Physics – Space Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufmed13b0605o&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #ED13B-0605
Physics
Space Physics
0805 Elementary And Secondary Education, 0850 Geoscience Education Research, 2407 Auroral Ionosphere (2704), 7999 General Or Miscellaneous
Scientific paper
The aurora and other phenomena in near Earth space are becoming a considerable part of the science curriculum in upper secondary school (high school - age 16 to 19) in Norway. Introducing scientific methods to the young students is an important task of the education, but experimental science experience is to a great extent restricted to simple laboratory exercises under controlled conditions; observations of uncontrollable natural phenomena are generally left to academic scientists and researchers. The Space Physics Group and The Science Education and Outreach Group at The Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, have constructed a "Space Science Suitcase" with a set of simple versions of instruments for monitoring solar and geophysical activity in near Earth space. The contents of the suitcase are: Two solar telescopes, commercial SLR digital camera with a fisheye lens for photographing the aurora, tri-axial magnetometer, Geiger counter, two spectroscopes, GPS-receiver, a laptop for collecting the pictures and measurements, and a manual with suggestions for some relevant experiments. The suitcase is lent to physics classes in upper secondary schools for 3-4 weeks at each school, allowing the students to do their own quantitative observations of sunspots, magnetic disturbances, optical aurora, background radiation etc. Comparison of these observations with online observations from ground based observatories and satellites is an integrated part of the project. The purpose of the experiment is to promote scientific literacy, bring excitement about space phenomena into the classroom, and, finally, to recruit enthusiastic students to university studies in physic and geophysics in general, and space science in particular.
Olafsson Kjartan
Ostgaard Nikolai
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