A workshop consists of three components:

1. Basics of Radio Astronomy and the Radio Telescope (2 hours)
2. First Contact with the PARI 4.6-m Radio Telescope (2 hours)
3. Instruction On the Lab Modules (4 hours). 

The agenda is listed below.  The Basics of Radio Astronomy and the Radio Telescope component familiarizes educators with the principles of astronomy, radio astronomy, and the radio telescope.  Educators are taught astronomical coordinates systems, sources of celestial electromagnetic wave emission (especially radio), and how radio signals are detected and visualized (e.g. spectrum or broadband).  The First Contact with the PARI 4.6-m Radio Telescope component introduces teachers to the mechanics of the radio telescope, accessing and using the telescope controls over the Internet, scheduling time, and what to expect when using the telescope from the classroom.  The Instruction On the Lab Modules component introduces each lab module.  This component of the workshop also provides individual and team hands-on time with the telescope that allows teachers to develop and polish their skills with the program. The workshop ends with evaluations where questions and concerns are covered.

•         8:00-8:30 am: Arrival and Check-In
•         8:30-10:30 am: Basics of Radio Astronomy and the Radio                   Telescope
•         10:30-10:40 am: Break
•         10:40 am 0-12:40 pm: First Contact with Smiley, the 4.6-m Radio
           Telescope
•         12:40-1:30 pm: Lunch
•         1:30-3:30 pm: Instruction on the Labs: Introduction
•         3:30-3:40 pm: Break
•         3:40-5:40 pm: Instruction on the Labs: individual and team                   hands-on time with the telescope
•         5:40-6:30 pm Dinner
•         6:30-As late as educators want to stay: If the opportunity prevails,
         we can make optical observations of the same objects we are              making radio observations of, giving the teachers a comparison of        both methods .

The workshop is facilitated by three professional astronomers:

Dr. Mel Blake (PARI), an optical astronomer who studies binary and variable stars and active galaxies.

Dr. David Moffett (Furman University), a radio astronomer who studies pulsars using the PARI 26-m radio telescopes

Dr. Michael Castelaz (PARI), an optical astronomer who studies regions of star formation.

DETAILS OF THE AGENDA

Arrival and Check-In: Participants are expected to arrive on the first day before 2 pm. Those who arrive by noon will be given a tour of the PARI facility which typically takes 2 hours. Assignment of usernames and passwords to access Smiley will be made.

Meals:   Meals are served in a fully equipped cafeteria. Breakfast food will be available, and self-prepared. Lunches and dinners will be prepared for the pariticpants.  Please state special dietary needs on the registration form. 

Break: Refreshments will be served during breaks.

First Contact with Smiley: Begin with a tutorial in basic astronomy that includes telescopes, how coordinates are used to point telescopes, and a comparison of radio astronomy to visible astronomy.  We will go to the Smiley telescope and learn how its controls work. Then, we will do a group session demonstration of the Smiley Internet controls. 

Introduction to the Labs   We have developed 10 Labs that use the Smiley telescope. A summary of each will be presented.

Individual/Team Observing with Smiley   The participants will be teamed up in pairs and given more comprehensive instruction for using Smiley. Each team will have approximately 30 minutes.  Teams may want to watch over each other's shoulders. Alternatively, if the weather is clear for the first day evening session, teams waiting their turn may want to do some stargazing with optical telescope we have set up.

Conducting a Lab:   Labs will be conducted as a group.  Each team will be responsible for different aspects of the labs, with the workshop instructor facilitating.  For example, for the Detecting Radio Waves lab, one team will need to get the location of the radio source, another team will point the telescope towards the source, another team will make the radio wave measurements, another team will figure out what the measurements mean, and an other team will be in the role of students completing the lab questions. Teams will rotate through different roles for the labs we do in this workshop. We provide support throughout the academic year for labs which we do not go through, if participants elect to do one.

Inventive Uses, and Workshop Closing   During the workshop, we are sure that the participants will see uses for Smiley that we did not imagine. So, we have set aside time to encourage discussion of other class that can be conducted. The workshop will close with the scheduling of observing time.  A summary of the workshop will be presented. 

After the workshop ends, some participants may elect to stay at PARI for one more night. That will be free time, or if desired, can be used to further explore uses for Smiley