Astrophysics Education & Public Outreach

Prof. Brian Keating, UCSD

Current Projects:

1. High School/University Radioastronomy

2. High School Satellite Engineering

TRITON CAM: A Radiotelescope for teaching & learning astronomy and electronics

The UCSD "Rad Scope" Team (Left to Right): Prof. Brian Keating, Pete Frausto, Jonathan Melton, Jeff Patterson, Zuzana Votrubec, Kristen Kulas).

Ten-cm Radiotelescope  Imager and Teaching Observatory Network Camera (TRITON CAM)

Radioastronomy provides an ideal platform for general astronomical education. Using a custom-made radiotelescope on the roof of the UCSD Science & Engineering Research Facility, my group conducts observations of the sun, moon, planets, and radio-bright sources such as the Crab Nebula and Taurus A. Our telescope is sensitive to both the intensity and polarization of centimeter wavelength radiation. This project teaches the basic concepts of astronomical instrumentation such as:

• detection of thermal and non-thermal radiation

• emission and absorption of radiation in dielectric media

• angular resolution of a telescope

• frequency coverage

• polarization of electromagnetic radiation

• data acquisition

• low noise electronics

• astronomical coordinate systems

In an  informal series of lectures to the public (or a more focused group of high school physics students/amateur astronomers), the construction of a centimeter-wave radio telescope observatory is described. The observatory has been designed as a teaching tool with a particular emphasis on high school education. A dual frequency, dual polarization receiver forms the heart of the detector system. Observations of solar system objects and bright galactic sources are used to illustrate basic radio astronomy concepts. Student ``P.I."s from a local high school propose observations in a fashion similar to that used at professional astronomy observatories. Student teams are responsible for subsequent data analysis and a year-end presentation.

A PowerPoint description of the project is available by clicking here.

A PowerPoint description of an N.S.F. Summer REU Project based on TRITONCam is available by clicking here.

More detail on TRITON-Cam is available by clicking here.

In June 2004 I was invited to present my findings on high school radioastronomy at NASA's Workshop to Foster Broader Participation in NASA Space Science Missions and Research Programs. NASA's goals for this workshop were to respond "to a strong recommendation of the NASA Space Science Advisory Committee’s Task Force on Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) that OSS “expand and intensify” it’s “pioneering efforts to attract and better integrate minorities into E/PO projects and into the mainstream of OSS science programs.” Consequently, underrepresented minority scientists and educators in relevant disciplines, scientists and educators at minority institutions, and all current and prospective investigators interested in expanding the diversity of investigators on their future science teams are particularly encouraged to attend."

2. Design of a Mock NASA Satellite to teach remote sensing & orbital satellite dynamics 

We are also very involved with using astronomy to engage the minds of the next generation of astrophysicists and space scientists.  One extremely rewarding project involved the design of a mock NASA satellite. A group of high school students was tasked with developing a remote sensing satellite to measure ozone in the atmosphere from space. The students were organized into several teams responsible for power, telemetry, launch & orbit, and science mission requirements. Along with another Caltech postdoc, I mentored the students over the course of an academic year, including visits to JPL and a supervision of a final 'design review' at Caltech -- in front of "real" NASA/JPL scientists.

Click here for more information on high school satellite engineering.