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From: "Dr. Nahid Khazenie" <nkhazeni@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Earth Science Education Program Update, July 1998
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NASA Earth Science Enterprise
Education Program Update
July 1998
This report is broadcast as a communication tool, bridging NASA
Headquarters (HQ), NASA Research Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) and other NASA-supported institutions involved in NASA Earth Science
Enterprise (ESE)-related research and education activities. Please feel
free to share this Update with other interested individuals who might
benefit from this information. For those who are interested in subscribing,
please send E-mail to mtpe_ed_newsletter@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov or see
section titled "How To Subscribe to Update" for further information. Back
issues of this report are
available on the web at: <http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/edreports.html>.
Managing Editor: Nahid Khazenie, Education Manager, Earth Science Program
Office, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC); nkhazeni@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov
Editor and Writer: Theresa Schwerin, Associate Director, Education,
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES);
theresa_schwerin@strategies.org
Contributors: Information was provided for this month's Update from
Elizabeth Ambos, California State University at Long Beach; Sue Digby, JPL;
Colin Enger, Boeing Information Services; Steve Gilligan, GSFC; Lyn Harris,
University of Nebraska - Lincoln; Mitchell Hobish, Consultant; Frank
Ireton, American Geophysical Union; John D. Moore, West Chester University;
Sharon Okonek, JPL; Annie Richardson, JPL; Martin Ruzek, Universities Space
Research Association; Frederick Stoss, SUNY Buffalo; Meg Warren, Earthwatch
Institute
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE IS AUGUST 17, 1998
THIS MONTH'S REPORT INCLUDES:
UPDATE FROM NASA
--1998 NASA ESE Education Products Workshop
--Earth System Science Course Scheduled for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers
--ESSE Annual Meeting
--For Kids Only
--GSFC Earth System Science Project (GESSEP)
--Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Education Activities
--Space Place Activities
--Earth Science Bee
--TRIANA AO Released
BEYOND NASA -- CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS/COURSES
--Coalition For Earth Science Education
--First Announcement - 1998 Fall AGU Special Session
FUNDING/RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
--NRA for Remote Sensing Applications Research in Agriculture, Forestry,
and Range Resources Management (SOL NRA-98-OES-09)
--Student Challenge Awards Program Grants
EDUCATION PRODUCTS
--Visit To an Ocean Planet
--Perspectives on an Ocean Planet
--El Nino Information and Products
--TOPEX POSEIDON Teacher Packages
RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET
--Biology - Careers And Jobs
--The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network
--SRTM Web Site Home Page
NASA EARTH SCIENCE NEWS
--NASA Satellite Sheds New Light on the La Nina Phenomenon
CALENDAR
HOW TO SUBMIT ARTICLES TO UPDATE
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO UPDATE
UPDATE FROM NASA
1998 NASA ESE EDUCATION PRODUCTS WORKSHOP
The 1998 NASA ESE Education Products Workshop will be held December 10-12
at Goddard Space Flight Center. Workshop participants will include
representatives from NASA's Aerospace Education Services Program (AESP),
Educator Resources Center Network (ERCN), and Teaching from Space Program,
who are nominated and selected by NASA education managers. The workshop
will focus on providing training in the Earth system science and global
environmental change topics and ESE education products. Participants
commit to conducting three teacher workshops in their region during the
year following the workshop. This annual workshop is organized by the
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) under a grant from
NASA Earth Sciences Program. For more information contact:
Nahid Khazenie, Education Manager, Earth Science Systems Office, Goddard
Space Flight Center (GSFC); <nkhazeni@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov>
or
Theresa Schwerin, Associate Director, Education, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES); <theresa_schwerin@strategies.org>.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE COURSE SCHEDULED FOR PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS
This Fall a course aimed at presenting and modeling science educational
pedagogies, while developing content strength, is scheduled at West Chester
University, West Chester, PA. The course is designed around a series of
seminar type classes that will introduce participants to: current NASA
initiatives, materials and educational CD-ROMs, engage students in
satellite interpretation using the t-ris AVHRR ground station, explore the
world of image processing, introduce current web-based instructional
programs, expose students to the American Meteorological Society's
atmospheric and physical oceanography educational modules, provide hands-on
computer applications in GIS, and examine the American Geological
Institute's national Earth Science Initiative, Earth Systems Science in the
Community, "EarthComm." A trip to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is
planned where teachers will visit the Educator Resource Center, and meet
with NASA scientists. One credit hour is offered free to participants or
continuing education units from West Chester University. The instructors
for the course are Dr. Richard Busch, West Chester University, and John
Moore, Burlington County Institute of Technology, Medford, NJ.
Participants will leave with classroom materials and strategies that can be
implemented in the classroom immediately. The course will be offered in the
evenings to allow maximum participation. If you have materials or products
that are targeted for the K-12 educational community, and would like to
share them with this audience, please contact the instructors immediately
<rbusch@wcupa.edu or moore_johnd@msn.com>. For further information about
the course, registration, or West Chester University, please contact Nancy
McIntyre, Director, Educational Center for Earth Observation Systems, West
Chester University by calling (610) 436-2393 or email nmcintyre@wcupa.edu.
Funds for this course are provided by a grant from NASA's ESE.
ESSE ANNUAL MEETING
A meeting of the Cooperative University-based Program for Earth System
Science Education (ESSE) was held at the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, June 29 - July 1. The meeting agenda focused on evaluation and
assessment as applied to Earth system science education, using the
University of Michigan experience as a model example - see
<http://www.sprl.umich.edu/GCL/>. Participants were given the opportunity
to share their progress in Earth System Science course and learning module
development at their home institutions. Working groups met to discuss the
issues of ESS content, pedagogy, assessment and dissemination and to
recommend action and opportunities for further collaboration and
partnerships. Meeting materials and presenter URLs are located at
<http://www.usra.edu/esse/summer98/>
Also in attendance at the meeting were Inter-American Institute for Global
Change Research (IAI) education partners representing Brazil, Canada,
Mexico, and Uruguay. The ESSE program is working with IAI members to
develop a systemic Earth system science and global change education
initiative as part of the IAI Collaborative Research Network (CRN) across
the Americas. ESSE and IAI partners met on July 2 to discuss plans for the
CRN education initiative. See <http://www.usra.edu/iai/iai.html>. The first
formal activity of the ESSE/IAI collaboration is a series of Earth system
science and global change education workshops being held in Mexico and
Brazil in September 1998 and April 1999 respectively. See
<http://w6.alimar.com/iai/workshop98/> for more information. With NASA
support ESSE has sponsored 44 colleges and universities since 1991 in the
grass roots development of undergraduate courses and learning materials
relevant to Earth system science. For more information see
<http://www.usra.edu/esse> or contact the ESSE Program Director Donald
Johnson <donj@ssec.wisc.edu>, Deputy Director Mike Kalb
<mkalb@gvsp.usra.edu> or Resource Specialist Martin Ruzek <ruzek@usra.edu>.
FOR KIDS ONLY
The NASA ESE WWW site has a new section, the "For Kids Only" site
<http://kids.mtpe.hq.nasa.gov>, which includes educational modules for
elementary and secondary school students. Current modules are "El Nino:
Making Sense of Weather"; "Careers in Earth Science"; and "Tropical
Twisters." The site producers have developed two new modules on Air
Pressure and Pangaea, for which they seek comments before putting them
on-line. Preview versions are available at:
--http://www.it.hq.nasa.gov/~jchi/air_pressure
--http://www.it.hq.nasa.gov/~jchi/pangaea
Please e-mail any comments on these resources to: Colin Enger,
<cenger@hq.nasa.gov>.
GSFC EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE PROJECT (GESSEP)
Twenty Maryland teacher "Ambassadors" participated in the 1998 GESSEP at
Goddard Space Flight Center from July 5 through July 31, 1998. The
Ambassadors worked in pairs directly with NASA project and mission
scientists, from the following NASA projects:
--Sun Earth Connections Forum; --Project ACE (Advanced Composition
Explorer) and related Sun topics; --Remote sensing related to the cratering
expedition to Bolivia this October;
--Sim Sat and MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter); --Project NEAR (Near
Earth Asteroid Rendezvous); --analyzing resources for the Education Mall;
and
--GVAR (GOES Variable) project utilizing real time Goes images.
These teams have developed briefs to explain the science behind the
projects in a meaningful way to secondary school students. The Ambassadors
have also developed Internet interactive investigations utilizing the data
available from the mission with which they have worked. Each brief and
investigation has been reviewed by a mission scientist and has been
approved for uploading to the GESSEP pilot site
<http://hpcc-k12.gsfc.nasa.gov/gessep/>. Piloting of all products will be
carried out during the coming school year.
A workshop, supported by Ambassador Project Grants, will be held August 4-5
at Easton High School, and will be open to all Earth Science Teachers in
the nine Eastern Shore counties of Maryland. The workshop will be related
to the identification of support structures needed by schools and districts
to implement the Core Learning Goals for High School Earth and Space
Sciences. GESSEP Ambassadors have participated in the workshop planning
and will serve as workshop presenters. This will be followed by two or
three in-service sessions in the individual counties.
The Western Maryland counties of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington have
also had their Ambassador grant proposal approved. The Western Counties
will provide three days of Staff development, planned and presented by
Ambassadors, for all Earth and Space Science Teachers during the first week
of August in Allegany County.
Four teams of teachers from the five Southern Maryland Counties of Prince
George, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's, and Anne Arundel have been working
during July and will continue to work into August to infuse technology into
the Earth Science Curriculum developed by Baltimore County. This project
is also supported by GESSEP grants. Three of the working meetings have
been held at Goddard in the Education Office Computer Lab. The revised
curriculum will be piloted in the five involved counties during the 1998 -
1999 school year. The piloted curriculum will be made available to all
counties in the state in June of 1999.
SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) jointly sponsored by NASA and
the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) is scheduled for launch in
September of 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. SRTM follows and
builds upon the successful Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-SAR missions of
April and October 1994. Using radar interferometry, SRTM will acquire data
to create a topographic map of 80% of Earth's land surface. This map will
be 30% better than any topographic map currently available. The
interferometry data will be acquired by using two antennas separated by a
60 meter (200 ft) mast. The mast will make the SRTM system the largest
rigid structure ever flown in space. Pre-mission, mission, and
post-mission activities will provide excellent opportunities for bringing
excitement to K-12 Earth science education.
Space Place Activities
As part of SRTM education outreach, the project recently placed online at
the Space Place web site a Relief Map Jigsaw Puzzle of the World
<http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/srtmmak1.htm>. Developed by the Space
Place designers, the activity provides instructions to students in grades
3-5 for making a clay map of the world. The map is then cut into pieces
and relief features molded onto it. After the clay pieces are baked and
painted, students use a hand lens to look at the relief features. The idea
is that just as with the hand lens you can see details not clearly visible
to the naked eye, using radar interferometry, the SRTM will be able to map
topographic features shrouded in clouds or otherwise inaccessible.
A Space Place activity developed for the LightSAR project
(http://lightsar.jpl.nasa.gov) but especially relevant to SRTM is called
"Make a Topographic Map of Your Own Mountain"
<http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/lsmake1.htm>. In this activity students
use modeling clay to make a mountain. By following the instructions
provided, the students use horizontal slices of their mountain to trace
contour lines. The end product is a map of the mountain's topography.
This activity is excellent for illustrating the principles behind the
construction of topographic maps.
Both of the activities can be used to teach students about maps and map use
and that spaceborne radars such as SRTM and LightSAR are important tools
for generating maps of the Earth. For more information on The Space Place
contact Nancy Leon, <Nancy.J.Leon@jpl.nasa.gov>.
Earth Science Bee
The JPL SRMT project is formulating questions for their first Earth Science
Bee. This quiz show-formatted activity will be modeled after the National
Imagery and Mapping Agency's Geography Bee. Middle school students will
compete by answering general questions about Earth science. Prizes for
winners have not yet been determined. The project hopes to have a pilot
competition during the 1998-99 semester. You can help by submitting
questions and correct answers in any of the Earth science disciplines. The
questions should be appropriate for middle school students and the format
can be multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank. Once JPL has compiled a list
of questions, volunteer reviewers will also be needed. To volunteer your
support or for more information contact:
Annie H. Richardson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Radar Data Center MS 300-233
Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
Phone: (818) 354-2386
Fax: (818) 393-2640
E-mail: Annie.Richardson@jpl.nasa.gov
TRIANA AO RELEASED
On July 10, NASA released the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) soliciting
Triana mission proposals, which are due August 24, 1998. Triana will use
the unique vantage point available at the Sun-Earth L1 point to
continuously observe the Earth. At this point the full, sunlit disk of the
Earth is continuously visible, revealing more of the Earth's surface than
is visible from a geostationary view. This viewpoint will provide a unique
opportunity for new ways of observing the Earth and offers the potential
for new scientific discoveries. The Triana program will take advantage of
this opportunity by funding Earth remote-sensing investigations from the
Sun-Earth L1 point.
The potential educational value of this mission is great. NASA also
envisions the potential for student involvement in all phases of the
project as an educational opportunity. Students could participate in all
aspects of the mission from design of the space segment and ground segment
to operation of the various mission elements. Such participation is
strongly encouraged in proposals. NASA will issue a separate solicitation
for educational products and services associated with the use of the images
and data resulting from Triana.
Congress is reserving the right to approve funding the mission following
NASA's competitive selection. See
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/nra/ao98oes02/index.html for the complete
Announcement.
BEYOND NASA -- CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS/COURSES
COALITION FOR EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION
Fourth Annual Meeting
October 3-6, 1998
U.S. Geological Survey Headquarters, Reston, VA
The Coalition for Earth Science Education (CESE) will hold its fourth
annual meeting on October 3-6, 1998 at the U.S. Geological Survey
Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. The emphasis of the meeting will be on
developing new or expanding existing collaborative efforts in the area of
Earth Systems Science Education. Representatives of several government
agencies, professional societies, and K-12 and post-secondary programs who
have developed successful projects will be present. CESE meetings are
always informal and often result in new collaborations, alliances, or
partnerships being formed. The meeting this year will have as it major
theme: Enhancing Networking and Cultural Diversity through Collaboration
with two sub-themes:
I. Join Existing Programs and
II. Creating New Collaborations and Opportunities
Abstracts are invited in the areas of the sub-themes only. If you are
participating in an existing program in which there are opportunities for
additional participation, or if you have created a collaborative effort and
would like to share your ideas on how to effectively establish a similar
project, we encourage you to submit an abstract. Due to time limitations
this year, the program will not include a session in which individual
organizations, societies, or agencies showcase on-going programs which do
not fit the above criteria. Limited exhibit space will be available for
those organizations who wish to showcase these types of programs.
Abstracts (250 words maximum) with speaker's name and affiliation should be
submitted by August 31, 1998 to: Dr. Frank Watt Ireton, American
Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave.; Washington, DC 20009; or
electronically: ceseabs@kosmos.agu.org
A block of rooms is being held for participants at the Dulles Days Inn. The
meeting will open on Saturday October 3 with an evening reception followed
by a choice of two field trips on Sunday, October 4. Sessions will begin on
Monday, October 5. Housing, registration, and agenda information are
available by contacting Dr. Ireton at (202) 462-6900 or e-mail:
<fireton@kosmos.agu.org>.
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT - 1998 FALL AGU SPECIAL SESSION
Innovations in Undergraduate Geoscience Education and K-12 Earth Science
Teacher Preparation
December 6 - 10, 1998
San Francisco, CA
<http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm98top.html>
Over the past several years there have been a number of initiatives aimed
at restructuring undergraduate geoscience education and K-12 Earth science
teacher preparation. These projects take a variety of approaches to
integrate advances in science education with reform efforts in
undergraduate geoscience curriculum. At the Fall American Geophysical Union
(AGU) meeting this special session will highlight some of the efforts that
are underway with an emphasis on models for success, potential roadblocks,
and lessons learned. The conveners welcome papers on a wide range of issues
pertaining to Earth science teacher preparation and undergraduate
geoscience curriculum reform. Presentations on specific courses, teaching
approaches, assessment strategies are of interest as well as descriptions
of institutional strategies that may involve partnerships among colleges
and universities, K-12 systems, government laboratories and professional
societies.
Abstracts are due August 26, 1998 for mail-in abstracts, and September 2,
1998 for electronic abstracts.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Elizabeth L. Ambos
Acting Associate Dean
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
California State University at Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840
Phone: (562)-985-4931
FAX: (562)-985-8638
E-mail: <bambos@csulb.edu>
WWW: <http://seis.natsci.csulb.edu/bambos/ambos.html>
FUNDING/RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
NRA FOR REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS RESEARCH IN AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND
RANGE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
NASA is soliciting proposals for Remote Sensing Applications Research in
Agriculture, Forestry, and Range Resources Management designed to further
the scientific understanding of the near-term applications potential of ESE
research, data, and attending technologies, e.g., Geographic Information
Systems (GISs), for solving specific problems. This NASA Research
Announcement (NRA) is the first in a planned series of cooperative research
programs aimed at extending the use of Earth science research and data
products to national, state, and local applications. This particular NRA is
dedicated to exploring the ways in which NASA's remote-sensing science and
data might be applied to agriculture, forestry, ranges, and natural
resource management. Proposals are due September 8, 1998. The full
announcement is available at:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/nra/nra98oes09/index.html
For more information, contact: Alexander J. Tuyahov Manager, Earth Science
Applications Research Program, Phone (202) 358-0250, Fax (202) 358-3098,
E-mail: atuyahov@hq.nasa.gov
or
Douglas R Kahle
Program Planning Executive, Phone (202) 358-0745, Fax (202) 358-2769,
E-mail: dkahle@hq.nasa.gov
STUDENT CHALLENGE AWARDS PROGRAM GRANTS
In the summer of 1999, Earthwatch Institute and The Durfee Foundation will
sponsor 10 - 12 research projects through the Student Challenge Awards
Program. Project support includes a grant of $6,000 to $12,000 and the
assistance of 6 to 8 high school students for a period of 2 to 3 weeks. The
students selected to participate in this program are gifted in the arts and
humanities and interested in science. The deadline for submitting 1999
project proposals is 24 August 1998. The Durfee Foundation will review these
proposals and select a set of 10 to 12 projects. Project decisions will be
finalized between late September and November 1, 1998.
Proposals are welcome for:
-- research projects that expose students to new scientific technologies
and enable nonspecialists to make a tangible contribution to science
laboratory or field researchm;
-- research in the life sciences, physical sciences, or archaeology;
-- research conducted in North America or Costa Rica;
-- research conducted by principal investigators and research institutions
committed to the scientific education and personal growth of talented
youth; and
-- projects that includes graduate student mentors and/or other staff who
can help provide 24 hour supervision for one's team.
For further information please visit the Student Challenge Awards Program
WWW site at <http://www.earthwatch.org/cfr/CFRdurfee.html>
or contact: Dee Robbins, Director of the Student Challenge Awards Program,
Earthwatch Institute, P.O. Box 9104, 680 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA
02272; Phone: (617) 926-8200, ext 109; E-mail: <drobbins@earthwatch.org>.
EDUCATION PRODUCTS
Information is provided about NASA-developed education products, as well as
resources on topics related to NASA Earth Science Program that were
developed outside of the Agency. A listing here is not intended as an
endorsement, but is provided for information purposes only.
VISIT TO AN OCEAN PLANET
"Visit to an Ocean Planet," an educational CD-ROM, is anticipated to be
available from JPL in September 1998. It contains teacher materials
including background materials and hands-on activities that demonstrate
basic concepts in oceanography, climate, and life in the oceans. The
sections are specifically designed to match education guidelines. The
CD-ROM also contains interactive educational games, a scientific cruise
planning activity, sections on El Nino and the Gulf of Mexico, and profiles
of oceanographers and their work. The wait list for this product can be
accessed from <http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/education.html>.
PERSPECTIVES ON AN OCEAN PLANET
An informational CD-ROM about the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission, altimetery, and
science applications is currently available. It can be previewed and
ordered through: <http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/edudoc.html>.
EL NINO INFORMATION AND PRODUCTS:
The TOPEX/POSEIDON web page (http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/) is a good
source of El Nino information. Among other information it contains an
animation of sea surface height data showing the '97-'98 El Nino; the data
cover December 1996 - June 1998. An El Nino slide set (10 slides) is
currently available through Finley-Holiday Film Corporation
(http://www.finley-holiday.com, 800 345-6707). It is anticipated that a
20-slide version covering the entire '97-'98 El Nino will be available in
September '98.
TOPEX/POSEIDON TEACHER PACKAGES
Posters and brochures concerning the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission and altimetery
are available for classroom use from topex@jpl.nasa.gov.
RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET
The following links are to information resources on topics related to
NASA's Earth Science Program. A listing here does not imply an endorsement,
but is provided only for information purposes.
BIOLOGY - CAREERS AND JOBS
<http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/bio/careers.html>
Librarians at the Science and Engineering Library (SEL), University of
Buffalo, have developed a comprehensive inventory of career and job-finding
resources, related to the biological sciences, and including many resources
on environment-related careers. A special Career Resources site for
advancing women's careers is noted here. This inventory has been divided
into the following sections:
--Career Planning Guides and Employment Trends
--Opportunities and Positions Available
--Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviews - Skills
THE NEBRASKA EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION NETWORK
<http://nesen.unl.edu>
The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network (NESEN) has fostered a
statewide partnership between K-12 earth science teachers and University of
Nebraska - Lincoln scientists who are committed to enhancing Earth science
education. NESEN continually sponsors creative science related activities
and teacher workshops which focus on integrating information and ideas from
students, teachers, and specialists across Nebraska. In promoting a better
understanding of Earth-science related issues, NESEN works closely with The
American Geological Institute, The National Drought Mitigation Center, and
The National Institute for Global Environmental Change. To find out more
about NESEN's outreach program, visit their web site or contact Dave
Gosselin @ 402.472.8919.
SRTM WEB SITE HOME PAGE
<http://www-radar.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm>
This site includes a mission countdown clock and displays information about
current Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) events. From the home
page, seven sections contain further information about the mission. The
Mission section gives an overview of the mission, provides a coverage map
of the area on the Earth that will be mapped by SRTM, and allows the viewer
to look at and/or download mission fact sheets. The Hardware section
provides information about the radar hardware itself. The Data & Products
section gives the viewer detailed information about the format of the data
and what products will be available. The Imagery section contains images
pertaining to SRTM. Ultimately it will contain images made from the SRTM
data. The Concepts section is to provide the viewer with information to
help them understand some of the aspects of the mission. Current topics
are interferometry, topography, synthetic aperture radar, and digital
elevation models. The Links section gives the viewer links to related
sites. The Education section is the newest to be added. JPL currently
provide links on this site to various Earth science, mapping, imaging
radar, and general math, science, and technology education sites. If you
have or know of other appropriate links, please e-mail them to
Annie Richardson <Annie.Richardson@jpl.nasa.gov>. The web site is
continuously being updated to provide current information and to increase
the understanding of this mission. For web site comments or questions
contact Sharon Okonek, at <Sharon.Okonek@jpl.nasa.gov>
NASA EARTH SCIENCE NEWS
NASA SATELLITE SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE LA NINA PHENOMENON
>From NASA News Release: 98-126
Research scientists using data from the recently launched Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, a joint U.S/Japanese mission, are
shedding new light on the phenomenon known as La Nina.
TRMM research team members have successfully retrieved sea-surface
temperature data from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) instrument onboard
the spacecraft. This temperature data is giving scientists new insight into
the complex evolution of the La Nina event -- the TMI is the only
spaceborne microwave instrument observing sea-surface temperature in the
tropics. The images show changes in sea-surface temperature, and ocean
current movement and the dissipation of El Nino. While it is too early to
draw definite conclusions, the results to date appear to confirm the onset
of La Nina type conditions.
"TMI is an all-weather measuring instrument that can see through clouds,"
said Dr. David Adamec, oceanographer at the Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. "The standard instrument (infrared radiometer), used to
measure sea-surface temperature, must contend with clouds and atmospheric
aerosols. Clouds block the flow of data, yet an uninterrupted consistent
data stream is crucial for long-term climate study."
La Nina is essentially the opposite of the El Nino phenomenon and is
characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial
Pacific, as compared to El Nino, where ocean temperatures are warmer than
normal. La Nina and El Nino often are spoken of together and termed the El
Nino/Southern Oscillations, or "ENSO." La Nina sometimes is referred to as
the cold phase of the ENSO.
At the Earth's surface, La Nina effects on the world's climate tend to be
opposite those of El Nino. At higher latitudes, El Nino and La Nina are
just two of several factors that influence climate. However, the impacts
of El Nino and La Nina at higher latitudes are most clearly seen in winter.
During a typical La Nina year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal
in the Southeast and cooler in the Northwest.
Knowledge of La Nina is not as mature as that for El Nino. For example,
every strong El Nino is not necessarily followed by a La Nina. Scientists
at Goddard are performing advanced studies of El Nino and La Nina through
information obtained from satellites in space and instruments in the oceans.
Acquiring quality sea-surface temperature data via a microwave scanner has
been a long-term aspiration among oceanographers for more than a decade,
when the last microwave imager ceased operations. In addition, none of the
previously existing microwave scanners had the capability of the TRMM
Microwave Imager. Ideally, this information will be used for the
improvement of weather forecasting, anomalous weather study, and a better
understanding of ocean current alteration.
For more information, see: <http://www.eorc.nasda.go.jp/TRMM>.
CALENDAR
22 May - 30 September 1998
THE OCEANS: A HERITAGE FOR THE FUTURE, Expo '98 in Lisbon, Portugal
For more information, see the Expo web at <http://www.usexpo98.org>.
19 July-22 - August 1998
OCEAN 590B ADVANCED TOPICS IN OCEANOGRAPHY, University of Washington's
Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, Washington State, USA.
Please visit the Optical Oceanography course web site at
<http://www.ocean.washington.edu/courses/oc590/>. To register, download the
application forms from the Friday Harbor Laboratories web site at
<http://www.fhl.washington.edu/>. For additional information about the
course, contact Dr. Mary Jane Perry, School of Oceanography, University of
Washington, Seattle WA 98195-7940 by E-mail at:
<FHLoptics@ocean.washington.edu>.
24 July - August 3 1998
DISCOVER EARTH TEACHER WORKSHOP, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Discover Earth
is a NASA-sponsored project for teachers of grades 5 - 12 that focuses on
Earth system science and key issues of global climate change. Discover
Earth is conducted by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
(IGES) in collaboration with the Earth
System Science Center (ESSC), The Pennsylvania State University; and the
Department of Meteorology, University of Maryland at College Park. The
1998 Discover Earth workshop study of the Earth system focuses on oceans,
and includes the unique opportunity to conduct ocean research aboard a
National Science Foundation vessel. Applications were due April 10 and the
1998 participants have been selected. For more information see
<http://www.strategies.org/98announce>.
24 August 1998
PROPOSALS DUE -- NASA TRIANA AO. See
<http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/nra/ao98oes02/index.html> for the
complete Announcement of Opportunity (AO).
24 August 1998
PROPOSALS DUE -- STUDENT CHALLENGE AWARDS PROGRAM GRANTS. For further
information please visit the Student Challenge Awards Program WWW site at
<http://www.earthwatch.org/cfr/CFRdurfee.html>
or contact: Dee Robbins, Director of the Student Challenge Awards Program,
Earthwatch Institute, P.O. Box 9104, 680 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA
02272; Phone: (617) 926-8200, ext 109; E-mail: <drobbins@earthwatch.org>.
31 August 1998
ABSTRACTS DUE for papers to be presented at the October 3-6, 1998,
COALITION FOR EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION, Fourth Annual Meeting. Abstracts
(250 words maximum) with speaker's name and affiliation should be submitted
to: Dr. Frank Watt Ireton, American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Ave.;
Washington, DC 20009; or electronically: ceseabs@kosmos.agu.org
4-8 September 1998
NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, 27th Annual
Conference "EE and the Urban Setting," Atlanta, GA, USA. For registration
information contact: NAAEE Conference Registration Center, P.O. Box 400,
Troy, OH 45373 USA; Phone/Fax: (937) 676-2514 or see the NAAEE WWW site
at <http://www.naaee.org/html/conf.htm>.
8 September 1998
PROPOSALS DUE -- NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT (NRA) Remote Sensing
Applications Research in Agriculture, Forestry, and Range Resources
Management.
The full announcement is available at:
<http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/nra/nra98oes09/index.html>
30 SEPTEMBER 1998
CYCLES OF CHANGE ART CONTEST -- 1998 entries should be postmarked by
September 30, for this anual contest for students in grades K-4, which is
sponsored by the Institue for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). For
an application and instructions, please see the IGES WWW site at
<http://www.strategies.org>.
October 1998
PROJECT NOVA WORKSHOP (Date tentative), Kansas State University. For more
information contact: Lourena Richardson NOVA Coordinator, The University of
Alabama, Box 870280, (Airborne/Fed Ex/UPS - 205 Hardaway Hall on 7th
Avenue), Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0280; Phone: (205) 348-3100; FAX: (205)
348-4171, WWW: <http://www.eng.ua.edu/~nova/>.
3-6 October 1998
COALITION FOR EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION, Fourth Annual Meeting, U.S.
Geological Survey Headquarters, Reston, VA. Housing, registration, and
agenda information are available by contacting Dr. Ireton at (202) 462-6900
or e-mail: <fireton@kosmos.agu.org>.
29-31 October 1998
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Northwestern Area Convention,
Seattle, Washington. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org>.
19-21 November 1998
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Southern Area Convention,
Birmingham, Alabama. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org>.
3-5 December 1998
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Southwestern Area Convention,
Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org>.
6-10 December 1998 AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION (AGU) Fall Meeting, San
Francisco, California AGU offers a wide array of meeting programs for its
membership and other interested scientists and educators. AGU's Spring and
Fall Meetings are unique in their interdisciplinary structure. Many
meetings are cosponsored by other societies that wish to offer their
members the chance to participate in programs that bring multidisciplinary
attention to understanding the processes and structure of the Earth,
planets, and space. For more information, contact: American Geophysical
Union (AGU), 2000 Florida Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20009-1277 USA;
Phone: (202) 462-6900, Toll Free: (800) 966-2481 (North America only); WWW:
http://www.agu.org
10-12 December 1998
1998 NASA ESE EDUCATION PRODUCTS WORKSHOP. Workshop participants will
include representatives from NASA's Aerospace Education Services Program
(AESP), Educator Resources Center Network (ERCN), and Teaching from Space
Program, who are nominated and selected by NASA education managers. For
more information contact:
Nahid Khazenie, Education Manager, Earth Science Systems Office, Goddard
Space Flight Center (GSFC); <nkhazeni@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov> or Theresa
Schwerin, Associate Director, Education, Institute for Global Environmental
Strategies (IGES); <theresa_schwerin@strategies.org>.
10-15 January 1999
AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY 8th Symposium on Education, Dallas,
Texas.The theme of the symposium will be "Enhancing Public Awareness of
Weather and Climate Prediction." Papers on topics relevant to K-12 and
college/university undergraduate and graduate education are invited. Papers
and posters are encouraged on outreach programs initiated by the academic
and professional atmospheric and oceanographic communities. The following
sessions are planned: 1) K-12 Educational Initiatives, 2) University
Educational Initiatives, 3) Special Session on Uses of Educational
Technology for Effective Teaching and Learning (with invited papers by
representatives of programs in the community that exemplify such concepts)
4) Joint Session with the 11th Conference on Applied Climatology; and 5)
Special Session on Space Weather. The deadline for abstracts was 1 June
1998.
For further information, please contact the program cochairpersons, David
R. Smith (papers on college/university topics or any of the special or
joint sessions), Oceanography Department, United States Naval Academy, 572
Holloway Road, Annapolis, MD 21402 USA; Fax: (410) 293-2137; E-mail:
<drsmith@nadn.navy.mil> or Pat Phoebus (papers on K-12 topics or the poster
session), Naval Research Laboratory, 7 Grace Hopper Ave., Box 2, Monterey,
CA 93943-5502 USA; Fax: (408) 656-4769; E-mail: <phoebus@nrlmry.navy.mil>.
25-28 March 1999
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, National Convention, Boston,
Massachusetts. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org>.
28 June - 2 July 1999
IGARSS '99, Hamburg, Germany. IGARSS '99 (IEEE Geoscience and Remote
Sensing Symposium) will be the ninteenth of its kind. Sessions will be
included highlighting innovative educational programs in remote sensing and
Earth system science. For more information, see IGARSS's WWW site at:
<http://www.igarss.org>.
21-23 October 1999
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Midwestern Area Convention in
Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. For more information, see
NSTA's WWW site at: <http://www.nsta.org> or contact: NSTA Conventions,
1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000 USA; Phone: (703) 312-9221;
E-mail: <conventions@nsta.org>
18-20 November 1999
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Southern Area Convention in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org> or contact: NSTA Conventions, 1840 Wilson Blvd.,
Arlington, VA 22201-3000 USA; Phone: (703) 312-9221; E-mail:
<conventions@nsta.org>
2-4 December 1999
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, Western Area Convention in Reno,
Nevada. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at: <http://www.nsta.org>
or contact: NSTA Conventions, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000
USA; Phone: (703) 312-9221; E-mail: <conventions@nsta.org>
6-9 April 2000
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, National Convention in Orlando,
Florida. For more information, see NSTA's WWW site at:
<http://www.nsta.org> or contact: NSTA Conventions, 1840 Wilson Blvd.,
Arlington, VA 22201-3000 USA; Phone: (703) 312-9221; E-mail:
<conventions@nsta.org>
HOW TO SUBMIT ARTICLES TO UPDATE
This monthly electronic newsletter is an important tool for communicating
NASA-wide NASA Earth science education activities both internally and
externally. The Earth Science Systems Office, NASA/Goddard Space Flight
Center, accepts submissions of articles for the monthly Education Program
Update. The Update will include highlights and status of educational
programs, activities, conferences, and other relevant topics.
This call is open to anyone interested in NASA Earth science educational
activities. If you have any activities, programs, conferences, or other
contextual information to contribute, please send a short write-up
(suggested length: under 250 words). Include any relevant dates and points
of contact with E-mail addresses.
THE NEXT DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING UPDATES ON NASA EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES IS AUGUST 17, 1998. SUBMIT UPDATES TO:
mtpe_ed_newsletter@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov, OR FAX TO (301) 286-1671, ATTN:
Education Update.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO UPDATE
This newsletter is not available in hard copy; it is only available through
E-mail or the web site. If you would like to receive issues of the Update,
have any questions or comments, contact the NASA Earth Science Enterprise
Education Program by Fax: (301) 286-1671, Attn.: Update, or by E-mail to:
mtpe_ed_newsletter@lists erv.gsfc.nasa.gov
Back issues of this report are available on the world wide web at:
<http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ese/edreports.html>.
NASA GSFC Earth Science Systems Office
ATTN: Education Update
Code 170
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
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