Contemporary Laboratory Exercises in Astronomy

CLEA项目正在完成其计算机天文学活动的开发，它创造了一个环境，使天文学教师不仅可以轻松地进行现有的天文学练习，而且还可以设计自己的天文练习。该项目的核心是完成和传播虚拟教育天文台（VIREO），这是一个模拟多波长天文台，拥有各种仪器和分析工具。VIREO已经有了一个初步版本，它可以访问自己的本地数据库，以提供操作各种地球和太空望远镜的外观和感觉，这些望远镜可以看到天空中的任何地方。在其完成的版本中，它还将直接通过网络访问各种各样的数据，主要是图像和光谱，为新兴的虚拟研究天文台的资源提供一个教育门户。为了实现这一目标，(1)CLEA项目正在完成VIREO的编程，并设计和实现一个灵活的虚拟天文台开源网络接口（VOWI），该接口将提供学生软件和互联网数据库之间的链接。这种架构，特别是其开放式结构，确保了VIREO在授权期限之外的有用性。该软件将附有广泛的学生手册和完整的技术指南。(2) CLEA项目还开发了几个新的天文学练习，以展示VIREO的力量，包括强调观测策略和天体物理学中的当前问题的练习，如寻找高z QSO和恒星形成区域的多波长成像。(3) CLEA项目正在进行积极的外联方案，通过网络和邮件传播其材料。同样重要的是，它通过在国家和区域专业会议上举办讲习班，教育教师如何使用信息和环境评估材料。葛底斯堡学院计划于2008年6月为大学教师举办一个天文研究技术的夏季培训讲习班，并于2009年夏季为教学材料的开发人员举办一个关于VIREO的培训讲习班。

Project CLEA is completing its development of computerized astronomy activities by creating an environment that can easily be adopted by astronomy teachers, not only to perform existing astronomy exercises, but also to design their own. The core of this project is to complete and disseminate VIREO, the Virtual Educational Observatory, a simulated multiwavelength observatory with a wide variety of instrumentation and analysis tools. VIREO, already available in a preliminary version, accesses its own local database to provide the look and feel of operating a variety of earth and space telescopes that can look anywhere in the sky. In its completed version it will also access a wide variety of data, primarily images and spectra, directly though the web, providing an educational gateway to the resources of the emerging virtual research observatories.To accomplish this goal, (1) Project CLEA is completing the programming of VIREO and also designing and implementing a flexible Virtual-observatory Open-source Web Interface (VOWI) that will provide the link between the student software and the internet databases. This architecture, especially its open structure, insures the usefulness of VIREO beyond the duration of this grant. The software is to be accompanied by an extensive student manual and a complete technical guide. (2) Project CLEA is also developing several new astronomy exercises to demonstrate the power of VIREO, including exercises that emphasize observing strategies and current problems in astrophysics such as the search for high-z QSO's and the multi-wavelength imaging of star-forming regions. (3) Project CLEA is carrying on an active program of outreach, disseminating its materials on the web and through the mail. Equally important, it is educating teachers in the use of CLEA materials through workshops at national and regional professional meetings. A summer training workshop on astronomical research techniques for college teachers is scheduled for the Gettysburg College campus in June, 2008, and a training workshop on VIREO for developers of instructional material, in summer 2009.