White Papers Submitted to the AAS 2016 Task Force on Education Task Force Members

227 Pages·2017·19.21 MB·English

White Papers Submitted
to the
AAS 2016 Task Force on Education

Task Force Members:
Nancy Brickhouse
Kim Coble
Pamela Gay
David Helfand
Sarah Higdon
Charles Liu (Chair)
Alice Olmstead
Ed Prather
Travis Rector
Alex Rudolph

AAS Staff Liaison to the Task Force:
Gina Brissenden
White Paper Submission to the AAS Education Task Force**
(**Note: White papers were submitted in many different forms; when content was submitted as text in an email, a document was created on behalf of the author(s))
Page Author Last Names Title*
(*Note: When authors did not provide a title, one was created on their behalf.)
1 Arcand White Paper on the Power of Images in Astronomy Communications &
Education
3 Berriman White Paper: Application of Professional Data Processing Tools in E/PO Work
5 Biermann Astronomy’s Role in International Relations
7 Bridgman An Important Component for Addressing Pseudo-Scientific Claims in
Astronomy and other Physical Sciences
10 Brinkworth, Byrd Skaer, Prescod- Building an Inclusive AAS - The Critical Role of Diversity and Inclusion Training
Weinstein, Teske, & Tuttle for AAS Council and Astronomy Leadership
17 Brissenden Diversity and Education: They Are Linked!
18 Bruning Assessment of Educational Impact
19 Burchheim AAS should embrace the Small-Telescope, Non-Traditional Research
Community
21 Clarkson, Bord, Swift, Rasmussen, Sustaining Educational and Public Outreach Programs in Astronomy
Matzke, Murrell, LoPresto,
Campbell, Clubb, & Salliotte
24 Coble, Bellovary, Brinkworth, The AAS Astronomy Education Board’s Role in Implementing Inclusive
Burgasser, Holley-Bockelmann, Astronomy Recommendations
Faherty, Isler, Mink, Moreno,
Murphy, Norman, Rigby, Rudolph,
& Stassun
28 Coble, Arvidsson, Grin, Grube, & AAS-Sponsored Astronomy Education Partnerships with MSIs
Trouille
29 Connelly, Kastner, Kartaltepe, Education and Public Outreach Activities Hosted and Supported by the
Richmond, Robinson, Vazquez, Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics at the Rochester Institute of
Almeda, & Punzi Technology
34 Cruz Briefing Memos
43 Dcruz Professional Development, Education Research, and Meeting Costs
45 DeVore Why foster and support education and outreach aimed at the public?
47 Dixon How to Be a Better Professor to Your LGBT+ Students
48 Feldmeier The AAS and United States Planetariums: More Communication, More
Cooperation, and Future Opportunities
50 Fienberg 1 Professional-development workshops on teaching and learning
62 Fienberg 2 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
63 Forman Working to Establish a Resource Archive for Use in Developing Astronomy
Courses
64 Foukal Science in Our Time
71 Fraknoi, Morrison, & Wolff A Free High-Quality Open-Source Textbook in Astronomy
72 Fraknoi & Wentzel Astronomy Education and the American Astronomical Society
92 Fraknoi 1 A Role that Fits the AAS like a Glove: Training Early Career Astronomers for
Both Teaching and Outreach
94 Fraknoi 2 What Education and Outreach Work Should the AAS Be Engaged in?
96 Fraknoi 3 Publishing Papers on Astronomy Education Research and Practice: An Ongoing
Dilemma
100 Garmany AAS Education Task Force White Paper about Education Outreach to the
Native American Community
101 Geller The State of Education and Public Outreach in Astronomy and Today’s State of
Affairs Compared to that of a Half Century Ago
103 Genet & Trimble Small Telescope Research Communities of Practice
105 Gorkavyi The Popularization of Astronomy through Books and Movies
107 Gugliucci, Crowl, Tan, Ribaudo, Astronomy Education at Small Institutions
Bochanski, Hamilton, & Clarkson
113 Helfand Graduate and Undergraduate Education and EPO
115 Hintz White Paper for the Implementation of Educations Endeavors for the American
Astronomical Society
118 Holbrook & Traweek White Paper on African American Astronomy Graduate Students
120 Hooper White Paper on Improving Mentored Experiences in Research in Astronomy
and Physics
125 Howard White Paper for Education/Professional Development
127 Hunter Increasing Diversity in Astronomy and Physics
128 Jenks Making the AAS More Relevant, and Known of, to Younger Astronomers
130 Kamenetzky & Crossfield How Smooth is the Transition from Academia to Industry?
131 Kamenetzky Availability of AAS Job Register Statistics
132 Keeton & Ballentine Lessons from a Structured Program for Undergraduate Research
135 Keohane Platform to Share Our Ideas and Classroom Materials
137 Kuchner Marketing for Scientists
139 Lesyna White Paper about SETI Courses for Students
140 Liss, Sokal, Beaton, Johnson, & the Dark Skies, Bright Kids! and the Value of Repeated Interactions with
DSBK Team Elementary School Students
143 Lloyd-Ronning & Fryer Achieving More Inclusive Science Education
145 Lutz Astronomer Involvement in Their Local Community of Astronomy Educators
and with National Organizations
147 Masters On the Use of Real Data
148 Mathews, Kadooka, Armstrong, Hawaii Student / Teacher Astronomy Research
Nassir, Meech, Gal
152 McDaid The Right Balance
153 McIntosh 1 Freshman University Pre-STEM Program
154 McIntosh 2 A Bridge to the Stars: High School-to-College Pipeline to Increase STEM
Diversity
156 Michaud Gemini Observatory’s “Practical” Vision for Local Outreach
158 Muna Astroinformatics and Astronomy of Tap
160 O'Connell Professional Development, EPO, and Education Reform
162 Olmsted & Chambers Enabling Instructors as Partners an Undergraduate Instructional Change
165 Olmsted & Prather The Need to Understand Success in Preparing the Next Generation of
Astronomers
166 Pasacoff Preparing Students for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Across America
167 Pearson An Online Video Series for Young Children Suitable to Formal and Informal
Learning Environments
169 Perera & Buxner Establishing a Presence on YouTube for Formal and Informal Astronomy
Education
174 Prather Framework to Guide the AAS Education Task Force’s Decision-Making
Regarding Educational Programs for the AAS
176 Rebull Getting Educators Involved in Authentic Astronomy Research
183 Rector The Need to Develop Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in AAS Members
184 Rehnberg & Nevin Going Above & Beyond: A Cross-Disciplinary Planetarium Program
187 Rudolph (Lack of) Diversity in Graduate Education in Astronomy
189 Sanders, Kohler, Villar, Faesi, & Transitioning Undergraduates to Research Careers: Introducing the
the Astrobites Collaboration Astrophysical Literature in Bites
194 Scott & Schaefer Public Outreach and Educator Professional Development at Towson University:
Baltimore Project ASTRO"
197 Short OpenStars: Web-based Pedagogical Computational Modeling for Astronomy
Education and Public Outreach
199 Shupla Educator Professional Development in Astronomy
201 Siemiginowska Relevance of Astrostatistics and Astroinformatics to Education
203 Smith Ways Scientists Can Meaningfully Participate in Education and Outreach
204 Storrs Teaching with a Planetarium
207 Summers & Eisenhamer The Scientist-Educator Partnership
209 Swift Thacher Observatory
211 Towner 1 AAS Members’ Engagement with the Public and Public Policy
213 Towner 2 Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention
215 Ubach Public Outreach
216 Wilds Concern about the Quality of Results of Education in Astronomy and the
Effectiveness of Astronomical Educational Outreach
218 Wolf-Chase Outreach to the “Science Apprehensive Public”
220 York & Masters A Comment on Outreach for STEM Oriented Students
222 Zingale, Timmes, Fisher, & O’Shea The Importance of Computation in Astronomy Education
White Paper on the Power of Images in Astronomy Communications & Education
Kimberly K. Arcand, Chandra X-ray Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)

Introduction

Images have the potential to convey powerful messages to the public. In astronomy, images of space are
particularly important as they can serve as powerful tools of communication, education, and inspiration.
However, the public’s understanding and trust in the veracity of these images is paramount. In an age of
easy manipulation of images, and frequent separation of the image from its context, the question arises as
to what is perceived as “real” by those viewing images for science communications. Research that seeks
to study the concept of "image as truth" in astronomy and related science communications, which also
effects representation of such data in educational environments, is a critical component of any forward-
looking strategic plan or vision. We argue it is essential in understanding how the astronomical
community can use these images as vehicles to deliver the concepts of scientific discovery and the
associated excitement to the widest possible audiences.

Background
The Aesthetics & Astronomy group (A&A) at SAO is comprised of astrophysicists, astronomy image
development professionals, educators, and specialists in the aesthetic and cognitive perception of images
working together to examine how astronomical images are perceived and how they communicate science
to the public, whether to educators, students, experts or non-experts. To our knowledge, there is no other
research group of its kind, filling a needed role in studying our relationship with and reaction to images of
space and beyond. Since its inception in 2008, A&A has published findings related to expert/non-expert
differences in perceptions, misconceptions held by the public, emotional responses to images, the use of
processed color in images, and how best to communicate content to educate and engage the public, among
others (see Smith et al; Arcand et al references).

Research Questions
One aspect of the A&A research program is that it continues to evolve and expand its scope as new lines
of questioning reveal themselves based on the findings that are uncovered. There are some common
themes in the research that include questions as such:
1. How much do image viewers trust that what is depicted in an image is an accurate representation
of the science?
2. How persuasive is the image in terms of visually conveying the intended message?
3. What text information best communicates the intended message for an image, and for which
audience(s)?

Underpinning such research is the knowledge that astronomical data can translate into powerful imagery
for the public. There is also much discussion in this age of Photoshop about what is “real” in images
(Rossner & Yamada, 2004; Schwartz, 2003).

Solution
In its eight years of existence, the A&A group has conducted several studies involving many thousands of
participants. The result of these efforts has been dozens of talks and articles, as well as research papers
that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Science Communication, Curator, and Studies in
Media and Communication. While this work has laid the foundation for what could be a burgeoning field
of study, much remains to be done.

The A&A project seeks both additional partners and new sources of funding to examine how to continue
its study of this area to better understand how viewers of varying levels of expertise interact with and
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perceive images from science. Ultimately, this would help establish how best to build confidence in the
veracity of the images and comprehension of the scientific information accompanying them.

Establishing the perceptions, misperceptions, emotional reactions, and comprehension of images that have
been designed to communicate with the greater public regarding astronomy and related sciences could
improve relationships with those topics. Providing initial guidelines on how images and their
accompanying text can better communicate the science associated with these important areas should be an
area of focus. By developing such “best practices” guidelines, the A&A project has the goal of helping
all of those involved with creating and disseminating astronomical images to optimize their efforts and
achieve the most desirable results.

References
Arcand, K.K., Watzke, M., Rector, T. Levay, Z.G., DePasquale, J., Smarr, O. “Processing Color in
Astronomical Imagery”, Studies in Media and Communication, December 2013.
Arcand, K. K.; Watzke, M.; Smith, L. F.; Smith, J. K. “The Aesthetics of Astronomy: Exploring the
Public's Perception of Astronomy Images and the Science Within” Astronomical Data Analysis Software and
Systems XX (ADASSXX) Evans,, I.N, Accomazzi, A., Mink, D.J. & Rots, A.H. (eds). Vol 442, p179-187. 2011.
Arcand, K.K., Watzke, M., Smith, L, Smith, J.K "Surveying Aesthetics & Astronomy: A project exploring
the
public’s perception of astronomy images and the science within" Communicating Astronomy with the Public. Issue
10 December 2010.
Rossner, M., & Yamada, K.M. (2004). What's in a picture?: The temptations of image manipulation.
Journal of Cell Biology, 166, 11-15.
Schwartz, D. (2003). Professional oversight: Policing the credibility of photojournalism. In L. Gross, J.S.
Katz, & J. Ruby (Eds.), Image Ethics in the Digital Age (pp. 27-51). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Smith, L. F., Arcand, K. K., Smith, J. K., Smith, R. K., Bookbinder, J. (2015). Is That Real? Understanding
Astronomical Images. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 7(5), 88 - 100.
Smith, L.S., Arcand K.K, Smith, J.K, Smith, R.K, Bookbinder, J., Watzke, M. "Examining Perceptions Of
Astronomy Images Across Mobile Platforms" JCOM Science Communication Journal. March 2014.
Smith, L.F., Smith, J.K., Arcand, K.K, Smith, R.K., Bookbinder, J., & Keach, K. (2010). Aesthetics and
astronomy: Studying the public's perception and understanding of non-traditional imagery from space. Science
Communication, (Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 201-238).
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research (2nd ed.). Newbury
Park, CA: Sage.

2
White
 Paper:
 Application
 of
 Professional
 Data
 Processing
 Tools
 in
 E/PO
 Work.

Bruce
 Berriman
 (IPAC,
 Caltech)

Senior
 Scientist,
 IPAC

PI,
 Montage
 Image
 Mosaic
 Engine

May
 27,
 2016.

Introduction

Amateur
 astronomers
 and
 educators
 asked
 whether
 they
 could
 run
 the
 Montage

image
 mosaic
 engine
 on
 the
 Windows
 platforms
 preferred
 by
 these
 user

communities.
 Yet
 Montage
 was
 intended
 as
 a
 tool
 for
 professional
 astronomers,
 and

was
 only
 designed
 to
 run
 on
 common
 *nix
 platforms.
 Thus
 I
 have
 become
 interested

in
 how
 professional
 tools
 can
 be
 extended
 to
 support
 E/PO
 efforts.

 The
 Montage

team
 has
 begun
 development
 of
 a
 Windows
 based
 version,
 an
 effort
 that
 is
 raising

some
 interesting
 issues
 I
 would
 like
 to
 bring
 to
 the
 attention
 of
 the
 Society.
 Please

note
 that
 I
 am
 a
 Senior
 Scientist
 at
 IPAC,
 I
 work
 heavily
 in
 the
 software
 and

technology
 side
 of
 astronomy,
 and
 I
 do
 not
 teach
 and
 am
 not
 connected
 formally

with
 the
 educational
 community.

History:
 Building
 an
 E/PO
 Version
 of
 a
 Professional
 Tool.

Amateur
 astronomers
 and
 communities
 of
 educators
 with
 access
 to
 small

telescopes,
 generally
 used
 by
 middle
 and
 high
 school
 students
 (e.g.
 through
 the

Skynet
 network),
 have
 requested
 a
 version
 of
 Montage
 that
 ran
 on
 Windows.
 This
 is

needed
 because
 these
 telescopes
 are
 equipped
 with
 only
 small
 CCD
 chips
 where
 a

single
 images
 covers
 only
 part
 of
 an
 extended
 source.
 Creating
 a
 Windows
 enabled

version
 itself
 is
 not
 difficult
 with
 the
 Cygwin
 Windows
 emulator.
 What
 complicates

the
 effort
 is
 that,
 while
 these
 communities
 create
 data
 in
 FITS
 files,
 these
 files

contain
 no
 image
 footprint
 information
 (WCS
 headers),
 and
 no
 image
 calibration,

both
 assumed
 by
 Montage.

 We
 only
 learned
 this
 through
 contacts
 with
 educators

involved
 in
 the
 NASA/IPAC
 Teacher
 Archive
 Research
 Program
 (NITARP).

 We
 were

referred
 to
 them
 by
 the
 NITARP
 lead
 at
 IPAC.

 Armed
 with
 this
 knowledge,
 we
 have

become
 positioned
 to
 generate
 a
 tool
 that
 is
 valuable
 to
 educators
 –
 we
 are
 using

astrometry.net
 to
 derive
 WCS
 information,
 and
 developing
 approximate
 calibration

techniques.

 We
 were
 only
 able
 to
 understand
 the
 needs
 of
 these
 communities

through
 collaborations
 with
 experienced
 educators.
 Our
 technical
 goal
 is
 to

integrate
 Montage
 into
 the
 image
 processing
 packages
 used
 by
 educators
 to
 enable

maximal
 take-­‐up.

How
 Can
 the
 Society
 Help
 Support
 This
 Type
 of
 Work?

We
 had
 to
 spend
 a
 lot
 of
 time
 trying
 to
 connect
 with
 educators.
 Had
 NITARP
 not

been
 based
 at
 IPAC,
 we
 may
 well
 never
 have
 made
 these
 essential
 connections

and
 never
 understood
 the
 educators’
 needs.

3
This
 raises
 the
 question
 of
 how
 astronomers
 wishing
 to
 connect
 with
 E/PO

communities
 to
 support
 the
 use
 of
 professional
 software
 can
 do
 so,
 especially
 as
 NSF

proposals
 require
 a
 strong
 E/PO
 program.
 This
 may
 be
 especially
 important
 for

early
 career
 astronomers
 who
 have
 yet
 to
 develop
 an
 extensive
 professional

network.
 I
 would
 ask
 the
 Society
 to
 consider
 the
 role
 they
 play
 in
 helping

astronomers
 connect
 with
 E/PO
 communities.

 For
 example:

• Hold
 workshops
 on
 best
 practices
 for
 developing
 outreach
 versions
 of

professional
 applications.

 These
 can
 be
 supported
 by
 e.g.
 successful
 cases

studies
 and
 a
 set
 of
 best
 practices.

• A
 “Clearing
 house”
 to
 facilitate
 collaborations?
 One
 approach
 may
 be
 a

registry
 of
 E/PO
 specialists
 who
 wish
 to
 collaborate
 with
 astronomers.

Another
 may
 be
 to
 supporting
 “calls
 for
 collaborators”
 when
 astronomers
 are

developing
 an
 E/PO
 program.

4
Astronomy’s Role in International Relations
White Paper (via email text)
Peter L. Biermann (MPI) <[email protected]>

Looking into the far future the most important aspect is the
international competition among different countries for the best, and
that includes getting young people motivated from at least age 3 or even
earlier. In the far distant future the economies may be ranked by sheer
size of population, and if so, then the US will be rank 4, after China,
India and Europe. However, as well illustrated by my own family's
experience, the US is unique in nurturing the young and gifted. That is
a very special US strength, which the US needs to build on, to recognize
and support the young. What the US is doing very badly is in the cost
of all these steps of education, which means that it gets very few of
the best and brightest from among those who cannot possibly afford even
the very first step. How could a young woman in northern Myanmar even
know about Wellesley College, let alone know about options for funding?
Ditto someone from rural Mississippi. That very first step is very
haphazard, and the prospective cost is debilitating. Another step where
the US is quite irrational is giving a work permit after finishing
college, after the quality of someone has been recognized. There are
outstanding young people whom their international company moves to the
UK or some other country, when for no good reason the US refuses to
issue a work permit.

From my experience the conclusions are three-fold: 1) The US should
do a whole lot more to motivate, educate, and integrate the very young
among its own population, including not just the MINT topics, but also
the humanities, since the US needs people who speak and understand other
languages and cultures (not understanding other countries can lead to
trillion dollar mistakes, and hundreds of thousand of people killed).
Such efforts ought to begin at age 3 or even earlier. 2) The US should
offer much more generous fellowships to aspirants from itself as well as
other countries, with a dedicated program to identify the best and
brightest from a really young age. 3) The US should offer to keep the
best and the brightest after they finish their education. It ought to
be the decision of the young whether they want to go back, move on to
another country, or stay in the US. They should be lured not kicked.

Astronomy has the advantage to cover all of physics (higher energy
particles than the LHC at CERN; higher energy neutrinos than any
accelerator; gravitational waves impossible in any Lab; and photons from
the very early universe). Astronomy provides the motivation for very
many academic pursuits, especially in physics, chemistry and
5
mathematics. But Astronomy also provides a superb international
environment, with a large fraction of all marrying someone from another
country, often another continent, with any children then multi-national
and multi-language citizens. So Astronomy can play a unique role.
6