Distributing Sloan Digital Sky Survey Plates and Posters as Interactive Teaching Tools
Abstract
Thousands of aluminum spectroscopic plug plates from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys await second lives as teaching tools in the Plates for Education program. Educators from formal and informal settings around the globe can take part in this program, which was launched in August of 2015. As part of this EPO effort, educators are provided with a plate, a corresponding poster, and educational materials (through the voyages.sdss.org website). Each plug plate represents the spectroscopic targets from a unique three-degree section of the sky. The poster displays the optical image associated with the target area. Together with the SkyServer Plate Browser and Navigate tools, students can locate individual objects, examine spectra, and pursue their own studies. As of September 2015, forty-five plates and posters had been distributed to teachers during professional development workshops. Follow-up research will be conducted to determine how effective the plates and posters are in teaching students about astronomy and the SDSS data. Materials and outlines for conducting professional development workshops are available to SDSS collaborators interested in hosting their own educational events.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22724602S