dr niall smith cork institute of technology blackrock castle observatory engaging communities with...

Dr Niall SmithCork Institute of Technology Blackrock Castle Observatory

Engaging Communities with Live Space Data

EUSEA Annual Conference 2012

Blackrock Castle Observatory (Cork, Ireland)

• Observatory and Science Centre operated by Cork City Council and Cork Institute of Technology

• Particular interest in STEM education

• Over 200,000 visitors to science centre in 5 years

• Over 50,000 schoolchildren have availed of our workshops (at primary and secondary level)

• Accredited to provide CPD to teachers to use “space” in the classroom

Significant feedback from a wide and varied cohort

• To increase interest in STEM related careers at a time when technology is increasingly commonplace in society

• To develop innovative methods underpinned by inquiry-based education that can reach directly into existing educational systems

• To improve the baseline understanding and acceptance of scientific methods amongst the general public

Why Engage with Communities?

Teachers

Students

Communities

What is “Live Space Data”?

USER

Customised Web Interface

SpacecraftGround-Based

Telescopes

Optical

Radio

Student Public ResearchPrimary / Secondary / Tertiary

“

•Send a message towards a known exoplanet via a small radiotelescope using a real radio signal

•Watch live via a web interface

•Messages can be tracked subsequently using a unique user id

Case Study I - Radio Telescope

Case Study I - Radio Telescope

Permanent live feed from another radio telescope

• Deployment into schools in Cork in autumn

- curriculum links / resource packs / sensors

• Sending a message to space provides a unique context for discussion

- what are stars and planets?

- how far away are the stars?

- how do you make a radio telescope?

- what might alien DNA look like?

Case Study I - Radio Telescope

• The same questions can be discussed according to the user level. • The complexity of the data you receive depends on the user level.

Hugely flexible and very cost-effective

Case Study II - Optical Telescope

• Live imaging using telescope at Chabot Science Center in San Francisco

• 8 hour time difference

• Acts as a catalyst for ideas, conversations, connections

Images taken and processed by 5 schools

Chabot at night Art and Science

Next Phase – Optical Telescope Farms

Remote User 1

Remote User 2

Telescope Control 1 Telescope Control 2

Telescope Control 4

Telescope Control 8

Telescope Control 5

Telescope Control 7

Telescope Control 3

Telescope Control 6

Network Switch

Remote Link

Local Server

Wireless Sensor Array

Enclosure Control

Centres of Excellence in Science Communication

Big Data

Big Data

ResearchCommunities

Cloud

Conclusion

• Now technologically possible to bring live space data into the classroom, the science centre, etc.• Coordination by Centres of Excellence

• Live space data can be customised to the target audience• Especially important for teenagers

• The experience is centred around inquiry / debate / uniqueness

• Encourages discussion across cultural and discipline boundaries

Thankyou

www.bco.ie