Image processing software and real science data on the Web can help integrate mathematics and astronomy.

L&L Articles

	The Data They Are A-Changin’ Using Real-Time Earth and Space Science Data in the Classroom by Tim Slater
Changes are integral processes of science and can be measured to produce information for a wide variety of investigations. This science article shows how students in Grades 5 through 12 can use the World Wide Web to gather real data and analyze it to understand and describe the changes that are of interest to earth and space scientists. Order this PDF.
	Teaching Astronomy By Internet Jigsawing by Brian Beaudrie, Tim Slater, Stephanie Stevenson, and David Caditz
In this article, Brian and his coauthors describe how a joint project with NASA has led to the development of a method of doing online projects that really involves students in science. Order this PDF.
	Hunting for Asteroids, Comets, and Novas by Dennis Erickson
Have you ever thought that you might empower your students with the tools and techniques that could make them famous (à la Deep Impact)—and maybe even save humans from extinction? It’s not as farfetched as it sounds. In this month’s science article, Dennis Erickson shows how helping science students develop their astronomy skills could just lead them to discover the wonders of the night sky. Order this PDF.

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Web Sites
Note. These Web sites were valid when this issue of L&L went to press. We have no control over these sites, though, and the Web is very volatile. Please let us know if you find a broken link, and we’ll do our best to update it.

Image Resources

NASA satellites: www.stsci.edu

Planetary probes: http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mpf/rover.html

Views of the Solar System: http://spaceart.com/solar

NASA Planetary Photo Journal: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov

NASA Planetary Data System: http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets

Observatorium: http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov

Hubble Space Telescope: http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/SolarSystemT.html

Windows to the Universe: www.windows.umich.edu

Free Image Processing Software

NIH Image for MAC: http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nih-image/Default.html

Scion’s ImagePC: www.scioncorp.com

UTHSCSA Image Tool for Windows: http://macorb.uthscsa.edu/dig/itdesc.html

Activities

20 K–12 space science activities from the NASA CERES Project: http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/EdActivities.html

An Example Activity: Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps: http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/polar1.htm

The Network Montana Project’s science activities: www.math.montana.edu/~nmp

An Example Activity: Measuring Volcanoes: www.math.montana.edu/~nmp/materials/ess/geosphere/expert/activities/volcanoes/index.html

Further Image Processing Information

Center for Image Processing in Education: http://www.evisual.org/

Acknowledgements

The work reported in “Far Out Measurements” by Tim Slater and Brian Beaudrie (L&L vol. 27 no. 5) was generously supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA #NAG5-4576), Montana State University Burns Telecommunication Center, Departments of Physics and Mathematics, and various school districts around the country. The Project Investigators from Montana State University were George Tuthill, Kim Obbink, Dave Thomas, and Tim Slater. Project lead scientists were David Caditz, Montana State University and Elizabeth Roettger, De Paul University. Teacher-participants and fieldtesting were coordinated by Education Director, Stephanie Stevenson, Montana State University; Timothy Slater; and George Tuthill.

Teacher Writing Team Members are as follows. The Grades K–4 team: Pam Davis, Flathead, Montana; Anna Flynn, Helena, Montana; Elissa Gerzog, Miami, Florida; Kelly Pounds, Wintergarden, Florida; and Randy Sachter, Nederland, Colorado. The Grades 5–8 team: Timothy Buchanan, Belgrade, Montana; Leni Donlan, San Francisco, California; Donna Governor, Pensacola, Florida; Jamie Vowell, Bozeman, Montana; and David Spencer, Hardin, Montana. The Grades 9–12 team: Laura DeMarotta, Maynardville, Tennessee; Keith Goering, Chanute, Kansas; Bob Hillenbrand, Moffett Field, California; Robert Smith, Jacksonville, Florida; and Ray Taggart, Sanford, Florida. NASA liaisons were Malcolm Phelps, NASA HQ; Stephanie Stockman, NASA GSFC; and Cherilynn Morrow, Space Science Institute. Montana State University project staff included Brian Beaudrie, Jodi Bechtle, Kirby Cobb, Robert (J. D.) Fixen, Jen Greenfield, Kelle Hill, Kipp Lewis, Ivy Merriot, Christian Stryker, and Jenny Wickum. Materials can be found online at http://btc.montana.edu/ceres.

	Dr. Tim Slater (tslater@physics.montana.edu ) is the lead project science director for the Montana State University-Bozeman NASA Center for Educational Resources (CERES) Project and a research assistant professor of physics. He can be reached at 406.994.3560; fax 406.994.4452; NASA CERES Project, PO Box 170560, Bozeman, MT 59717-0560.
	Brian Beaudrie (brian.beaudrie@nau.edu) is currently an assistant professor of mathematics at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff). Previously, he was the senior graduate research assistant for the NASA CERES Project at Montana State University-Bozeman. Contact him at the Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics, NAU, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5717.

Copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.