Welcome to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) – West!

1. Welcome to the Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) – West! NRAO University Wisconsin – Milwaukee West Virginia University Yerkes Observatory University of Chicago

2. A few words of welcome by . . . • Dr. Kyle Cudworth • Mr . . .(Sherry’s principal) • Vivian Hoette

3. Pretests • The NSF grant likes to have data of before and after – so we have two(?) more short tests to take before we start!

4. Let’s introduce ourselves to each other. . .

5. Intro to project . . .

6. Citizen Scientists • So much of scientific research today relies on the analysis of incredible amounts of data. • Scientists cannot possibly look at it all • Computers do most, but human element is an essential ingredient, as it always will be • We already see some “citizen scientists” at work • Galaxy Zoo • Einstein at Home • Other “Zoo” type things

7. Educational outreach is also an important part of any scientist’s request for grant money • Involving high school, and even middle school students is highly desirable • Can undo stereotypes • Can ignite the interest in science • Can make science accessible to underserved students (and to under achievers) • Involving science teachers is also a plus!

8. This opportunity . . . • National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia (NRAO) • University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) • West Virginia University (Morgantown)

9. Some of the people involved . . Sue Ann Heatherly Education Director, NRAO Rachel Rosen Astronomer, Program Director of PSC Maura McLughlin, Astronomer, WVU Duncan Lorimer Astronomer, WVU

10. From UWM Jean Creighton, Planetarium Director Xavier Siemens , Physicist, UWM Larry Price, postdoc, UWM

11. ARCC@UWM research program • ARCC stands for Arecibo Remote Command Center • UWM can also remotely control the GBT More about this next time!

12. The group of teachers Sherry and I worked with summer 2009

13. Students at last May’s Capstone at WVU

14. So let’s see how you can get your students involved . . .

15. Astronomy! • It can really grab the interest of kids, • They like to ask the big questions: • What’s out there? • How do we know? • Are there Aliens? • Here is a way you can involve a student of any ability. • -Sherry and Kathy’s stories

16. What is radio astronomy? NRAO/AUI/NSF

20. The Visible Sky, Sagittarius Region NRAO/AUI/NSF

21. The Radio Sky NRAO/AUI/NSF

22. Radio Astronomy is a relatively young science

23. Pioneer of Radio Astronomy Karl Jansky 1928: Karl Jansky, working for Bell Laboratories discovers radio waves coming from space.

24. Pioneer of Radio Astronomy Grote Reber First Surveys of the Radio Sky Chart recordings from Reber's telescope made in 1943.

25. 0 In 1967, Cambridge graduate student Jocelyn Bell was using a radio array to study interplanetary scintillation – SURPRISE!

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27. For this project . . • Radio data is collected from the telescopes • The data is screened by a computer to a certain point • Then a human must look at it to see if it is worth a follow up • This is where students come in!

28. The data is being looked at to find pulsars –spinning, neutron stars

29. Pulsars signals are used to find gravitational waves. • Pulsars are used to study interstellar space. • Pulsars are inherently interesting in themselves!

30. First, some background information . . . • The pulsar story will be told by our astronomers next time • We will look at and review the electromagnetic spectrum, frequency, period, etc.

31. How do we know about the Universe? • Everything we know about the universe comes to us in the form of electromagnetic waves. • Visible wavelengths are a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

32. But there is so much more to “see”!

33. The electromagnetic spectrum provides much information

34. Electromagnetic radiation • A traveling, massless packet of energy --OR an oscillating electric and magnetic field • Also known as: radiation, light wave, photon Travels at the speed of light (by definition). Remarkably, all radiation travels at this speed, regardless of whether is carries a lot of energy or only a little Animation from Nick Strobel’s Astronomy Notes (www.astronomynotes.com) NRAO/AUI/NSF

35. A light wave is a light wave, no matter how long... NRAO/AUI/NSF

36. Frequency: • How fast something must oscillate to produce the wave • The range of radio frequency is • What is audio frequency? How is it different from radio frequencies?

37. Radio Waves are NOT sound! NRAO/AUI/NSF

38. Activity Time! • (Stations set up with different em things to do) • (or should we do frequency versus period type activity? Or both?)

39. The different parts of the spectrum provide us with more information

40. NRAO/AUI/NSF

41. Jupiter in visible light . . . Can you imagine “seeing” it in radio? NRAO/AUI/NSF

42. NRAO/AUI/NSF

43. Optical and Radio can be done from the ground! NRAO/AUI/NSF

44. Radio waves can be detected night or day • They also can travel through dust and gas • So we can see further into our galaxy with radio waves than with light waves.

45. Let’s look at a radio telescope

46. Radio Telescope Optical Telescope Nowadays, there are more similarities between optical and radio telescopes than ever before. NRAO/AUI/NSF

48. At 100 m, the GBT is the largest fully steerable telescope (and the largest movable structure) in the world..

49. NRAO/AUI/NSF

50. The Advantage of Unblocked Optics