Summary: MSU’s National Teachers Enhancement Network is hosting a short workshop on Oct. 19 that introduces a NASA-supported project through which classrooms learn to fly kite-borne remote sensing instruments.

 

A high-resolution photo to accompany this story is available on the Web at:

 

Caption: MSU is a partner on a national NASA-supported project through which teachers fly kites with weather meters and aerial cameras to collect earth science data. Photo courtesy of MSU Extended University.

 

 

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BOZEMAN—Montana State University’s National Teachers Enhancement Network, or NTEN, will host a free teacher workshop from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in the Strand Union Building on the MSU campus. The first 25 teachers to register will receive a free beginner’s kite kit from Into The Wind.

 

Teachers will learn about MSU’s role as a partner on a NASA-supported project called the Aerokats and Rovers Education Network, or AREN. According to the website, the project is designed to train the next generation of scientists, engineers and other professionals to observe and understand planet Earth through experiential learning using NASA technology and data in real-world settings.

 

As outlined in its mission, AREN uses kite-based, low-cost instruments to gather remotely sensed Earth observations. The project will enable the delivery of NASA remote sensing and in-situ observation concepts, technology and data into formal and informal educational settings. AREN also intersects with the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment program, commonly known as GLOBE. Since 1995, GLOBE has provided students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process.

 

Next year, MSU will offer online professional development opportunities for educators, including an earth sciences course that will provide middle and high school teachers with the basics of atmospheric science and data collection to complement participation in the AREN project.

 

Participants can also learn about the Northwest Earth and Space Science Pipeline, another NASA-MSU partnership.

 

To register, visit https://eu.courses.montana.edu/CourseStatus.awp?&course=17FPDAREN. To learn more about the national AREN project, visit https://www.globe.gov/web/aren-project/overview.

 

MSU NTEN has offered professional development and educational resources to more than 25,000 science teachers since it was established in 1993. For more information, visit http://eu.montana.edu/nten.

 

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This story is available on the Web at: http://www.montana.edu/news/17188