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LEARN: Long-term Engagement in Authentic Research with NASA

The LEARN project provides the opportunity for up to 2 students, either science education majors or science majors with an interest in STEM education, to participate in atmospheric science research associated with NASA missions and projects, with consideration of how to incorporate it into a K-12 classroom.  Each participant will complete training for GLOBE certification and then select a NASA mission/project: CAPABLE, CALIPSO, DISCOVER-AQ, etc., and develop a topic of study. For example, the ground-based CAPABLE site measures air pollutants, so a potential topic could examine ozone pollution as a function of wind direction. This would involve hands-on work with an anemometer, various ozone instruments, and launching ozone sondes, as well as data analysis. Another option would be to develop a protocol using ImageJ to analytically assess the amount of stippling on leaves due to ozone-induced foliar injury. There is also an opportunity to develop apps for real-time data access during a NASA airborne campaign. During the project each participant will be paired with a NASA scientist mentor in addition to in-service teachers. The educational component of the LEARN project will be guided by the Backwards-Faded Scaffolding method. For interested participants this research opportunity can extend into the Fall semester with the potential for presenting at an international science or education conference. For more information about GLOBE and the NASA missions, see http://globe.gov/;  http://capable.larc.nasa.gov; http://www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov/; and http://discover-aq.larc.nasa.gov/.  Interested participants should contact Dr Margaret Pippin at m.pippin@nasa.gov in addition to submitting an application.