SMD E/PO :: Project :: IRIS Challenger Learning Center Module

Program Element / Activity Title:

IRIS Challenger Learning Center Module

E/PO Project Name:

IRIS

Contact Information Shown to the Public:

http://www.challenger.org/

Program Element / Activity Website:

http://iris.gsfc.nasa.gov/education_outreach.html

Short Description for Projects Page:

IRIS scientists at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory are developing a Challenger Learning Center (CLC) module parallel to the materials they created for a similar SDO program. The target audience is students in grades 5-8 who visit the Challenger Centers.

Who is the primary audience of your program element / activity?:

Who is the secondary audience of your program element / activity?:

General Public

What are the goals and objectives of your program element / activity?:

Goal: Provide young people with authentic mission-related experiences –a proven method of engaging and retaining them in science while enabling them with valuable skills and experiences. Objectives: 1) Develop modules to highlight the use of spectroscopy in the study of space weather, including information related to the Sun’s structure, nature of light, and invisible radiation (IR and UV). 2) Develop a very inexpensive UV-pass filter using vegetable food coloring to demonstrate how filtering works. 3) Assure all information is downloadable in PDF format from the IRIS website.

What is the design of the evaluation process for your program element / activity?:

This program is currently under development. Assessment will be done by a team from the McAuliffe Challenger Learning Center. Metrics will be forthcoming after the program is implemented.