Undergraduate Science and Technology Education Using Low Cost Radio Telescopes

该项目正在开发一个综合性的科学和技术教育方案，使用低成本的甚小射电望远镜（VSRT）。这些系统已经在社区学院环境下成功地测试了CCLI第一阶段赠款。麻省理工学院Haystack天文台正在与各种学院和大学的教师和学生合作，以提高现有VSRT系统的能力，并广泛传播由此产生的课程应用。智力优势：该项目涉及增强一个甚小射电望远镜系统，以便向大学本科学术机构的学生介绍无线电科学技术和射电天文观测。VSRT中的所有组件都可以通过无线电设备插座购买，并且可以根据项目开发的说明轻松组装。VSRT使用0.5米卫星电视天线，工作频率为12.5 GHz。它可以很容易地指向太阳，以观察其发射的无线电通量，并可以与两个或三个类似的天线一起使用，以进行更高分辨率的无线电干涉测量实验，使用过境或指向太阳的观测。已经开发并正在广泛传播演示干涉测量原理的实验室实验。硬件的新增强允许开发新项目。重要的是，非常偶然的是，观测中层臭氧的11 GHz线是可能的。最近在VSRT的发展过程中首次测量了这条重要的光谱线。由于这是一个新发现，它为学生打开了一个科学领域，让他们参与尖端研究。VSRT计划还为教师提供实践研讨会，介绍技术材料，软件和数据分析程序，使他们能够有效地将系统纳入课堂。正在开发一个网络论坛，让学生和教师分享想法，讨论他们的结果，并交流他们的成功和失败。更广泛的影响：麻省理工学院干草堆天文台有着悠久的本科教育计划的历史。拥有一个小型、便携、简单和低成本的系统，不需要永久安装，在开发科学和工程教材方面非常有价值。 Haystack天文台也有很好的公共宣传记录。这些场地提供了极好的机会，使用VSRT作为无线电波科学的演示。

This project is developing a comprehensive science and technology educational program using low cost, very small radio telescopes (VSRT). These systems have already been successfully tested in a community college setting under a CCLI Phase 1 grant. MIT Haystack Observatory is working with faculty and students in a variety of colleges and universities to enhance the capabilities of the existing VSRT systems and widely disseminate the resulting curriculum applications. Intellectual Merit: The project involves the enhancement of a very small radio telescope (VSRT) system to introduce students at a wide range of undergraduate academic settings to radio science technology and radio astronomical observations. All components in the VSRT are commercially available through radio equipment outlets and can be easily assembled according to instructions the project has developed. The VSRT uses a 0.5m satellite TV antenna operating at 12.5 GHz. It can be easily pointed at the Sun to observe its emitted radio flux and can be used with two or three similar antennas for higher resolution radio-interferometry experiments using transit or pointed observations of the Sun. Laboratory experiments to demonstrate the principles of interferometry have been developed and are being widely disseminated. New enhancements to the hardware allow new projects to be developed. Importantly, and quite serendipitously, observations of the 11 GHz line of mesospheric ozone are possible. The first-ever measurements of this important spectroscopic line were recently made during the development of the VSRT. Since this is a new discovery, it opens a scientific area to students to allow them to participate in cutting edge research. The VSRT program also provides faculty with hands-on workshops to introduce the technical materials, the software and data analysis procedures to enable them to effectively include the systems in the classroom. A web forum is being developed to allow students and faculty to share ideas, discuss their results and communicate their successes and failures. Broader Impact: MIT Haystack Observatory has a long history of undergraduate education programs. Having a small, portable, simple, and low-cost system, that does not require permanent installation, can be extremely valuable in developing teaching materials in science and engineering. Haystack Observatory also has a strong record of public outreach. These venues provide excellent opportunities to use the VSRT as a demonstration of radio-wave science.