Informal Education & Lifelong Learning

LIGO-G040249-00-W

"Colliding Black Holes"

Credit:National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)

Informal Education & Lifelong Learning

Fred Raab,

LIGO Hanford Observatory

Raab: Informal Education & Lifelong Learning

2LIGO-G040249-00-W

National Science Foundation: America’s investment in the future…

NSF’s charge is to build the science & technology base for the next century

LIGO is on the forefront of international science» detection of 1st traveling space warps from black holes and other

exotic objects will be a signature event in science, comparable to the invention of the telescope, the microscope, or the dawn of flight

LIGO aims to be on the forefront of education» this science is so exciting, it must be shared with the public

» start with our local communities in the Northwest and in the Gulf states, where observatories are located


3LIGO-G040249-00-W

Why are informal ed & lifelong learning important to a community?

Informal ed is learning outside traditional classrooms Most people are not in classrooms Income generation & quality of life benefits Human capital: lifelong learning will be increasingly

important; typical person entering work force today will change careers several times before retirement

We should strive to foster lifelong learning skills at a early age, and nurture them throughout the formal ed years, into adulthood and on to retirement.


4LIGO-G040249-00-W

Marketing: what does the customer need?

LIGO Hanford Observatory’s Local Educator Network

Top request: Get our youth excited enough by the science to put the GameBoy down and yearn to learn; bring Mom & Dad too!


5LIGO-G040249-00-W

Top priority activities recommended by LEN

Bring public out to “touch and see” science in the making

Help our schools with teacher training, internships and school tours

Help us integrate science research into science teaching

Help the public to value the richness of science


6LIGO-G040249-00-W

LIGO Public Outreach Last Year

LIGO Hanford Observatory had 3000 visitors in 2003, for tours, star parties, workshops

and other programs.

LIGO Livingston Observatory had comparable number of visitors, but mostly teacher

workshops and school visits.


7LIGO-G040249-00-W

LIGO Hanford Observatory Outreach Products

Public Tours Workshops Star Parties Public Lectures Exhibits International Media Relations

» US News, All Things Considered, Asahi Shimbun, BBC Radio, etc.

LIGO Video

School tours Teacher Workshops Web resources for teachers Research-based teaching for

High Schools Internships for teachers Internships for students Jobs for aspiring scientists

and engineers


8LIGO-G040249-00-W

Multiplying efforts with strong partners…

NSF is awarding $5,000,000 to establish a LIGO Science Center in Livingston, LA» Capitalizes on strong school interest in LIGO in Louisiana and

strong partner institutions

» School of education at Southern will integrate LIGO Science Center into its pre-service and in-service teacher training program

» Exploratorium -- nation’s premier designer of exhibit-based science teaching -- will supply exhibits and teacher training

» Board of Regents will ensure state-wide visitation by schools, with emphasis on teachers and schools with greatest needs


9LIGO-G040249-00-W

Could our community foster a regional science center for inland NW?

Potential partners:» WSU-TC, through MESA and Department of Teaching & Learning –

tight connections to K-12 system, students & parents

» Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science & Technology (CREHST) – regional history and K-6 science programs

» Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy (AASTA) – awesome observatory atop Rattlesnake Mountain for eventual remote control

» B-Reactor Museum Association (BRMA) – first production nuclear reactor and the people who built it


10LIGO-G040249-00-W

Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science & Technology

During the 2002-03 school year ~ 36,000 students participated in CREHST sponsored programs

During Smithsonian exhibit, March 20 – April 30, 1,500 students visited the museum in school tours

volunteers have years of Hanford technical experience one of 20 museums in the nation selected to participate in the

Franklin Institutes’ Nano Science program awarded a National Science Foundation career exploration

program in partnership with the Chabot Space and Science Center and the American Museum of Science and Energy


11LIGO-G040249-00-W

Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy

Tax-exempt charitable organization founded in 1996 Dedicated to renovation of Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory

(RMO) for hands-on education, training, research, & outreach » largest telescope in Washington State inside a 24-foot dome » installed in 1971, owned by Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio

Short term goal accomplished -- reactivating observatory and performing refurbishments to allow onsite control and use

Second (more challenging) goal -- remote access to telescope via Internet and automation without personnel in observatory


12LIGO-G040249-00-W

B Reactor Museum Association

Hanford’s B Reactor is unique and nationally recognized for its special role in world history

Construction & operation during Manhattan Project was an incredible scientific and engineering feat

B Reactor building has been preserved in near-original condition

BRMA organized in 1991 as a non-profit corporation to preserve B Reactor as a public-access historical museum representing the entire Hanford Site

B Reactor Museum concept complements the development of visitor facilities that now is under way for the Hanford Reach National Monument


13LIGO-G040249-00-W

In summary…

Informal education & lifelong learning enrich a community in many ways

LIGO is dedicated to informal ed and interested in forming partnerships to advance goals

Tri-Cities is fortunate to be immensely rich in science education resources if we can grow what we have

The better our community exploits current resources, the more likely we can attract new resources


14LIGO-G040249-00-W

Can LIGO’s science and education missions leverage 4-yr college effort?

LIGO-related faculty in WA» Sukanta Bose, WSU, Pullman

LIGO-related faculty in LA» Joseph Giaime , LSU» Gabriela Gonzalez , LSU» Warren Johnson , LSU» Jorge Pullin, LSU» Joel Tohline, LSU» Ed Seidel, LSU» Stephen McGuire, Southern U.» Sanichiro Yoshida, SLU» John Whelan, Loyola» Natalia Zotov, LA Tech

Washington higher education has not yet fully exploited LIGO’s presence. Why not in our backyard?

Documents

Informal Education & Lifelong Learning