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The School of Galactic Radio Astronomy (SGRA) was developed with support from the STScI IDEAS program to offer students in grades 8-12 a unique, live, hands-on, inquiry based approach to learning
through Internet control of a 4.6 meter radio telescope (nicknamed Smiley) located at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI).
The radio telescope is designed to detect 21-cm radio waves emitted by the center of our galaxy and its spiral arms, supernova remnants, regions of star formation and other celestial sources. Students and teachers make the decisions: from source selection, to pointing the telescope, to taking the measurements.
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Presently, SGRA has been incorporated into 12 school systems in NC, SC, TX, and MN serving approximately 2500 students. Teachers attend
workshops on the PARI campus where they learn to use the radio telescope and accompanying lesson modules. Teachers use the telescope and modules in classes where students can access, control, and watch Smiley through the Internet, providing them with real time and real life experiences.
PARI is committed to making the radio telescope available to
schools over the Internet and providing up to 20% of their astronomers time to the project. PARI's SGRA is partially supported by Progress Energy and the Space Telescope Science Institute IDEAS program
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Educational Goals & Objectives
Our goal is to enhance the technological and scientific literacy of students through this exciting experience.
- As part of a web based, on-line, interactive radio astronomy program for students in grades 8-12, SGRA incorporates real-time, hands-on use of a radio telescope with lesson modules.
- Smiley, PARI's 4.6 meter radio telescope is in use in schools (both local and nation wide) as an inquiry based, real-time, hands-on astronomy tool and enhancement to the NC and National Science Teaching
Standards.
- SGRA is designed to adhere to local and National Education Standards in science, math, and technology. SGRA satisfies teacher continuing education standards and offers Continuing Education Units for workshop
attendance. Teachers and their classes are then given use of the telescope for one year.
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