The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (operated for NASA by the California Institute of Technology) in Pasadena, California will continue to provide management for the TIE program. JPL will also provide technical assistance, including communications support, and will be the catalyst for the development of curriculum modules in the fields of astronomy and physics which utilize the TIE system. (Click here to visit the TIE User's Guide and Workbook and Build a Dobsonian Telescope educational publications.) TIE will continue to offer a training program for teachers on site at the Mount Wilson Observatory, and at other locations to be announced. Training workshops include basic operation of the 24" automated telescope from a classroom, image processing techniques, discussion of potential projects, and how to schedule productive observing runs. (Click here to obtain Contact Information and learn more about computer System Requirements for using the Mount Wilson telescope.)

In the future, the Telescopes In Education program will restore and automate telescopes and other astronomical instruments located at observatories and institutions around the world. TIE will become a distributed network of telescopes accessed by students and educators via phone and the Internet. A network of robotic telescopes has several advantages. Weather is less likely to cancel or delay an observing session if automated telescopes are available in widely different geographical locations. More telescopes that more users can be served with fewer delays and on preferred school schedules. Remote controlled telescopes located below the equator and in the eastern hemisphere have special benefits (click here to visit Why automate telescopes in other countries?).

Based on the lessons learned from automating the prototype 24" reflecting telescope on Mount Wilson, TIE has gained the expertise to restore and upgrade professional telescopes which have fallen into disuse or are underutilized at their current sites. Through grants and donations of equipment, TIE will automate research telescopes which will then be added to its network. In exchange for refurbishment and automation, the university or institution which owns the telescope will agree to donate half of its available observing time to students, educators, and schools (free of charge).  

 

PROJECT SCHOLAR STUDENTS CONDUCTING
HANDS-ON LEARNING IN ASTRONOMY RESEARCH

 

Project SCHOLAR provides an opportunity for students around the world to work together conducting observations and research for the professional astronomical community through use of the Telescopes In Education (TIE) program. Project SCHOLAR is designed to actively involve students from around the world in astronomical research on a collaborative level. The Telescopes In Education (TIE) program allows students to directly control a research quality telescope and charge-coupled device (CCD) camera via a modem and phone line, or through the Internet. Students utilizing the hands-on research experience will apply skills in science, mathematics, reading, writing, and computers appropriate to their grade level, to obtain data that will be useful to astrophysicists and astronomers around the world. Students working on international research teams will develop interpersonal skills that will benefit all concerned when they reach adulthood and find that they must cooperate and/or compete with other cultures.

Students in the USA will join with students from other countries to form a research team that will participate in a directed research effort. The team will coordinate work through e-mail, Internet video, and audio links. They will be assisted by astronomers that have specific knowledge of the research needs in the area the students will be studying. The sponsoring astronomer will act as a mentor to the students, and provide them with requirements and guidelines for the collection of data (for example, suggesting the use of specific filters and exposure times for each observation session on the remotely operated telescope) . The mentor will also guide the research team through the process of publishing their research results in a scientific journal.

Science derived from the SCHOLAR research projects will provide data sorely needed by the professional astronomical community which is plagued by a future of diminishing research dollars and limited resources. The students will directly apply theories learned in the classroom to real, interactive research. They will personally experience the procedures involved in an authentic research project and thereby gain a far better understanding of science and engineering. It is hoped that the SCHOLAR project will provide students with a valuable and unique perspective as they become adults and embark on careers as business persons, lawyers, judges, politicians, and others who will lead society through the 21st century on a solid foundation of knowledge, new technology, and the cultural diversity of the new world economy.