AGS-FIRP Track 1: Enhancing Undergraduate Education of the Planetary Boundary Layer during the 2024 Solar Eclipse

项目团队将对大气研究和教育设施（FARE）社区仪器和设施（CIF）威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校空间科学与工程中心的便携式大气研究中心（SPARC）设施进行教育部署，以便利用2024年4月的日全食来研究瓦尔帕莱索大学附近行星边界层（PBL）的动力学。SPARC将主要用于为气象本科学生提供大气科学中真实世界数据收集、数据分析和数据解释的实践经验。特别是，学生们将对PBL的日转变有更深的了解，而不是日食期间可能发生的快速转变。收集的数据将为日食对PBL动力学的影响提供新的见解，并将为本科生和高中生提供宝贵的教育和推广机会。SPARC设施要求配备高光谱分辨率激光雷达（HSRL）和大气发射辐射干涉仪（AERI）， SPARC将部署在沿日食总路径的战略位置，那里晴空的机会最高。收集的数据将与气球发射和在瓦尔帕莱索用微波辐射计测量的垂直剖面进行比较。虽然在日全食期间可能会有云层覆盖，但可以根据SPARC设施仍然可以采取的观测来解决其他科学问题。将为瓦尔帕莱索大学的气象学学生开设一学分的预备课程。此外，还将对当地高中进行宣传。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project team will conduct an educational deployment of the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Community Instrumentation and Facilities (CIF) University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center’s Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) facility in order to leverage the April 2024 total solar eclipse to investigate the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) near Valparaiso University. The SPARC will be used primarily to provide undergraduate meteorology students practical experience with real-world data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation within the atmospheric sciences. In particular, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the diurnal transition of the PBL compared to the rapid transition that might occur during the solar eclipse. The data to be collected will provide new insights into the impact of solar eclipses on PBL dynamics and will serve as a valuable educational and outreach opportunity for undergraduate and high school students.The SPARC facility is requested with the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and SPARC will be deployed at a strategic location along the eclipse totality path where the chance of clear skies is highest. Collected data will be compared to balloon launches and vertical profile measurements by a microwave radiometer taken in Valparaiso. While there is the potential for cloud cover during the total solar eclipse, alternative science questions can be addressed based on the observations that could still be taken with the SPARC facility. A one-credit preparatory course for meteorology students at Valparaiso University will be developed. Additionally, outreach to local high schools will be conducted.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.