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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
354
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Education and Public Outreach and K-12 Issues
Since the time of the 2003 decadal study, the community of NASA-supported, discipline-focused
education and public outreach (EPO) professionals (e.g., the Heliophysics Education and Public Outreach
Forum 5 ) has grown in size and capacity to connect the scientists, missions, and results of the solar and
space physics research community with potent dissemination partners in the world of K-12 education (e.g.,
science teacher professional societies and teacher networks in physics and Earth science) and informal
education (i.e., science centers and planetariums). Scientific professional societies like AGU now host
more than 20 education sessions at their meetings, and the AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA)
Division has a very strong EPO committee. Thus EPO professionals have become close and vital allies in
the cultivation of a healthy scientific workforce and should be considered members of that workforce in
solar and space physics.
Many members of the community felt that NASA and NSF should consider programs and workshops
to support the EPO skills and partnership of solar and space physics EPO professionals and solar and space
physics researchers. EPO professionals and physics educators are essential members of the solar and space
physics workforce who are working collaboratively with scientists to develop the solar and space physics
workforce as well as public support and interest in solar and space physics.
Of particular note is the existence of a growing national standards movement that will have an increasing impact in science and mathematics education nationwide. These standards (the Common Core 6 and
the Next Generation Science Standards 7 ) are being adopted by many states and will guide instruction
through the next decade. The NASA Heliophysics Education Forum will play a critical role in providing
bridges between the scientific research community and the standards movement.
Background for Findings and Priorities and Description of Research Projects
Undertaken by the Education and Workforce Working Group
The cross-discipline Education and Workforce Working Group’s mission as defined by the decadal
survey committee was to identify trends, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and to give strategic
guidance related to education and workforce issues in solar and space physics. The working group identified four broad themes (workforce, the community, university programs, and K-12 education) around which
to organize its findings and conduct surveys. Six studies were initiated by the working group, as detailed
in the following sections of this appendix.
COMPILATION OF CURRENT SUMMER SCHOOLS
In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of “summer schools” in which specialized
solar and space physics content is taught, with graduate students being the largest (but not only) audience.
The summer school established by the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM) has been
seen as particularly successful. 8 Table D.1 is a list of summer schools identified by the Education and
Workforce Working Group.
5 See NASA, SMD EPO Forums, available at http://smdepo.org/node/546.
6 See Common Core State Standards Initiative website, available at http://www.corestandards.org.
7 See Next Generations Science Standards website, available at http://www.nextgenscience.org.
8 R.E. Lopez and N.A. Gross, Active learning for advanced students: The Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling Graduate Summer School, Advances in Space Research 42:1864-1868, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2007.06.056, 2008; S. Simpson, A Sun-to-mud
education in two weeks, Space Weather Quarterly 2(7):S07002, doi:10.1029/2004SW000092, 2004.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
354
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Education and Public Outreach and K-12 Issues
Since the time of the 2003 decadal study, the community of NASA-supported, discipline-focused
education and public outreach (EPO) professionals (e.g., the Heliophysics Education and Public Outreach
Forum 5 ) has grown in size and capacity to connect the scientists, missions, and results of the solar and
space physics research community with potent dissemination partners in the world of K-12 education (e.g.,
science teacher professional societies and teacher networks in physics and Earth science) and informal
education (i.e., science centers and planetariums). Scientific professional societies like AGU now host
more than 20 education sessions at their meetings, and the AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA)
Division has a very strong EPO committee. Thus EPO professionals have become close and vital allies in
the cultivation of a healthy scientific workforce and should be considered members of that workforce in
solar and space physics.
Many members of the community felt that NASA and NSF should consider programs and workshops
to support the EPO skills and partnership of solar and space physics EPO professionals and solar and space
physics researchers. EPO professionals and physics educators are essential members of the solar and space
physics workforce who are working collaboratively with scientists to develop the solar and space physics
workforce as well as public support and interest in solar and space physics.
Of particular note is the existence of a growing national standards movement that will have an increasing impact in science and mathematics education nationwide. These standards (the Common Core 6 and
the Next Generation Science Standards 7 ) are being adopted by many states and will guide instruction
through the next decade. The NASA Heliophysics Education Forum will play a critical role in providing
bridges between the scientific research community and the standards movement.
Background for Findings and Priorities and Description of Research Projects
Undertaken by the Education and Workforce Working Group
The cross-discipline Education and Workforce Working Group’s mission as defined by the decadal
survey committee was to identify trends, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and to give strategic
guidance related to education and workforce issues in solar and space physics. The working group identified four broad themes (workforce, the community, university programs, and K-12 education) around which
to organize its findings and conduct surveys. Six studies were initiated by the working group, as detailed
in the following sections of this appendix.
COMPILATION OF CURRENT SUMMER SCHOOLS
In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of “summer schools” in which specialized
solar and space physics content is taught, with graduate students being the largest (but not only) audience.
The summer school established by the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM) has been
seen as particularly successful. 8 Table D.1 is a list of summer schools identified by the Education and
Workforce Working Group.
5 See NASA, SMD EPO Forums, available at http://smdepo.org/node/546.
6 See Common Core State Standards Initiative website, available at http://www.corestandards.org.
7 See Next Generations Science Standards website, available at http://www.nextgenscience.org.
8 R.E. Lopez and N.A. Gross, Active learning for advanced students: The Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling Graduate Summer School, Advances in Space Research 42:1864-1868, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2007.06.056, 2008; S. Simpson, A Sun-to-mud
education in two weeks, Space Weather Quarterly 2(7):S07002, doi:10.1029/2004SW000092, 2004.