Astrophysics Summer Institute

Each summer twenty outstanding students and ten physics teachers from New Jersey high schools are invited to Rutgers University to learn first hand how to do research in X-ray astrophysics. The Astrophysics Summer Institute at Rutgers University strives to improve the level of science education by involving teachers and their students in conducting authentic basic research. Moreover, the program challenges the teachers to learn interactive teaching methods that can be applied in their high school physics and astronomy classes. This innovative program that brings together scientific research and improved instructional techniques is conducted by professors Terry Matilsky and Eugenia Etkina  in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Graduate School of Education.

The focus of the program is to make use of the NASA archives holding data from satellites that observed celestial X-ray sources such as neutron stars and black holes. These data are accessible via the Internet. But before downloading and analyzing this information, the students and teachers are put through a rigorous program that covers the fundamentals of physics, astronomy, and mathematical analysis needed to understand and extract the information from the NASA satellite data. The teachers participate in the program by applying interactive instructional techniques to explain fundamental physics concepts that are applied in astronomy and astrophysics. The teachers also help the students to perform a number of college-level lab experiments that convey relevant scientific concepts. In addition the teachers and the students learn the basics of the UNIX and LINUX operating systems and F- tools, software needed to analyze archival X-ray data. Thus, the teachers and their students actively participate together.

We invite high school students and their physics teachers to apply. We can only accept 10 schools (two students and one teacher from each school). That is why we encourage you to make your decision early.

This summer the program starts June 26^th and ends July 21^st. The participants will arrive at 8.45 a.m., start working at 9 a.m., have a break for lunch from 12 to 1 p.m., and finish at 3 p.m. Lunch is provided.

Participation includes class and homework which is assigned every day. Three university undergraduate credits can be received (but registration for credits is not required) by the students and graduate credits by the teachers if the program is successfully completed. The students and the teachers will receive stipends contingent upon registering for the credits.

Beginning September 2000. schools must agree to support the work of the participants by providing them with direct, easy access to a computer (Windows 98 version is required), modem and communications technology, including communications software, a dedicated phone line, Internet access, and FTP (P-II 266, 64 MEG RAM, STB 128 Velocity graphics video card, 10 base T LAN card for networking capabilities).

Dr. Eugenia Etkina
Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
10 Seminary place New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1183