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Teachers Find Meaning in Data through NASA Internships

Sep 02, 2016

Original Article: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/teachers-find-meaning-in-data-through-nasa-internships

At the end of the past school year, while many teachers and students were easing into a summer break, Chris Marentette and Robert Bujosa were packing up to head to their summer internships at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

They had the somewhat daunting task of gathering and analyzing data from 16 schools that participated in the Long-term Engagement in Authentic Research with NASA (LEARN) and Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programs under the guidance of NASA Langley scientist Margaret Pippin.

GLOBE is an international science and education program that provides students and the public with the chance to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and make meaningful contributions toward a better understanding of the Earth’s system and global environment.

Through the GLOBE program, Bujosa and Marentette, along with 14 other intern science teachers, participated in the GLOBE Aerosol Campaign. The campaign’s purpose is to study aerosol optical thickness data (AOT) — the degree to which aerosols prevent the transmission of light in the atmosphere. Understanding aerosols is necessary to fully understand the environment and climate change.

Robert Bujosa, left, a teacher who interned at NASA Langley this summer, presents his research on the statistical analysis of historical aerosol optical thickness data at the GLOBE Annual Conference in Estes Park, Colorado.

Bujosa and Marentette were hand-picked for the GLOBE program because of their extensive training in research and data analysis from LEARN, which came in handy as they worked their way through the mounds of data that came in various forms from a multitude of instruments. Together, they had four weeks to gather and analyze the data in preparation for the annual GLOBE Conference, where Bujosa and another GLOBE colleague, Gay Reilly, would present their findings.

“Sometimes, people get the impression that data just tells you something, but there’s a lot that you have to do with the data to get to those numbers that really mean something,” Marentette said. “You have to be willing to go down blind allies to find the substance.”

Through the GLOBE Aerosol Campaign, Pippin provided participating teachers and science students with instruments and resources to measure AOD, and input the data. The campaign extended to students who could experience the importance of scientific data, and play an active role in the scientific community.

“Students were able to make connections with their own environment and compare it to a bigger picture,” Bujosa said. Some of the students furthered their research and pursued science fairs to present their research findings.

In addition to data analysis, Bujosa and Marentette had opportunities to participate in experiences that were unique to NASA’s teacher interns. Marentette went to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore to fly on a C-130 aircraft during the Atmospheric and Carbon Transport, or ACT-America, campaign. She was able to talk with scientists and pilots in flight about the data collected for the campaign.

From this experience, she plans to show her students at Groves High School in Michigan that science careers are varied, diverse and even adventurous. She hopes that by sharing her experience with students, they are able to visualize themselves as scientists.

“The education programs held at NASA empowers educators to inspire and guide our young learners to the possibilities of science careers,” Marentette said.

Presenting at the GLOBE Annual Conference at Estes Park in Colorado was a one-of-a-kind experience for Bujosa, who presented his own research on the statistical analysis of historical AOT. Bujosa analyzed AOT from the GLOBE database in an attempt to establish a correlation between AOT and sky conditions. After his presentation, he had the opportunity to speak with GLOBE program managers about his own authentic research.

Bujosa and Marentette will take their experience at NASA back to their classrooms. Bujosa teaches at Northbrook High School in Houston, Texas. Northbrook is in a low-income, mostly Hispanic community with only about 10 percent of the student population continuing a higher education. Bujosa’s experience with GLOBE allows him to provide insight into the field of science and help him to make it an achievable goal for his students.

Since his involvement with GLOBE, his students have become much more interested in the sciences, particularly Earth science. This year, he is teaching aquatic science and chemistry and has had more than half of his past students sign up for his courses this fall.

As they pack up again to head back home to a new school year, Marentette and Bujosa will return to their classrooms inspired and passionate about Earth science, equipped with a tool bag of scientific resources, and with data-driven research experiences alongside scientists at NASA Langley to boot.

As part of her teacher internship, Chris Marentette went to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore to fly on a C-130 aircraft during the Atmospheric and Carbon Transport, or ACT-America, campaign.

MaryAnn Jackson
NASA Langley Research Center

Last Updated: Sept. 2, 2016

Editor: Joe Atkinson