Aug. 20, 2008
Wheeling Girl Scouts to Map the Moon with 'WALL-E'
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Wheeling, WV (HNN) — Members of a Wheeling Girl Scouts troop will help NASA test a yet-to-be released educational activity based on the new Disney-PIXAR movie, "WALL-E."
The girls' troop leader, Meri Cummings, Ph.D., manages the NASA educational product review process for the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future at the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. She arranged with the activity's designers to have her members of the Organized Chaos troop test the activity Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 from 9-10 a.m. at the center through a videoconference connection via the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN).
Directive: Mapping the Moon with WALL-E features WALL-E and EVE, characters from the movie. In the activity several students role-play either a satellite or different surface features of the moon. The satellite passes by and sends a light beam (a bounced kickball to the surface). A recorder measures the time it takes the signal (the bounced ball) to return to the satellite. This represents using LIDAR to map the surface of the moon. LIDAR refers to Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing system used to collect topographic data. Students plot the timed data and connect the points to get a sense of the surface of the moon and how LIDAR is used. This is one of the missions of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a lunar orbiting satellite scheduled to launch in February or March.
Friday's hookup will take place in the center's Discovery Center. The test is part of a two-day DLN workshop at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The program's designers are aiming to have the activity available through the DLN by Sept. 1. To sign up, visit dln.nasa.gov.
"Our Girl Scouts troop is a robotics team, so the WALL-E and EVE robots were of special interest to them," Cummings said.
Educators also are welcome to sign up for the Robotics Workshop for Educators and Youth Group Leaders set for Sept. 13 at the Center for Educational Technologies. Visit www6.cet.edu/cet/robotics for details.
The Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies (www.cet.edu) houses cutting-edge educational technology in its 48,000-square foot facility on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University. In addition to the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, the space agency’s principal research and development center for educational technologies, it is home to the Challenger Learning Center®, one of 51 worldwide established by the Challenger Center for Space Science in memory of the space shuttle Challenger. It provides students, teachers and adult learners with simulations that emphasize teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills.
One of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit University offers students a high-quality private education. Since 1995 U.S. News & World Report has ranked Wheeling Jesuit University among the top institutions in its “Best Master’s Universities in the South” category. The campus is also home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center and the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute. For more information, please call 1-800-624-6992.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
Wheeling Girl Scouts to Map the Moon with 'WALL-E'
 |
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Wheeling, WV (HNN) — Members of a Wheeling Girl Scouts troop will help NASA test a yet-to-be released educational activity based on the new Disney-PIXAR movie, "WALL-E."
The girls' troop leader, Meri Cummings, Ph.D., manages the NASA educational product review process for the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future at the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. She arranged with the activity's designers to have her members of the Organized Chaos troop test the activity Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 from 9-10 a.m. at the center through a videoconference connection via the NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN).
Directive: Mapping the Moon with WALL-E features WALL-E and EVE, characters from the movie. In the activity several students role-play either a satellite or different surface features of the moon. The satellite passes by and sends a light beam (a bounced kickball to the surface). A recorder measures the time it takes the signal (the bounced ball) to return to the satellite. This represents using LIDAR to map the surface of the moon. LIDAR refers to Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing system used to collect topographic data. Students plot the timed data and connect the points to get a sense of the surface of the moon and how LIDAR is used. This is one of the missions of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a lunar orbiting satellite scheduled to launch in February or March.
Friday's hookup will take place in the center's Discovery Center. The test is part of a two-day DLN workshop at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The program's designers are aiming to have the activity available through the DLN by Sept. 1. To sign up, visit dln.nasa.gov.
"Our Girl Scouts troop is a robotics team, so the WALL-E and EVE robots were of special interest to them," Cummings said.
Educators also are welcome to sign up for the Robotics Workshop for Educators and Youth Group Leaders set for Sept. 13 at the Center for Educational Technologies. Visit www6.cet.edu/cet/robotics for details.
The Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies (www.cet.edu) houses cutting-edge educational technology in its 48,000-square foot facility on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University. In addition to the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, the space agency’s principal research and development center for educational technologies, it is home to the Challenger Learning Center®, one of 51 worldwide established by the Challenger Center for Space Science in memory of the space shuttle Challenger. It provides students, teachers and adult learners with simulations that emphasize teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills.
One of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit University offers students a high-quality private education. Since 1995 U.S. News & World Report has ranked Wheeling Jesuit University among the top institutions in its “Best Master’s Universities in the South” category. The campus is also home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center and the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute. For more information, please call 1-800-624-6992.
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
