Background

High schools across the United States are participating in a radio science campaign, in collaboration with the University of Michigan and NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission, due to launch in 2024. The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab (GRL) engages citizen science using a multi-frequency radio telescope to observe radio emissions from Jupiter, the Sun, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Earth.

The SunRISE GRL aims to complement SunRISE’s measurements in space, and to engage the public and educate the next generations of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) scholars through hands-on citizen science campaigns.

There are many benefits to high school students and the science community:

• Inspire students to become citizen scientists
• Increase science literacy and understanding of the scientific process
• Provide a hands-on experience in radio astronomy
• Expand a network of radio telescopes for advanced projects
• Enable access to online observatories and real data
• Facilitate the exchange of data and ideas among participants

Our team at the University of Michigan College of Engineering will support the deployment of a dual-dipole antenna (free of charge), as well as the training of the host high school staff and student teams.

About the Program

Upon confirmation, high school staff in the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab will receive the antenna kit, which is expected to ship by summer 2023. Our team will also make training modules available to students on a range of topics, including radio astronomy, space physics, and science data collection and analysis.

Upon successfully completing the training modules, students will receive certificates of completion for participating in this project, approved by the University of Michigan College of Engineering and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Office of Education.

The high school teams will host the antenna system, as well as collect data and upload data. Upon completing the training modules, the teams will have the opportunity to further participate in science studies by radio science experts to identify events, such as solar radio bursts, auroral disruptions, and Jovian emissions. The teams will have the opportunity to participate in monthly webinars and Q&A sessions with the SunRISE leadership team, and other space physics and engineering experts.

Participating High Schools

Join this list of participating high schools and organizations in fostering citizen science.

• Ann Arbor Skyline High School, Michigan
• Saline High School, Michigan
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida
• The Residential Center of Educational Opportunities of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
• Trinity Christian School, West Virginia