News

UP High School Students help NASA Track Solar Activity

July 22, 2025

Marquette Senior High School students  Dominic Camili and Samuel Uchytal are help NASA and the University of Michigan track solar activity using $500 antenna kits as part of a summer internship. By analyzing radio signals from solar eruptions, their work contributes to early warning systems that protect satellites, power grids, and internet infrastructure from solar storms. The project offers students real world science experience and a unique way to make a meaningful impact outside of the ingclassroom.

 

Full article and news interview can be found here:

UP High School Students help NASA Track Solar Activity

 

Morrison Students help University of Michigan Researchers with NASA Solar Disturbance Study

June 28, 2025

Ten students from Morrison High School are contributing  to NASA’s research on solar disturbances through the SunRISe Ground Radio Lab. With guidance from UMich researcher and MHS alum Ward “Chip” Manchester, the students installed a $500 antenna in their school’s roof to detect low frequency radio waves linked to solar storms. These early signals can help protect satellites, power grids, and astronauts by providing advance warnings. The program now active in 18 high schools nationwide, offers hands on engagement inspiring the next generation of space scientists and engineers. 

 

Full article can be found here:

Morrison Students help University of Michigan Researchers with NASA Solar Disturbance Study

 

University of Michigan and NASA Partner with High School Students to Track Solar Storms

June 25, 2025

High school students across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are partnering with NASA and the University of Michigan in the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab to monitor solar radio bursts, early indicators of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and GPS systems. Using affordable $500 antenna kits designed by UMich students, participants install equipment, complete online training in radio astronomy, and upload real time data that supports ongoing scientific research. This hands-on STEAM initiative not only contributes to understanding solar activity but also inspires students to explore careers in the rapidly growing space industry with support and certification from NASA.

 

Full article can be found here:

University of Michigan and NASA Partner with High School Students to Track Solar Storms

 

SunRISE Manuscript is Published in an Issue of Earth and Space Science Journal

June 25, 2025

The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab is a national initiative led by the University of Michigan and sponsored by NASA’s sunrise mission. High school students fron across 18 school are using ground based antennas to detect and study solar radio bursts, signals from the Sun linked to powerful solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These student led observations help scientists understand solar activity and its potential effects on Earth. By combining hands-on learning with real space science, young researchers are able to contribute valuable data to the global scientific community. 

 

Full publication can be found here:

SunRISE Ground Radio Lab: Monitoring Solar Radio Bursts With an Expansive Array of Antennae at High Schools Nationwide

 

Summer Students Scan the Radio Skies with SunRISE

May 28, 2025

L.Y. Zhou, a senior at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, MI, presented research on solar radio bursts at the 2024 SHINE conference in Juneau, Alaska. Zhou’s work was part of the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab (GRL) project, a NASA supported initiative that trains students to collect and analyze space weather data.

Zhou collaborated with other high school students from Michigan and Puerto Rico to look through thousands of hours of solar observations, identifying and categorizing powerful solar radio emissions. Their findings help scientists better understand how these burst impact Earth’s communiction and navigation systems.

 

Full article can be found here:

Summer Students Scan the Radio Skies with SunRISE

 

WTMC Earth and Space Science Club’s Antenna Installation 

December 11, 2024

Sruthilaya Rajavelu-Mohan, a pre-engineering student as Washtenaw Technical Middle College (WTMC), participated in a NASA sponsored internship with the University of Michigan’s SunRISE Ground RadioLab where she had the opportunity to analyze solar burst data. Her experiences from this internship inspired her to start the WTMC Earth and Space Science Club where as the President, she led her members in successfully constructing and installing an antenna on the OE building to monitor solar burst activity. Despite various weather related challenges, the team completed the project on January 30th, 2025. 

 

Full articles can be found here:

WTMC student explores beyond earth, space with NASA-sponsored internship

Photo Story: WTMC radio tower built on the OE roof

Marquette High School Students Research Solar Flares

November 19, 2024

Students at Marquette Senior High School (MSHS) are researching solar flares as part of the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab project. They are led by their teachers Stephen Atwood and Joe Thomas. Their works focuses on analyzing the solar data to gain a deeper understanding of these space weather events and their potential effects on earth. 

The next phase of this project will begin next fall with the installation of two antennae sensitive to longer wavelengths at MSHS. Only MSHS will be involved in this phase. In conjunction with the ground observations in Marquette, NASA will launch six satellites.

Full article and interview can be found here:

Marquette High School Students Research Solar Flares