The Swift Education and Public Outreach Program

Philip Plait Sonoma State University

July 21, 2003

Program Overview• Swift E/PO Web site

• Printed materials– Teacher’s activity booklets,

posters, model

• Educator training– Conferences, workshops

– Materials distributed

– Educator Ambassadors

• Informal Education– What’s in the News? (PSU)

– Swift High School

• Program Evaluation

• Future Plans– Prelaunch launch– Postlaunch

– T-shirts

– Program Evaluation

The SSU NASA E/PO GROUP

Tim Graves

Phil Plait

Sarah Silva

Aurore Simonnet

Lynn Cominsky

Major E/PO Projects

Swift E/PO Website

http://swift.sonoma.edu

• E/PO Program• News updates• About Swift• EA news• Materials

New addition: Cards from students at Arthur Slade school after PI Neil Gehrels’ visit

Completed: GEMS Guide

Completed: Newton’s Laws

In Progress: Gamma-Ray Burst Educator’s Guide

• Aligned with mathematics/science standards

• First and second activities already

classroom tested

GRB Guide (2)

• Activities 3 & 4 being developed

• GRB distribution on sky: students will compare real BATSE distribution with simulated distributions

• Beaming of energy• We encourage suggestions

In Progress: Swift Paper Model

• Designed by Monica Sperandio• English version adapted by

Aurore Simonnet et al.• Booklet with parts printed

directly on paper• Designed for informal education,

but conforms to standards• Available ~September• OSS Voyages article submitted

The Swift/GLAST Booth

Reaching teachers (Past)

• Swift/GLAST booth at:– AAS (Seattle) (1/03)

– AAPT (Austin) (1/03)

– HEAD (Quebec) (3/03)

– NCN/AAPT (SSU) (4/03)

– AAS (Nashville) (5/03)

• GEMS presented at AAPT by Tim Graves and Sarah Silva

• PSU teacher workshops:– 7/21-25 “Galaxies and

Cosmology”– 7/28 – 8/01 “Space-based

Astronomy” w/tour of Swift operations

Reaching teachers (Future)

2003October: CSTA, Long Beach, CA

GEMS guide, GRB activity #1, boothDecember: NSTA Regional (West), Reno, NV

GRB activities2004March: ITEA, Albuquerque NM,

GTNApril: NSTA, Atlanta, GA

GRB activities, GEMSJuly: AAPT, Sacramento, CA

GRB activities (?), booth

Materials Distributed (since 11/02)

– 575 Newton's Laws Posters– 580 Slinkies– 166 Waves Light Up the Universe booklets+

“Spin A Spectrum”– 166 kits with “Spin A Spectrum”– 164 “Powers of 10” booklets– 317 “Powers of 10” card decks– 304 GEMS Guides– 1000 Swift mousepads (1000 more ordered!)

Educator Ambassadors (1)

Rob Sparks February 6, 2003Milwaukee Area Physics Sharing (MAPS), Milwaukee, WI

March 9, 2003 "Seeing the universe in a Different Light"Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers (WSST) 2003 convention.

April 5, 2003 "Bringing Modern Astronomy Into the Classroom"AAPT-Spring Meeting, Florida

May 3, 2003 "Swift and SEU Missions in Education" North Central Region of the Astronomical League Annual Convention, WI

September 12, 2003"Swift : Catching Gamma Ray Bursts on the Fly" Skokie Valley Astronomy Club, WI

Educator Ambassadors (2)

Rae McEntyre

April 5, 2003 "NASA's Swift Mission and Gamma Ray Astronomy" National Congress on Aviation and Space Education, Cincinnati, OH

April 29, 2003"Space Mysteries Demonstration"Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY Estimated ~ 50 Earth/Space science teachers

June 11-13, 20032003 Astrophysics WorkshopMorehead State University, Morehead, KY

July 27, 2003Space and Astronomy WorkshopWestern Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky

November 12, 2003“Using the EM Spectrum to Teach About Space"NSTA Regional Convention, Kansas City, MO

Educator Ambassadors (3)

Dave Beiers April 15, 2003 “Invisible Universe"Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO

May 23, 2003"Invisible Universe"Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO

October 19, 2003NASA Science & the Electromagnetic SpectrumMOREnet, Missouri Educational Technology Conference November 13, 2003Imagine That! Discrepant Events & Mental FlossNSTA Regional Convention, Kansas City, MO

December 3, 2003"The Invisible Universe"Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO

February 23, 2004GEMS Brings the Electromagnetic Spectrum to Life Missouri INTERFACE Science-Math Annual Conference

Educator Ambassadors (4)

• More to come! • New round of EA applications has started,

with ~40 already submitted• 10 more EAs will be chosen; 5 GLAST and the other

five to be distributed among other missions

“Swift” High School

http://www.kosd.org/~swift

Welcome to the home of

SWIFT at Keystone Oaks High School.

• Contains Swift news, updates (old ones), etc.• However, we have no official interaction with them

WITN

• For FY03, 3 short pieces focus on GRBs, including a “News

Summary” about Swift and

GRB 030329• 15 minute piece on how stars live and

die, tying in SNe with GRBs via black hole

• Topics for FY 04 TBD

Program Evaluation

• WestEd– Will assist in formative evaluation of classroom

materials, especially Newton’s Laws and GRB activities

– Assessed GEMS workshop at AAPT national meeting

– Will evaluate planning for Swift launch outreach

Status of Near-Future Plans

• Field testing of classroom materials continues

• Increased scientific review and error correction of existing materials

• Increased involvement of Swift team scientists

• Improved coordination with GLAST E/PO and EA programs, including participation in the GTN (C J Rodkey gave presentation at AAVSO, paid by Swift/GSFC)

More help still needed!

In Progress: Swift and the GLAST Telescope Network

• GTN: A network of robotic telescopes to monitor AGN

• Can be interrupted for timely observations, so….

• Why not do GRBs?

• GRBs have been added to target list – timing issues under study

• Leuschner IR observatory for GRBs in progress

• XMM-Newton may also participate to observe polars

Swift Launch

Wanna go? Let us know NOW

Launch set for January 14, 2004

Preliminary Launch Plans

• GRB Educator’s Guide available• New Swift poster with GRB activity on back • Public outreach program that focuses on launch (something

with Keystone Oaks?)

• Swift model booklet available• Swift launch filmed for PBS Nova show by Tom Lucas (in

conjunction with GLAST)• More workshops, presentations at meetings• T-shirts!• Of course, website updates

Swift T-Shirts

• Commemorate launch• Made at cost

• T-shirts ($15 – 20)• Polo shirts (~$30, can be embroidered)

• Your input welcome!

Post Launch Plans

• GRB Lottery• Revamp old activities as per

Knappenberger report• Black hole introduction and FAQ• Articles about Swift for magazines• More? Got any ideas? HELLLLPPP!