LIGO

1. LIGO Outreach Southern University – LIGO Educational Outreach Collaboration: An Overview S. C. McGuire Department of Physics Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge, LA 70813 *Work supported by NSF Grants No. PHY-0101177 and PHY-0355471. --- Talk presented at the 18th LIGO Program Advisory Committee Meeting LIGO Livingston Observatory May 19, 2005

2. LIGO Outreach Talk Outline • LIGO Science Education Center Outreach Project • Mission • Southern University Project Goals • Role of the SUBR Physics Department • Summary and Future Work

3. LIGO Outreach LIGO Science Education Center Outreach Project • MISSION • To develop a Center at the LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO) equipped with hands-on exhibits in LIGO-related science. • To integrate the LLO Center, its exhibits and activities, into pre-service and in-service education at Southern University Baton Rouge (SUBR).

4. LIGO Outreach SUBR Project Goals • The overall goal of the LIGO educational outreach project is increasing the number of certified middle and high school physical science teachers. • Provide LIGO science professional development to in-service and pre-service teachers. • Significantly enrich K -12 education with LIGO science concepts. • Increase student learning gains in LIGO science.

5. LIGO Outreach COLLABORATORS Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge, LA (SUBR) College of Education Departments of Physics and Mathematics Louisiana Board of Regents LaSIP/LaGEAR UP Program San Francisco Exploratorium California Institute of Technology and MIT Livingston and Hanford Observatories National Science Foundation

6. LIGO Outreach SUBR PERSONNEL Mildred R. Smalley, Principal Investigator Vice Chancellor for Research Ivory L. Toldson, Project Director Dean, College of Education Verjanis Peoples, Assistant Project Director Associate Dean, College of Education Luria S. Stubblefield, Science Education Specialist Assistant Professor, College of Education S. C. McGuire, High School Content Coordinator Chair, Department of Physics Joseph Meyinsse, Middle School Content Coordinator Chair, Department of Mathematics

7. LIGO Outreach Proximity of the LIGO site to Southern University

8. LIGO Outreach Research and Teaching “X-ray absorption in high purity synthetic Al2O3 and LaMnO3 -based materials” Alex Harvey, Jr., Shelli Pace, Laurence L. Henry and Stephen C. McGuire Department of Physics Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813 Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) 2001 Annual Report, p. 81. “The effects of thermal insulation due to isolation in seismic vaults” Keisha C. Williams Southern University Honors College Thesis Timbuktu Academy Scholar LIGO Mentor: SzabolcsMarka Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA 70813 May 2001

9. LIGO Outreach Research and Teaching “Gamma-ray spectroscopy: modern physics aspects of gamma-ray measurement and detection” Anthony R. Pullen Timbuktu Academy Scholar Honors Option in Physics 271, Modern Physics, Spring 2002. Southern University Honors College Report Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA 70813 “Applications of 99mTc gamma-ray emission: Trace element detection and cancer diagnosis” Rachel D. McKinsey Undergraduate AAPM Fellow, 2003 Timbuktu Academy Scholar Special Problems in Physics (Physics 493; 3 cr) Ph.D. program in Medical Physics University of Wisconsin NSF Graduate Fellow Caltech

10. LIGO Outreach Role of the SUBR Physics Department • Stimulate joint activities between SUBR faculty and students and LIGO scientists. • Adjunct faculty appointments in physics for participating LIGO scientists • Establishment of SUBR – LIGO seminar series • Create LIGO visitors facilities at SUBR • Create LIGO Scholar appointments for SUBR faculty • Support LIGO outreach sabbatical leaves by SUBR faculty • Collaborate with College of Education to upgrade laboratory facilities for teaching Methods and Materials in Teaching Science. • Produce enhancements to existing introductory physics courses: • Earth Science, Algebra-based General Physics, Calculus-based General Physics • to emphasize “LIGO science concepts.”

11. LIGO Outreach Department of Physics Recent Department Seminar Speakers David Reitze, University of Florida “LIGO: Lasers at the Frontiers of Physics” October 20, 2004 S. James Gates Jr., University of Maryland “Can Superstring/M-Theory Be Seen in the Sky?” October 1, 2004 Michael Zucker, Caltech “Listening to the Universe with LIGO” March 24, 2004 Edward E. Doomes, CAMD/LSU “X-ray Absorption Studies of Tailored Chemical Systems” April 21, 2004 Theda Daniels-Race, LSU “Quantum Well Based Phenomena Produced via Solid Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy” April 7, 2004

12. LIGO Outreach Role of the SUBR Physics Department • Stimulate joint activities between SUBR faculty and students and LIGO scientists. • Adjunct faculty appointments in physics for participating LIGO scientists • Establishment of SUBR – LIGO seminar series • Create LIGO visitors facilities at SUBR • Create LIGO Scholar appointments for SUBR faculty • Support LIGO outreach sabbatical leaves by SUBR faculty • Collaborate with College of Education to upgrade laboratory facilities for teaching Methods and Materials in Teaching Science. • Produce enhancements to existing introductory physics courses: • Earth Science, Algebra-based General Physics, Calculus-based General Physics • to emphasize “LIGO science concepts.”

13. LIGO Outreach ScienceExhibit Concepts INTERFERENCE Bridge Light Interference Patterns Long Path Diffraction (SUBR) Michelson Interferometer Soap Film Painting Soap Films GRAVITY Balancing Stick Bouncing Ball Center of Gravity Falling Feather Gravity Well Gravity's Rainbow Satellite Orbit Simulator (SUBR) LASER AND LIGHT C – The Light The Light Island (SUBR) Hologram Stuff Inverse Square Law Model LASER Demonstration Spectra Zeemann Effect WAVES Bells Echo Tube Theremin Turn Off the Sky (giant polarizer) Vibrating String (SUBR) Water Waves Wave Machine (suspended type) Wave Propagation Device Wave Upon Wave WAVE PROPAGATION Doppler Effect Sound Spectrogram Walking Beats Watch Dog RESONANCE Pendulum Snake Pendulum Table Resonant Pendulum Resonant Rings Resonator (SUBR) Ultraviolet Greenhouse

14. LIGO Outreach A Standards-based Approach

15. LIGO Outreach First Joint SUBR-LIGO Faculty Convocation College of Education Department of Physics Department of Mathematics LIGO Livingston Observatory August 24, 2004

16. LIGO Outreach First Joint SUBR-LIGO Faculty Convocation

17. LIGO Outreach Current Activities • LIGO Exhibit Training: May 18-19, 2005 (LLO) • External Evaluator Interviews: May 19, 2005 • Inaugural LEPAC Meeting: May 20, 2005 • Delivery and Installation of five (5) SUBR Exhibits: May 31 – June 3, 2005 • SUBR-LIGO Exhibit Training: June 11-12, 2005 • J. K. Teacher Preparation Conference July 21-22, 2005 • SUBR Professional Development Workshop: July 25-30, 2005 • Timbuktu Academy Summer Program Presentation: June, 2005, S. McGuire • LIGO Livingston Summer 2005 RET Program Participation: R. B. McNair • Algebra-based physics (PHYS 141-142) course redesign: E. E. Doomes and C. • Zhang

18. LIGO Outreach Future Work • Expanded involvement of additional faculty from physics and other • disciplines on campus in LIGO research and outreach. • Secure funding for LIGO Scholar Appointments. • Undergraduate and graduate student recruitment program • enhancements • SUBR SPS Chapter involvement in LIGO Exhibit Usage • Use of docent training as volunteerism for graduation requirement • Implementation of academic year LIGO exhibit workshops (10) • Continuation of course redesign with extension to calculus-based • introductory physics courses in the second year.

19. LIGO Outreach Questions? and/or Discussion --- Talk presented at the 18th LIGO Program Advisory Committee Meeting LIGO Livingston Observatory May 19, 2005