Presentation Abstract

Presentation Number 248.12
Presentation Time: Tuesday, Jan 11, 2011, 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Title Using NASA Archives in High Schools to Study AGN
Author Block Helen Petach1, T. Spuck1, K. Meredith1, E. Ramseyer1, V. Gorjian2
1NASA-NITARP, 2JPL.
Abstract The NITARP (NASA IPAC Teacher Archive Research Project) program provides a link between NASA researchers and high school teachers and students. This past year the Luminous Data Miners (LDM) developed and implemented a research plan to investigate whether the UV light emitted from the accretion disk of an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) is correlated with the IR emission from its surrounding dust. Contemporaneous data was obtained from the GALEX and Spitzer data archives for a set of galaxies. Scientists, teachers, and students from across the country work together in this authentic research experience. Students learned about the physics of the science in question, the structure of the archived data stored in NASA databases, extraction methods for obtaining relevant data, use of photometry tools to make brightness measurements, and relevant correlations that could be determined. Our results suggest that students are eager to have these research opportunities and will make use of data archives to carry out research projects to answer relevant questions. This poster will highlight the process the students and teachers went through and the tools they developed along the way.