, hear it, and touch it. Doing science is EXPLAINING, ASKING, COMMUNICATING, COLLABORATING, READING, STUDYING, EXAMINING, INTERACTING, ENGAGING EXPERTS and being EXCITED by your wonderings, ideas and questions. My project here is help teachers and students “do science” rather than “learn science”. So, you ask, what will I DO for the next two weeks at NASA Goddard? Science, of course!

I Did Science, So Can You! A Fine Farewell!

My two weeks at NASA Goddard has flown by and has been filled with so many interesting experiences. So as I sit at my computer in my NASA office for what will be my last hour of this adventure into the world of Goddard, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned before I fly back to my own world of family, friends, and school in Brush Prairie, Washington.

First, I am a student as much as I am a teacher. I leave here with new understandings of a broad spectrum of ideas. I spent time in the Radiometric Calibration Facility, learning from Dr. Gatebe, Rajesh Poudyal, and John Cooper how the Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) is calibrated. While I was there, I learned that collecting and analyzing data can be time-consuming and not glamorous. But I also learned that when you are motivated by a question you really want to know the answer to, you persevere through the frustration and/or boredom and focus on the big picture: accomplishing your goal, whatever it may be. There is joy in success!

Second, I can take every learning experience to help me to become a more experienced, compassionate family and community member. In addition to the science, I have gained something from everyone I have interacted with here at Goddard. That is true of everyone I meet, but I think this adventure was something different and unique. Away from my family and the responsibilities that come with them, my focus during these two weeks has been on what is happening now, with no distractions. Out of my comfort zone, I initiated conversations with others and prompted discussions of their jobs and interests. One can learn much from others if we only take the time to ask and then listen.

Third, what I think I can do and what I can actually accomplish are not always the same. Be open to unknown opportunities and challenges–you may achieve something that you never thought possible because you were unaware that you had the ideal qualities, attitude and skills. When I applied for this internship, I really had no idea that I would be selected. It was such an exciting surprise! But then I wondered if I could do it; would I understand what was being shared with me and would I find confidence to ask questions when I didn’t understand. I was a little afraid! But I did it, I’m doing it and I accomplished what I set out to do. If I hadn’t applied, a potential learning experience would have lost to me. Take every opportunity afforded you–you can do it, too!

My two weeks at NASA Goddard is really the beginning of my NASA internship. From my experiences working with NASA team members, I am now in the process of developing curriculum for grades 5-8. I will continue to collaborate with Dr. Gatebe as I finish developing and field testing a three-week unit entitled, “Self-Assessing Scientific Practices in an Integrated Science Context: The Sun is the Primary Source of Energy in Earth’s Climate System.” In this unit, students will explore light, radiation, the Earth’s Energy Budget, albedo and climate while self-identifying scientific practices. The main learning objective is to explore the Sun’s critical role in global climate while practicing thoughtful scientific skills.

During my internship I came to know about the upcoming GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign (2011-2013) that will increase climate change understanding among students, and how a number of NASA scientists, including my host, have been helping in the planning process. My work is relevant to this program, and upon my return to my home institution, I plan to find out more about opportunities for participation. Also, I think it would be a good thing for science teachers (including GLOBE teachers) to seek similar internship opportunities with large science organizations such as NASA, to update their scientific research experience from time to time.

As a final thought, I leave NASA Goddard awed by our Earth. While I have never seen it from space, though it was described to me by the Atlantis STS-132 crew during their visit to Goddard on 29 July, 2010, I have spent time looking at it through the eyes of scientists who study pieces of it in the attempt to understand it better as a whole. Our home, Earth, is an amazing, incredible place. There is a beautiful, mysterious dance occurring as we speak between all of Earth’s systems. We are all a part of these complex, interconnected systems. So, in closing, I would ask you to consider these questions: what is your unique part in Earth’s systems, what is your unique impact, and what is your responsibility to the systems that afford you your life?

Posted in General Science | Leave a comment

Summer of Innovation with Teachers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Posted on 06/25/2010 by janeth

By Dr. Charles Kironji Gatebe, NASA Scientist for GLOBE Student Research Campaign on Climate

This summer, NASA launched a new initiative in support of the president’s Educate to Innovate campaign for excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, where thousands of school teachers and students will engage in stimulating math and science-based education programs at NASA centers. We accepted three teacher interns for summer placement in our Lab at NASA Goddard: one from the Endeavor program and the other two from the Science Teachers and Researchers (STAR).

L-R: James Ruff & Robyn Williams in front of a spherical integrating sphere, which is used for calibrating radiometers at NASA GSFC. James and Robyn participated in the calibration of NASA Cloud Absorption Radiometer, which flies on NASA P-3B (http://car.gsfc.nasa.gov). (Picture by CK Gatebe

Our goal is to engage the teachers in a way that reinforces teaching and learning in STEM content areas, and especially in the use of discoveries that NASA makes on a daily basis to inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers, and astronauts. After the completion of the program, the Endeavor Fellow will be awarded three graduate credits and the NASA Endeavor Certificate in STEM Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and which can count towards state certification requirements. The STAR Fellows are expected to prepare and present a research poster describing summer research at the end of the program and to participate in teacher-scientist community building activities (in person and online) during and after program participation.

We are excited to introduce the 2010 STAR Fellows (James Ruff and Robyn Williams), who have already begun their internship (June-August) at our lab. James aspires to be a physics educator for high school students, while Robyn aspires to be a biology educator for high school students.

The Endeavor Fellow (Kim Abegglen) will report in mid-July for a period of two weeks, but will continue working with us remotely during the school year.

Towards the end of their summer research, the fellows will share with you their excitement, experiences and lessons learned from the frontlines and trenches of science. All the interns are interested in participating in the upcoming GLOBE Student Research Campaign on Climate (2011-2013).

James Ruff

I am a teacher from Baltimore, Maryland. I received my Bachelor of Science in physics from Loyola College in Maryland. Following graduation, I worked for a couple of years at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in reliability engineering on a radar jamming pod placed under the F-16 fighter jet. As the Berlin Wall fell, so did the defense budget and I went off on my own an opened a small deli in Richmond, VA. I ran the business for ten years then decided to follow my heart and start teaching physics. I started during the 2005-6 academic year with Baltimore City in physics and found myself slowly being moved to teach ninth grade Earth Science and technology classes. While in Baltimore City, I participated in the Integrating Teacher Quality – Through Opportunities in Physics and Physical Science program at Frostburg State University, the Smithsonian Science Educator Academy in Washington, D.C., and the TI NSpire workshop in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2009, I left the Baltimore City School System to finish the Master of the Arts in Teaching program full time at Towson University. Here I received the coveted Robert Noyce Scholarship for STEM teachers and additionally was accepted as a Science Teacher and Researcher intern at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I graduated May 2010 specializing in secondary science education and am a member of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, I am proud to work with Dr. Charles Gatebe in the Climate and Radiation Branch and learn about the GLOBE program.

L-R: James Ruff & Robyn Williams observing a light spectrum through a monochromator at different wavelengths. The experiment was conducted in a calibration laboratory at NASA GSFC. James and Robyn observed different rainbow colors and used an instrument to observe the invisible light – ultraviolet and infrared colors. (Picture by CK Gatebe).

I am excited to be working at NASA this summer. People from all over the world come here to consult with the professionals. It is a place where people are coming up with answers to questions that I had never thought of. To witness the thinking and planning; the trial and error; the execution and follow through is exhilarating. Every little detail is analyzed and models perfected. The results are truly astonishing. By sharing what I learn while I am here at Goddard Space Flight Center, I expect to be able to go back to the classroom and inspire a new generation of scientists. I am looking for general characteristic of scientists that I can develop in my students. Besides having a scientific way of looking at the world, I see this lot as very meticulous, sharing, positive, and generous, but mainly inquisitive. I anticipate arousing the inquisitive nature of my students with the stories of my time at NASA.

Robyn Williams

I am a Science Teachers and Researchers (STAR) Intern at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. During this internship, I will be working with scientists to create an activity for the GLOBE program.

I began my higher level schooling at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where I decided to major in Biological Sciences. Towards the end of my sophomore year, I decided to apply for a new scholarship that was going to be offered at UMBC, the Robert Noyce Scholarship. This scholarship is for students who hope to become future science teachers. Through this scholarship program, I was given the opportunity to take free education classes where I would be able to teach science to high school students before officially accepting the award.

During that summer, I taught physics and biology to the students in the Upward Bound program. During the first part of the summer, I was given the opportunity to use various physics simulations and molecular programs to teach heat transfer. The students were also engaged in an experiment that would require them to keep a hot dog hot and a juice box cold while both were in the same container. The students learned about what materials would be better insulators and what materials would be better conductors.

After the physics unit, we, teachers, were paired with an Alice Ferguson Foundation program, “Bridging the Watershed”, to teach students about chemistry and biology and for them to complete experiments outside in the field. During this program, we had to design 5 lesson plans, based on the 5E model, which would be taught to the students, one of which would have the students taking a field trip to a state park to do their experiment. Because I was teaching about invasive plant species, I had to teach the students how to properly identify the plants and how to pick a section in the park to study. After the summer of my sophomore year, I decided to accept the scholarship award and begin my journey to become a biology teacher.

As a STAR intern at NASA, I hope to learn about the different educational resources that they offer to students and teachers. I hope to observe how scientists are able to communicate their findings among themselves and the public. I also look forward to gain first hand research experience and to help bridge the gap between teachers and scientists. At the end of this program I hope to have created an activity that would link the GLOBE protocols to global climate awareness in order to increase climate change understanding among students.

Posted in General Science | Leave a comment

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill as seen from Satellite

Posted on 05/07/2010 by janeth

By Dr. Charles Ichoku, NASA Scientist for GLOBE Student Research Campaign on Climate

The recent oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is an example of a large environmental event that can have multiple ramifications. The oil slick resulted from an explosion that occurred on April 20, 2010, on the Deepwater Horizon rig, causing it to sink to the ocean floor and breaking a pipe, from which millions of gallons of oil have leaked.

This true color satellite image obtained from the NASA Earth Observatory website was acquired on April 29, 2010 by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the NASA Terra satellite flying around the earth at a 705 km high orbit. The greenish and brownish land surfaces in the upper half of the image are contrasted with the darker ocean waters in the lower half. The whitish features of different shapes and sizes that look like paint over the land and ocean surfaces are clouds. The oil slick is shown enclosed in a rectangular white box near the center of this image. The scale at the lower right part of the image allows us to visualize how extensive the oil slick was on April 29; well over 100 km in diameter.

In fact, calculations of the approximate amount, area coverage, and thickness of the slick have been provided at the NASA Space Math website, click on Problem 339), which shows many excellent examples of useful mathematical applications in earth and space sciences for students. About 10 days after the incident, it was estimated that about 2 million gallons of oil had already leaked, and covered an area of over 6,000 km2 of the ocean surface.

Since the oil spill occurred, different emergency response teams and other agencies have made intensive efforts to try to contain the oil leak as it has spread across both the surface and floor of the ocean. Such efforts are geared toward stopping the leak and limiting the spread of the oil. As we can imagine, if such measures are not taken urgently, the oil could have many unpleasant consequences for the affected ocean and land ecosystems (the physical and biological components of these environments) including the plants and animals that inhabit them, and the humans who depend on ocean and coastal ecosystems for food and water.

How do satellite sensors acquire information from space?

One may wonder, how it is possible for a satellite sensor to see the oil slick from as far away as 705 km above the earth’s surface, even though it may not be easy to see it with the human eyes from a few kilometers away. You may also wonder why the oil slick appears light colored on this image even though oil slicks are typically very dark in color. This demonstrates the power of ‘remote sensing’, which is the science of making measurements from far away, without physical contact with the object being measured. Satellite remote sensing is one of the most powerful and efficient ways of monitoring Earth in modern times and documenting different events. This is achieved by making instruments or sensors that measure the intensities of different types of electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, as well as other types of radiation that are invisible to the human eye, such as X-rays, ultraviolet (UV), and infrared (IR). These different electromagnetic waves travel with different wavelengths (which is the distance between the midlines of two consecutive crests or troughs of the wave). Detailed discussion of the electromagnetic radiation is beyond the scope of this blog. However, although the radiation measured in remote sensing can be from different sources, in the case of the above image, it is the reflection of sunlight from the various features and objects on the earth and ocean surfaces, as well as the molecules and particles in the atmosphere, such as air, aerosols (described in my previous blog), and clouds. The intensities of sunlight reflected at different wavelengths are measured by the satellite sensors, and transmitted to ground receiving stations, where they are recorded and forwarded to processing centers. By combining the measurements at different wavelengths on the computer according to logical scientific principles, a variety of images of the scene can be created. Depending on how the data are processed, different objects on the scene can be made to appear more prominently than some others. This is made possible because the surfaces and objects in the scene reflect and/or absorb the Sun’s radiation differently at different wavelengths. A more detailed discussion of how remote sensing works will be presented in a future blog.

Even with the capability to display satellite data as images, in such a way that certain objects and surfaces could appear more prominently, absolute confirmation of what an object really is can be achieved by matching the characteristics of these objects on the image with related observations made at close range on the ground. Such close range observations that are known with absolute certainty are referred to as “ground truth”. Whereas ground truth can only be obtained over limited areas, when combined with satellite observations, very large areas can be monitored considerably well. For instance, in the case of the satellite image shown above, it has been possible to visualize, practically in an instant, an area of ocean surface over 6,000 km2 covered by the oil slick, by linking the testimony of human observers, who have seen the oil in a small area on the ocean surface, to the satellite image. Without the knowledge from the ground that this is surely an oil slick, just by seeing it on the satellite image alone, it might have been mistaken for something else, such as ocean sediments or even clouds. On the other hand, without this satellite observation capability, such a large area over the ocean could have taken months to measure, even by the most advanced ship-based mapping technique. Now that the oil slick has been recognized and detected, it can be mapped accurately and its spread monitored from several satellites that pass over the area daily, until the slick breaks up so much so that it is no longer visible from satellite. For example, the image below was acquired on May 4, 2010 (one week after the previous image) by another MODIS sensor aboard a different NASA satellite called Aqua, and obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response website. This time, the image is displayed on an online mapping system called GoogleEarth, so that the oil slick’s location could be seen relative to accurate map features, such as the land/sea boundaries in yellow, and the position of the city of New Orleans. The oil slick is shown enclosed in a white box. I leave you to compare the position, shape, and size of the oil slick on the two images in this blog acquired one week apart. Bearing in mind that the oil is gradually breaking up and spreading: What are your observations or conclusions?

An important lesson to learn from this blog is that many environmental events and situations that can affect our lives and even our climate can be monitored from satellite, but observations and measurements on the ground are equally important for accurate identification of such events and situations. Students everywhere can help in acquiring the ground-truth information that can contribute toward solving important problems related to our environment and climate by active participation in various programs coordinated by GLOBE, which has very close relationships with agencies responsible for environmental and climate monitoring from satellites.

Posted in Earth System Science, General Science, Scientists | Leave a comment

Volcanic Eruptions and Cooling of the Planet

Posted on 04/19/2010 by janeth

By Dr. Charles Kironji Gatebe, NASA Scientist for GLOBE Student Research Campaign on Climate

The recent volcanic eruption in Iceland marked by the spectacular “curtain-of-fire” and near-complete shut-down of air travel in Europe in mid-April will probably earn a place in the history books (see pictures of the Icelandic volcano at the Washington Post.)

The Icelandic Volcano. Credit: Washington Post

The thick ash plume and steam can be seen on NASA satellite images over the North Atlantic region. Besides the widespread air travel disruptions that this event has caused throughout Europe, the gases and ash aerosol particles thrown into the atmosphere during the eruptions can warm or cool the earth’s surface, depending on the surface type and properties, and affect weather and climate. The potential long-term impacts of these volcanic emissions on climate may be understood by looking at some of the famous volcanic eruptions of consequence to climate.

Two of the most commonly cited volcanic eruptions in the climate literature are Krakatua (1883; Indonesia) and Mt. Pinatubo (1991; Philippines). The most massive explosions of Krakatua took place in August, 1883, and rank among the most violent volcanic events in recorded history. In the year following the eruption, average global temperatures reportedly fell by as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F). Weather patterns continued to be chaotic for years, and temperatures did not return to normal until 1888. The eruption injected an unusually large amount of sulfur dioxide gas high into the stratosphere, which was subsequently transported by high-level winds all over the planet. This led to a global increase in sulfurous acid concentration in high-level cirrus clouds and the clouds became brighter. The increase in cloud reflectivity (or albedo) meant that more incoming light from the sun than usual was reflected back to space, and as a result, the entire planet became cooler, until the suspended sulfur fell to the ground as acid precipitation.

In June 1991, the best-documented explosive volcanic event to date and the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century took place on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers northwest of the capital city Manila. Up to 800 people were killed and 100,000 became homeless following the Mount Pinatubo eruption, which climaxed with nine hours of eruption on June 15, 1991. On June 15, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the temperature worldwide over the next few years.

Pinatubo eruption provided scientists with a basis for constructing or modeling the change in Earth’s radiation balance (scientists like to call this change “radiative forcing”) due to explosive volcanoes. It is now well established that volcanic eruptions cause the stratosphere to warm and the annual mean surface and tropospheric temperature decreases during a period of two to three years following a major volcanic eruption. If you are interested in more technical details on how volcanoes affect climate, you can read a very good paper written by Alan Robock. Given that the Icelandic eruption is along a Mid-Ocean ridge and volcanic Hot spot, do you think the gases and aerosols will be of different composition than the Krakatoa and Pinatubo eruptions, which are associated with plate subduction along convergent plate boundaries? If there is a difference, what effect might that have on weather and climate over the next few years?

So the disruption of the air travel by the Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic eruptions is just the beginning; other weather and climatic effects will follow.  In the days and months ahead, we are likely to experience darkened sky and spectacular sunsets in different parts of the world.

Posted in Air Temperature, Atmosphere, Carbon, Climate Change, Earth as a System, General Science, Scientists | Leave a comment

If you knew the future depended on it, would you turn off the lights you aren’t using?

Posted on 04/15/2010 by janeth

By Dr. Lin Chambers, NASA Scientist for GLOBE

A few weeks ago I spent an evening visiting relatives (they shall remain unidentified to protect the guilty).  When I arrived at the house, there were several lights on.  I rang the doorbell.  I knocked.  The dog barked, but no one answered.  The door was not locked, so I went into the house and said hello to the dog.  The house has a main floor, an upper floor, and a basement.  There were lights on at all three levels.  I called out – no one answered on the main level.  I went to the stairs and called up – no one answered.  I went to the basement stairs and called down – still no answer, but now I could hear voices.  I walked downstairs and found the television on, but still no people.  Hmmmm….

I headed back to the main level.  At that point, the parents of the family came home and I learned that their boys had been home most recently, and had left all these lights and things on.   Hmmm….

There has been much discussion about how sure we are about the prospects for climate change and resulting bad effects, and whether therefore we need to begin to take action now.  While we do not yet know the exact timing, size, and details of these bad impacts, this experience with the “house of lights” made me wonder:  How sure would someone have to be about climate change impacts to take such simple actions as turning off the light or the television when they are not even in the room (or the house!)?

An interesting – and entertaining – discussion on the related question of risk assessment can be found on YouTube.

Teddy Roosevelt, US President from 1901-1909 said:  “[Future generations] will reproach us, not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted…”

In this case, it was the other way around:  I found myself reproaching the younger generation for the waste in the “house of lights”.  Because really, one of the best and easiest ways to address the risks of climate change is to stop wasting energy and it is also a win-win-win-win scenario:
Win 1:  It reduces power bills (saves money)
Win 2:  It reduces the demand for energy and thus the need to construct more power plants
Win 3:  It reduces the pollution created as a by product of electricity generation
Win 4:  It reduces the emission of greenhouse gases that trap additional heat in our atmosphere.

Some might make the argument that turning lights off has other negative consequences, but the TV show Myth Busters demonstrated very scientifically that this is not the case.

Others might argue that one person turning out a light can’t possibly make a difference, but here is a nice activity that presents some back of the envelope calculations on how the impact can be multiplied if every “one” person takes that same action. It adds up!

So how about it?  Are you sure enough about the possible risks to turn off lights you aren’t using?  Given the win-win-win-win of the situation, I know I am!

Posted in Carbon, Climate Change, General Science | Leave a comment