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MECSAT

MECSAT. Shermane Austin Medgar Evers College, CUNY Affiliate: New York State Space Grant Consortium. National Space Grant Director’s Meeting March 2, 2007, Washington, DC. About Medgar Evers College. Senior college in the City University of New York – approximately 5,500 students

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MECSAT

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  1. MECSAT Shermane Austin Medgar Evers College, CUNY Affiliate: New York State Space Grant Consortium National Space Grant Director’s Meeting March 2, 2007, Washington, DC

  2. About Medgar Evers College • Senior college in the City University of New York – approximately 5,500 students • Student enrollment - primarily African-American and Caribbean-American • Primarily teaching institution • Emphasis on undergraduate research in STEM areas • Partnerships with other CUNY units • Located in heart of Central Brooklyn

  3. NASA Programs at MEC • New York State Space Grant Consortium • Affiliate Director – Shermane Austin • Area: BalloonSAT • Target: undergraduate and high school students • MURED-supported programs: • MUSPIN Areas: Earth Science, Space Science and Technology Target: faculty, undergraduate and K-12 • OSS/MUCERPI: New York City Space Science Research Alliance Area: Space Science education & research, CUNY BS in Space Science Target: faculty, undergraduate • SEMAA and Honorable Major Owens Aerospace Education Lab Areas: Earth Science, Space Science and Robotics Target: Middle and high school students

  4. Colorado Workshop Graduates • Attended Student Hardware Workshop in June, 2004 • Team partner, Michael Fortney, launched ongoing collaboration with Vermont State Space Grant

  5. MECSAT • BalloonSAT based at Medgar Evers College with launches in upstate New York and Northern Vermont • 25 or so launches in the past two years - 13 were ozonesondes • Student payloads: data logger, Geiger counter, CO2 monitor, thermopile array, cameras, etc.

  6. Other launch activities • Occasional travel to observe and learn from other BalloonSAT groups • Great Plains Super Launch - July, 2005 (hopefully again this summer) • Borealis/Montana State University – August, 2005

  7. MECSAT Launch Base • Located in Paradox, NY in the Adirondacks on 400 acres of private property • Used for year-round student and faculty launches and workshops • Base station for ozone profiles

  8. MECSAT – Vermont Launches • Better terrain for landing and recovery • Hosted by Vermont State Space Grant and Milton High School • Student housing provided Vermont Space Grant – often in UVM dorms • Payloads from MEC undergraduate and New York City high school students • Flights also used as CricketSAT platforms developed by Michael Fortney with Vermont high school students

  9. Ozonesonde Launches • Provide students with links to NASA science • Physical variables include: ozone mixing ratio (ppmv), temperature and frost point • Required additional equipment: • ECC 2Z ozonesondes with interface board for Vaisala 80-15 radiosondes • Calibration and Test Unit • Equipment funding from Aura EPO program • Training provided by John Merrill, University of Rhode Island • Continue to use KTU at URI for lab prep of sondes

  10. Integrating High School Students • Summer Academy for NYC high school students • Surface ozone investigations using GLOBE protocols • Linkages to ozone profiles

  11. IONS06 Participation • Intex Ozonesonde Network Study – PI: Anne Thompson, Penn State U. • Transport and distribution of tropospheric ozone • Part of Aura Data Validation Team • Intensive observation campaign in April and August including validation of OMI and TES instruments during satellite overpasses • MECSAT/Paradox base is one of the IONS stations

  12. “Mapping Ozone” • New York Times video of one of our ozonesonde launches

  13. Curriculum Integration Existing courses: Air and Water Pollution Scientific Computing (for Data Analysis) Remote Sensing Special Topics in Space Science (Physics) – Applications in Earth and Planetary Science Special Topics on the Environment

  14. Additional Partnerships and Workshops • Workshop for University of Houston, Downtown and South Carolina State University faculty and students interested in ozone monitoring programs • CUNY units: CCNY, LAGCC, QBCC, York • Upcoming workshops and launches with faculty and students in MUCERPI and MUSPIN networks • Workshops and launch participation for area high schools

  15. Acknowledgements • New York State Space Grant Consortium • Vermont State Space Grant Consortium • Bill Hiscock, Montana State Space Grant Consortium • John Merrill, University of Rhode Island • NASA AURA E/PO Program • NASA/MUSPIN-CUNY NRTS • NASA/MUCERPI-NYCSSRA • HP Teaching with Technology

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