Space physics and the teaching of undergraduate electromagnetism

Space physics is not a subject typically found in the undergraduate curriculum, and it is rare even at the graduate level. On the other hand, the basis of space physics is electromagnetism and the motion of charged particles, which are common topics in both the introductory and advanced undergraduate physics curriculum, and examples from space physics can be used to enliven instruction. In this paper, I will discuss various topics commonly found in both introductory and upper-division electricity and magnetism classes where examples from space physics may facilitate student understanding or provide interesting, real-life examples of electromagnetism in action.     

The Zadko telescope: A resource for science education enrichment

This paper describes plans for employing a new fully robotic optical telescope in Western Australia, the Zadko telescope, for evaluating education-outreach. A key feature of the telescope is the optimized observation-scheduling program, developed by our French collaborators who operate the TAROT robotic telescope network. It provides a simple interface for requesting observation time remotely, and has the potential for school students to participate in real astronomical research. The University of Western Australia and Curtin University are commencing a study for evaluating changes in student perceptions of science by participation in our astronomy research. Other areas of interest include broadening the program to include access of students from European countries, and exploring how remote access astronomy can be used to encourage awareness between different cultures.     

Capacity-building programmes in Latin America

We review how capacity building in space sciences has developed in several Latin American countries, the state of development of some current programs and the role that space activities and space information play and can play in the future. We stress the need to educate educators, in order to increase the public awareness about the benefits of space research and, more importantly, attract the next generation of professionals that will be required in the coming decades.     

Current and future activities in education and public outreach at the Observatoire de Haute Provence

The Haute Provence Observatory has for primary mission the operation of telescopes, up to two meters in diameter, for the astrophysics community, and the measurements of various upper atmosphere parameters for the geophysics community. An education and outreach program has been developed with several reached: from school pupils to post-doctorate students, teachers, and the general public. In the recent years we put emphasis on the formation of teachers and on the renewal of the general public visit. Given the wide range of education and outreach activities we cover, we had to develop a relation network with individuals, amateurs, teachers and institutions, amplifying our efforts. For the future, we will try to make an optimal use of the resources available in the St Michel l’Observatoire area, taking steps to reach an agreement with the neighbouring “Centre d’Astronomie”, a structure devoted to education and public outreach belonging to the local authorities.     

中国卫星电视教育的崛起和发展趋势

对中国开展广播电视教育的历史进行了回顾,较详细的叙述了卫星电视教育的崛起。在总结经验的基础上,又突出论述了今后要努力提高效益和精心制作电视教育节目两个关键性问题。文中根据资料引入了大量数据佐证文章的论点。     

Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education and ICG Information Centres affiliated to the United Nations

Based on resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education were established in India, Morocco, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico. Simultaneously, education curricula were developed for the core disciplines of remote sensing, satellite communications, satellite meteorology, and space and atmospheric science. This paper provides a brief summary on the status of the operation of the regional centres with a view to use them as information centres of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG), and draws attention to their educational activities.     

Education and public outreach program for IHY – A global approach

Education and public outreach (EPO) is one of the four components of the International Heliophysical Year (IHY). It is fundamental in achieving one of IHY’s primary objectives which is to “demonstrate the beauty, relevance and significance of Space and Earth science to the world.”     

“Modular Biospheres” – New testbed platforms for public environmental education and research

This paper will review the potential of a relatively new type of testbed platform for environmental education and research because of the unique advantages resulting from their material closure and separation from the outside environment. These facilities which we term “modular biospheres”, have emerged from research centered on space life support research but offer a wider range of application. Examples of this type of facility include the Bios-3 facility in Russia, the Japanese CEEF (Closed Ecological Experiment Facility), the NASA Kennedy Space Center Breadboard facility, the Biosphere 2 Test Module and the Laboratory Biosphere. Modular biosphere facilities offer unique research and public real-time science education opportunities. Ecosystem behavior can be studied since initial state conditions can be precisely specified and tracked over different ranges of time. With material closure (apart from very small air exchange rate which can be determined), biogeochemical cycles between soil and soil microorganisms, water, plants, and atmosphere can be studied in detail. Such studies offer a major advance from studies conducted with phytotrons which because of their small size, limit the number of organisms to a very small number, and which crucially do not have a high degree of atmospheric, water and overall material closure. Modular biospheres take advantage of the unique properties of closure, as representing a distinct system “metabolism” and therefore are essentially a “mini-world”. Though relatively large in comparison with most phytotrons and ecological microcosms, which are now standard research and educational tools, modular biospheres are small enough that they can be economically reconfigured to reflect a changing research agenda. Some design elements include lighting via electric lights and/or sunlight, hydroponic or soil substrate for plants, opaque or glazed structures, and variable volume chambers or other methods to handle atmospheric pressure differences between the facility and the outside environment.     

Outreach activities during the 2006 total solar eclipse sponsored by the International Heliophysical Year

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) is an international program of scientific research to advance our understanding of the physical processes that govern the Sun, Earth and heliosphere. It has a strong educational component, linking research and education. Here, we describe the outreach activities during the 2006 total solar eclipse sponsored by IHY.     

Proposal for a United Nations Basic Space Technology Initiative

The United Nations Programme on Space Applications, implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, promotes the benefits of space-based solutions for sustainable economic and social development. The Programme assists Member States of the United Nations to establish indigenous capacities for the use of space technology and its applications. In the past the Programme has primarily been focusing on the use of space applications and on basic space science activities. However, in recent years there has been a strong interest in a growing number of space-using countries to build space technology capacities, for example, the ability to develop and operate small satellites. In reaction to this development, the United Nations in cooperation with the International Academy of Astronautics has been organizing annual workshops on small satellites in the service of developing countries. Space technology related issues have also been addressed as part of various other activities of the Programme on Space Applications. Building on these experiences, the Office for Outer Space Affairs is now considering the launch of a new initiative, preliminarily titled the United Nations Basic Space Technology Initiative (UNBSTI), to promote basic space technology development. The initiative would be implemented in the framework of the Programme on Space Applications and its aim would be to help building sustainable capacities for basic space technology education and development, thereby advancing the operational use of space technology and its applications.     

Learning in an immersive digital theater

The Houston Museum of Natural Science, in collaboration with Rice University has an outreach program taking portable digital theaters to schools and community sites for over five years and has conducted research on student learning in this immersive environment. By using an external independent evaluator, the effectiveness of NASA-funded Education and Public Outreach (EPO) projects can be assessed. This paper documents interactive techniques and learning strategies in full-dome digital theaters. The presentation is divided into Evaluation Strategies and Results and Interactivity Strategies and Results. All learners from grades 3–12 showed statistically significant short-term increase in knowledge of basic Earth science concepts after a single 22-min show. Improvements were more significant on items that were taught using more than one modality of instruction: hearing, seeing, discussion, and immersion. Thus immersive theater can be an effective as well as engaging teaching method for Earth and Space science concepts, particularly those that are intrinsically three-dimensional and thus most effectively taught in an immersive environment. The portable system allows taking the educational experience to rural and tribal sites where the underserved students could not afford the time or expense to travel to museums.     

Space law education in China: Status quo,shortcomings and possible ways out

Space law education has an essential role in the space capacity building of a country because of its importance for human resources development in space law. Comparisons between Canada and China, the European Union and China and the United States of America (USA) and China in space law degree education, course, teaching methodology, institute and practice and communication platform are provided in an attempt to review some issues which exist within the Chinese space law educational system and to seek a better choice for China’s space law education reform. Chinese space law education has achieved noticeable progress over the past two decades. However, it is still limited in comparison to its counterparts in Europe and Northern America. The range of the space law degree education programmes and space-law-related courses is comparatively limited. A gap remains between space law education and practice in China. Chinese space law classes are still dominated by the teacher-centred teaching methodology, although several universities have some new teaching practices. The establishment of seven space law-related research institutes plays an increasingly important role in Chinese space law education, space law and policy research and legal advisory services for the Chinese government and non-governmental sectors. However, these institutes still have a long way to go in comparison with their counterparts in Europe and Northern America. While China has established domestic research platforms for space law communication through international cooperation, it does not provide space law practice platforms for space law education. While international space law does not provide a direct legal foundation for space law education in China, Chinese educational laws can lay a profound legal foundation for Chinese space law education. To promote its national expertise and capacity in space law, based on the three-pillar model and the experiences of its counterparts in North America and Europe, China should adopt a systematic and sustainable regime for its space law education.