| Directing Space |
| From the Directors |
Two Universities— one Center: That is certainly an attractive theme and one which I am pleased—and proud—to see that we have successfully nurtured during the formative years of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary sciences. In this second issue of our newsletter, it is worth reflecting on the two-universities/one-center theme, summarizing where we have been and looking forward to where we are going.
The current major collaborative effort between UArk and OSU is the development of new degree programs, MS and PhD, in space and planetary sciences. In an environment of limited financial resources and declining state support, the concept of a joint degree program between the universities and the sharing of vital resources is a very attractive mechanism for building new programs. Administrators at both universities have latched on to this aspect with enthusiasm. Our Center is leading the way for this type of future collaboration between our two universities. The road to establishing a new degree program is long and tedious, but we are embarked on it with enthusiasm and commitment. I look forward to a positive outcome.
Connected with, but separate from, the new degree program is the second major topic of collaboration for our Center— namely, the NSF IGERT proposal. Following a negative outcome to our first attempt last year, we were encouraged by a positive review of our second pre-proposal and are in the throes of a new full proposal; more on this in due course.
A related collaborative program is the Center’s NSF REU award. The first year, organized it seems at lightening speed due to a slow announcement from the NSF, was a tremendous success with students at the two sites being made to feel part of a single group. The field trips and presentations were particularly valuable and I feel that our REU program will go from strength to strength in the years ahead.
Of course, the real value of a center such as ours lies not, I believe, in establishing new education programs, but rather in growing collaborative research between individual research groups at the two universities. So many of the exciting problems in science lie at the boundaries between traditional research areas, and CSAPS provides an ideal vehicle for fostering collaborations across disciplines. Certainly, the Andromeda chamber will be a catalyst for such collaborations, but even outside of the work being done in the chamber I anticipate that as time passes the members of our Center will establish more research contacts with colleagues from the partner university and in doing so provide outstanding opportunities for our students. This, I believe, is where the Center’s real value will emerge. I look forward to being a part of it.
Stephen McKeever, Co-Director
| Space Education |
| Space Center Scientist Publishes Powerpoint Lectures |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.-A University of Arkansas professor has enhanced one of the most popular astronomy textbooks by pairing it with a PowerPoint presentation. His presentation will appear with the second edition of the textbook, distributed to astronomy classes nationwide.
Claud Lacy, professor of physics and member of the Center for Space and Planetary Science prepared the PowerPoint presentation for use in his undergraduate "Survey of the Universe" course. When Jay Pasachoff, the textbook’s author, heard about this presentation, he asked Lacy if he could use it as a resource to support his textbook. The publishers, Brooks/Cole Publishing, will distribute the files on a CD-ROM to university professors adopting the book for their university courses.
Lacy, who has taught at the University of Arkansas for 25 years, suggests that after about 20 minutes most people have a hard time focusing on a lecture alone. He has therefore devised a number of methods to hold the attention of his students, and he has incorporated these methods into a PowerPoint presentation.
His methods include Think-Pair-Share questions, Roundtable, Brainstorm, Discussion Questions, Send-A-Problems, Didadic Essay Confrontations, and lecture demonstrations. He put considerable effort into the project, Lacy said, and he’s pleased that his work will benefit students all over the world.
| Sharing Space |
| Ron Greeley from Arizona State University |
“Exploration of the jovian satellites”
Ronald Greeley is a Regents' Professor at Arizona State University. He has been involved in lunar and planetary studies since 1967.
Dr. Greeley's lecture will be on the moons of Jupiter. Of Jupiter's 18 known natural satellites, four (collectively called the Galilean satellites after Galileo Galilei, their discoverer) are substantial-sized objects: the inner most, Io and Europa, are about the size of Earth's moon and are predominantly rocky objects; the outer two, Ganymede and Callisto, are about the size of the planet Mercury.
His lecture will focus on data from the earlier Pioneers 10 and 11, and Voyager spacecrafts, and the more recent Galileo spacecraft (which is still orbiting Jupiter) that have revealed volcanic eruptions on Io; a shell of water some 150 km thick on Europa, the surface of which is frozen and beneath which might exist an ocean; a tectonically disrupted Ganymede; and a wonderfully preserved early impact record of the jovian system on Callisto.
He will also talk on the future exploration of the Jupiter system that will focus on Europa because it is a prime target for exobiology.
| Space Visitors |
| Christopher P. McKay |
Christopher McKay, a distinguished astrobiologist from NASA Ames, will be visiting the center, March 23–26.
Dr. McKay received his Ph.D. in Astro–Geophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center since that time. His current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human settlements. Dr. McKay has been involved with polar research since 1980, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys and more recently to the Siberian and Canadian Arctic to conduct research in these Mars-like environments.
Dr. McKay is an external advisor for the center and he will attend the annual external advisors board meeting on March 24. On the following day, March 25 he will visit with colleagues in the Biological Sciences department; he will give a seminar entitled “Life on Mars: Past, Present and Future” at 3:30 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium.
Dr. McKay is also the invited speaker that evening at the annual Sigma Xi banquet. He will present the keynote address. This lecture is sponsored by the Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences.