Journey to the Classroomand Beyond…

Stephen Bartlett

2012-13 Einstein Fellow, NSF

High School Physics Teacher

Robinson Secondary School

A bit about me

From boardroom to classroom• Self-trained electronics technician in my twenties• Returned to finish college in my early thirties.

• Worked as an Engineering scientist for various technology and aerospace companies for next couple of decades.

• Took hiatus from Engineering (2002), and started a Christmas Tree farm in the Blue Ridge– decided to teach after planting my 2000th seedling

• Got hired by Marshall HS in 2004 to teach some strange course called “IB physics”

Teacher PD journeysWhile at Marshall, I decided to apply for summer PD opportunities to hone my skills:

– 2006: NASA Deciphering Stars at MacDonald Observatory in Texas

– 2008: Traveled to New Delhi, India

for Teach India Summer pilot program– 2009: Worked as an NSF RET at NRAO,

Greenbank, WV to study pulsars

Change of scene – classroom back to boardroom

• Moved to Robinson in 2010

• Applied for Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship for the 2012-13 school year.

• Was selected for fellowship March 2012:– Now working as Einstein Fellow at NSF: Education

Human Resource Directorate (EHR), Division of Research on formal and informal Learning (DRL)

My Einstein Fellow Day……no typical day—they tend to vary

•Research and report on topics in early childhood learning and brain development (really cool stuff!)•Research and visit STEM schools (local and other)•Travel to conferences: STEM Smart Schools, AVS, NSTA, etc. (Vegas, Phoenix, Tampa, Atlanta)•Take local field trips: NRAO, NAS, LoC, HHMI, CIA, Woodrow Wilson Center, etc.•Personal meeting with congressman Wolf•Stay in contact with FCPS leadership•Provide support to informal STEM programs in FCPS Title 1 elementary schools•Write articles

My Summer Teacher Research Experience at NRAO

and its Classroom Impact

Stephen Bartlett

RET at NRAO

Summer2009

Fantastic opportunity• Studied possibility of Asteroseismology (aka: star

quakes; surface pulsations) on Neutron Stars– Created computer simulations of the physics

• A great experience– Lived and worked on campus at NRAO Greenbank-– Sat in on science lunches and informative lectures– Observed the heavens using 40 ft. radio telescope– Biked everywhere everyday (no car needed) – but had

to look out for killer bunnies in the graveyard!

What I brought back to the classroom

• New knowledge of radio astronomy and high-energy astrophysics (and high energy motivation)

• Enhanced my IB Astrophysics Option with Radio astronomy:

• Doppler effect• average particle densities of nebulae• relative galactic motion of spiral arms• Pulsars and their physics• astrobiology- many organic molecules exist in space!

• NRAO Field Trips!• And...great STEM Problem Based Learning when…

…Students collect signals from space!

Problem Based Learning, …one key to success

• The problem based learning (PBL) approach: evidence shows that students retain learning when it applies to real-world situations (Barrows, 1985)– Application of general principles leads to flexible

“transfer” of knowledge (Gick, Holyoak, 1983)

– PBL contributes to knowledge transfer for unfamiliar situations when “what if” scenarios are added to problem’s context (Vanderbilt, 1997)

PBL Example:Doppler shift in Radio Astronomy

• Analyze radio signals from Milky way nebula (galactic arm) to estimate :– The direction (away or toward Earth) the

nebula is moving– The relative speed the nebula is moving

Student Project Speed and Direction of Nebula

Solution by one student team…

The 3 Ante Meridian Crew

“Rheumatoid Arthritis”

The 3 Ante Meridian Crew

“Rheumatoid Arthritis”

By: Kristin, Lauren, Melissa, Paola, and SidneyBy: Kristin, Lauren, Melissa, Paola, and Sidney

Problem

Can radio signals from hydrogen gas in galactic clouds help us to approximate the cloud’s velocity of motion away or toward Earth?

Can radio signals from hydrogen gas in galactic clouds help us to approximate the cloud’s velocity of motion away or toward Earth?

Data and AnalysisTrial Five

RA—5:01DEC—42°

RA—5:01DEC—42°

On our final of 5 trials (of night

one), we decreased our

declination to 42 degrees, hoping for some sort of

change. Our results were still consistent; with hydrogen being

recognized at 1320.4 MHz to

1320.8 MHz.

On our final of 5 trials (of night

one), we decreased our

declination to 42 degrees, hoping for some sort of

change. Our results were still consistent; with hydrogen being

recognized at 1320.4 MHz to

1320.8 MHz.

Data and AnalysisData and AnalysisSupporting EvidenceSupporting EvidenceVELOCITIES WERE DETERMINED TO BE:

Trial 1: -57.03 km/s, -69.70 km/s, -78.15 km/sTrial 2: -42.24 km/s, -57.03 km/s, -69.70 km/sTrial 3: -16.90 km/s, -31.68 km/s, -38.02 km/sTrial 4: -14.78 km/s, -25.34 km/s, -35.91 km/s

Trial 5: -35.91 km/s, -59.14 km/s

VELOCITIES WERE DETERMINED TO BE:

Trial 1: -57.03 km/s, -69.70 km/s, -78.15 km/sTrial 2: -42.24 km/s, -57.03 km/s, -69.70 km/sTrial 3: -16.90 km/s, -31.68 km/s, -38.02 km/sTrial 4: -14.78 km/s, -25.34 km/s, -35.91 km/s

Trial 5: -35.91 km/s, -59.14 km/s

What students learned during this problem solving activity

1. Understand why neutral Hydrogen has a resonant frequency of 1420.4 MHz, and locating it on the chart.

2. What a signal’s peak freq. with respect to this resonance tells them

– If at a lower frequency, then red-shifted

– If at a higher frequency, then blue-shifted

3. How to find relative speed of nebula from signal’s peak frequency: – subtract the peak cloud frequency from 1420.4 MHz,

– divide difference by 1420.4 Mhz.

– multiply quotient by the speed of light in Km/s (3.0E5 Km/s) to determine relative velocity of cloud with respect to the Earth. (ans. vary ~0 to 160 km/s)

…. and then, the “What if?”

• “What if” you needed to find the galactic location of the nebula that generated the radio signal?

Student Project Nebula’s location in the Galaxy

Student’s solution……..

Galactic Points of Analysis

Now it’s your turn….

• Analyze the radio signal plot in your handout to estimate :– The direction (away or toward Earth) the nebula

is moving– The relative speed the nebula is moving

hints: The resonant frequency of neutral hydrogen’s quantum spin flip transition is 1420.4 MHz. (21 cm)

The telescope charts 100 MHz below that (intermediate freq. of receiver)

Your signal Chart

Y axis: Signal strength Janksy’s (Jy)~500 Jy/15 cm

X axis:Frequency sweep.1 MHz/mark

f0 = 1420.4 MHz(from antenna)RCV. Mixer freq. shown on chart

Questions?