henderson dusel cdrcrop.unl.edu/claes/broaderimpacts_12_22_06.doc · web viewinstructional...

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12 Broader Impacts Henderson DUSEL S3 Proposal 12. Broader Impacts (owner: Claes) 12.1 An Integrated Program of Research and Education How did our universe come to be? What is it made of? What is the dark matter that astronomers have shown forms 23% of the universe? Where does mass come from? Do the recently established observations that neutrinos have mass provide any clue? How deeply does life extend into the Earth? How do microorganisms found deep underground fundamentally differ from those that live on the surface? Are there new life forms to be discovered? Do they hold secrets to the origin of life? What lies deep beneath the Earth’s surface? Why is the Colorado Mineral Belt one of the most lucrative mining districts in the world? How accurately do surface measurements and drill-hole samples predict what is unseen below? What are the challenges of working in extreme conditions deep underground? DUSEL will investigate some of the most fundamental and engaging questions that humans have posed about their world. Its multidisciplinary swath provides something to capture almost anyone’s imagination and provides a wonderful example of interdisciplinary science. DUSEL science is cool! Doing research deep underground is hot! 12.1.1 An Overview of Our Guiding Principles An exceptional opportunity exists at Henderson DUSEL to build an integrated education and outreach program where multidisciplinary research dovetails with education. E&O programs connected to the science of DUSEL will reach students, teachers, scientists, and the general public through K-16 instructional material development, outreach programs to regional schools and communities, research experiences for undergraduate students and teachers, professional development workshops for teachers, exchange activities for undergraduate and graduate students, a visitors center, and outreach to the state and nation through a variety of online and distance education resources. Our goal is to expose a diverse group of students and teachers to enhanced science instruction through engagement with active scientific investigation and to interest the 216

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Page 1: Henderson DUSEL CDRcrop.unl.edu/claes/BroaderImpacts_12_22_06.doc · Web viewInstructional Materials: Two categories of instructional materials will be developed in collaboration

12 Broader Impacts Henderson DUSEL S3 Proposal

12. Broader Impacts (owner: Claes)12.1 An Integrated Program of Research and EducationHow did our universe come to be? What is it made of? What is the dark matter that astronomers have shown forms 23% of the universe? Where does mass come from? Do the recently established observa-tions that neutrinos have mass provide any clue?How deeply does life extend into the Earth? How do microorganisms found deep underground funda-mentally differ from those that live on the surface? Are there new life forms to be discovered? Do they hold secrets to the origin of life? What lies deep beneath the Earth’s surface? Why is the Colorado Mineral Belt one of the most lucra-tive mining districts in the world? How accurately do surface measurements and drill-hole samples predict what is unseen below?What are the challenges of working in extreme conditions deep underground?DUSEL will investigate some of the most fundamental and engaging questions that humans have posed about their world. Its multidisciplinary swath provides something to capture almost anyone’s imagination and provides a wonderful example of interdisciplinary science. DUSEL science is cool! Doing research deep underground is hot! 12.1.1 An Overview of Our Guiding PrinciplesAn exceptional opportunity exists at Henderson DUSEL to build an integrated education and outreach program where multidisciplinary research dovetails with education. E&O programs connected to the science of DUSEL will reach students, teachers, scientists, and the general public through K-16 instructional material development, outreach programs to regional schools and communities, research experiences for undergraduate students and teachers, professional development workshops for teachers, exchange activities for undergraduate and graduate students, a visitors center, and outreach to the state and nation through a variety of online and distance education resources. Our goal is to expose a diverse group of students and teachers to enhanced science instruction through engagement with active scientific investigation and to interest the general public in our science. Briefly, we will build on the following principles:

Locale: We will attract and engage a large audience by capitalizing on the Henderson Mine’s unique setting along major tourist corridors surrounded by hiking and skiing trails in the beautiful Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Scope and Impact: A “cradle-to-grave” strategy will build interest in science at an early age, increas-ing student participation as “scientists” in appropriate, authentic research experiences from grade school through college. By targeting teachers and teaching faculty we will make the greatest impact.Diversity: DUSEL E&O programs will reach out to a diverse group of students and members of the public. The Laboratory will make special efforts to attract groups typically underrepresented in science and engineering through partnerships with community colleges and universities and professional and community organizations.Collaboration: The Education and Outreach Office will bring together a diverse group of project scientists, K-12 teachers, and local community members to define needs, prioritize program plans and develop and conduct programs. Partnerships: Partnerships with educational institutions, organizations, and industries with significant synergy, both local and national, have already been established and will continue to grow. In addition DUSEL will work to develop links with the outreach efforts of underground laboratories around the world.

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Assessment: Program and facilities development and implementation will be guided by appropriate formative and summative assessment. With assistance from our partners we will design an overall evaluation plan including internal and external evaluation.Structure: The main components—informal science education, formal science education, and public outreach—will be implemented in three phases: Phase 1 precedes ground-breaking, culminating with the opening of the temporary visitors’ center, and covers approximately the period from 2007 through 2009; by the end of Phase 2 (2008 – 2010, overlapping substantially with Phase 1) we will have com-pleted the permanent onsite visitors’ center; Phase 3 begins in 2010 and marks the implementation of our initial suite of educational programs. Early plans will focus on a few programs that can be done well. The pace will increase as the group gains experience and the audience grows.12.1.2 Location, location, locationLocated in the center of one of the country’s major tourist destinations, the unique draw of the Front Range/metropolitan Denver area will make it possible to reach large audiences. The Henderson Mine is situated at the edge of Arapaho National Forest where the Jones Pass and Berthoud Falls Pass trails meet, along the major north-south corridor connecting the destination resorts of Loveland Pass and Winter Park. The average daily traffic count on I-70 through Clear Creek County is 42,000 and along US 40 it is 7,100. The nearby Georgetown Visitors Center draws 254,000 visitors a year; the Idaho Springs Visitor Center and Mining Museum 45,000; Georgetown Loop Railroad 65,665; US Forest Service Information Center in Idaho Springs 26,127. The large per day visits occur from May through September.  (Notice that most K-12 school visits would be during the slack months).) Both the Georgetown and Idaho Springs Visitors Centers will carry bi-lingual displays on DUSEL; Georgetown already displays two posters on the science to be pursued at the proposed Henderson-DUSEL.The Mountain Communities immediately adjacent to Henderson include the 6 school districts of 5 counties (Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, Summit) with 817 teachers serving 11,432 K-12 students. The 7 Front Range Counties (Arapaho, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, and Weld) include an additional 40 school districts with 27,887 teachers serving 492,344 students. There are eight major colleges and universities one hour from Clear Creek County including CU Boulder, University of Denver, CO School of Mines, Red Rocks Community College, and Metropolitan State College of Denver, with CSU only a bit further away.12.1.3 Our Target Audience: Teachers Speak for ThemselvesIn order to compete globally our nation requires a scientifically literate general public strongly supporting research, and well established pipelines into STEM careers. The emphasis cannot be solely academic, but must encompass all careers that require STEM training: engineers, scientists, technicians, teachers, regulators, and contractors.This suggests a broad target audience. We need to excite the general public to appreciate why they should support DUSEL efforts. We need to engage visiting K-12 students, undergraduates, and graduate students to build and nurture their interest in STEM. We need a program designed for teachers, clearly the most cost efficient way to reach large numbers of students. These programs must also involve the community colleges which train many engineers and technicians. The needs of the STEM fields are so great that proposed programs must not exclude students in financial need or the small rural schools, and must recruit effectively to include all under-represented groups.

From inception, the Henderson DUSEL collaboration has integrated planning for education along with planning for research. To facilitate planning input was collected from over 150 educators from Colorado to Long Island in an effort to identify their needs and learn how they felt those needs could best be met by a national laboratory: not only what they’d expect from a national Educational & Outreach program, but what they would actually use. A series of special workshop sessions for area

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educators were organized in conjunction with each of the three Denver-area Henderson DUSEL topical workshops and the Stony Brook Capstone Workshop (see Sect. 12.5 Prior Work). Informal discussions followed presentations to the Denver Area Physics Teachers group, the Midwest Regional NSTA Conference, local chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and a DUSEL exhibit to the general public at CSU’s Little Shop of Physics annual open house. There was strong consensus on few frequently recurring suggestions:

It is essential that any Visitor Center include an underground experience. Such a Center should have classroom and lab facilities for visiting classes, providing experiences

unavailable to the typical classroom. Instructional material must be specifically tied to the National Science Standards. These

standards often dictate a fully packed school year; teachers cannot easily accommodate new topics or enrichment units. Their need is for novel approaches to presenting required topics. Teachers are excited by illustrative examples from cutting edge science.

Teachers need, and seek professional development opportunities that provide continuing ed and graduate hour credits; specifically, teachers are all greatly concerned with the need that all become highly qualified in teaching areas.

In the sections that follow we describe a Visitors’ Center that includes the very facilities our teachers expressed an interest in, instructional programs designed specifically to follow the National Standards, and a series of preservice and professional development programs that offer the opportunity to earn graduate and continuing credit hours. We propose to provide an underground experience several ways: with above ground displays, interactive exhibits lining a horizontal drift that visitors will dress up in safety gear to enter, and virtual 3D deep underground tours projected in a fulldome digital planetarium.12.1.4 A “cradle-to-grave” approach A long-range strategy of targeting, assessing, and tracking is proposed that starts by building interest in science at an early age, and with the general public, increasing student involvement as they progress from grade through middle and high school. Students will participate as scientists in authentic research experiences in school classrooms, online, in the visitor center classrooms and labs, and in underground facilities. By targeting teachers we can impact a generation of students. Teachers will gain understanding of the nature of science in summer research experiences and in research-scenario workshops and learn how to translate those experiences into classroom activities and investigations. By initially concentrating locally, resources will be better focused on development and assessment. Best practices (in transfer to the classroom, classroom methods and pedagogy, student and teacher-based research programs, recruitment and sustaining long term interest) will be surveyed, developed in consultation with scientists (education researchers as well as DUSEL scientists) into specific applications, assessing them along the way, and building upon what works. Successful programs will be disseminated nationally.We will build on our collective experience of success in three existing programs:

The Biogeochemical Education Experience – South Africa, a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) where undergraduate students from multiple disciplines work with an interdisciplinary team examining biogeochemical processes in the deep subsurface.

The Little Shop of Physics (LSOP), a hands-on program that each year reaches over 15,000 students and offers workshops in science instruction to over 200 teachers around the world.

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The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project, a nationally recognized outreach program engaging high schools in a study of correlated extended cosmic ray air showers across Nebraska is the model for the SALTA (Snowmass Area Large Time-coincidence Array) project.

12.1.5 DiversityDeep underground science and engineering research projects may attract a different type of individual to science and engineering. The cross-disciplinary synergy, which is starting to appear, promises to foster a new breed of scientists and engineers skilled in multiple-science techniques and crosscutting applications.Many of the students who take part in programs at the DUSEL facility will be from the nearby Denver Public School District, the largest in the state. DPS is a truly diverse district, with a student population that is 50% Hispanic, 20% African-American, 20% Anglo and 10% Native American, Asian-Ameri-can and other ethnicities. The Broader Impacts Committee has met with local chapters of the American Indian Science and En-gineering Society, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Black Engineers. These groups were quite excited about opportunities to take part in the programs of the Laboratory. These connections will grow and help us attract and retain a diverse community of stu-dents and scholars.Partnerships with universities will facilitate the participation of a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate students in DUSEL programs. For example, the McNair program at CSU provides scholar-ships for minority students to participate in research projects. With the cooperation of the McNair pro-gram, we will identify, recruit and support a diverse population of students to do research at the labo -ratory.12.1.6 CollaborationDUSEL’s Education and Outreach Office will bring formal and informal educators and scientists to-gether to plan and conduct programs. We will actively recruit master teachers to become our partners. We will offer professional development for them to learn DUSEL science as they join development teams with scientists and other educators. We will actively encourage scientists to participate in and contribute to outreach efforts and assist them to develop their expertise in education and outreach.12.1.7 Synergistic Partnerships, Local and National Locally, LSoP involvement allows Henderson DUSEL to take advantage of the program’s 15 years of experience in science outreach. Partnerships with The Discovery Science Center, Fort Collins and the National Renewable Energy Lab will help to open DUSEL’s own Visitors Center early with fascinat-ing, effective interactive displays. The Mt. Evans Observatory offers an extreme high altitude site near Henderson, augmenting the particle astrophysics program with photon astrophysics. We have also made contact with the Denver Astronomical Society, the Denver Area Physics Teachers, the Colorado/Wyoming American Association of Physics Teachers Chapter, and University of Colorado School of Education's Science Discovery program. We have worked with the National Science Teachers Association to recruit participants and promote DUSEL science. DUSEL presentations were on the agenda of the NSTA Midwest Area Conference in Omaha. We plan for teachers nationwide to become involved in the development of DUSEL instruc-tional materials as part of a continuing series of NSTA conference workshop sessions (special ex-tended hands-on sessions), with new and returning groups of participants over several years. Material will be beta tested, assessed, further developed through brainstorming and discussion with groups at these venues, and finally distribution through these meetings. A potential partnership exists with the Pierre Auger Experiment if it opens in its selected eastern Col -orado location. Auger E&O is another University of Nebraska-led effort. Particularly significant is our connection with Fermilab’s Education Office. The Education Office has been a great help to the

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Broader Impacts Committee from the start of the S2 process. Formalizing this partnership will provide essential guidance especially in the developmental stages of the Education and Outreach office. DUSEL will join INTERACTIONS.ORG, the international collaboration of physics labs, and follow-ing the example of both particle physics laboratories and light source facilities, work to develop links with the outreach efforts of underground laboratories around the world. 12.1.8 A strong web presenceSince most of the teachers and students we hope to reach may never have the opportunity to visit DUSEL, Education & Outreach materials and programs must be offered online and through distance-learning. The asynchronous nature of the Internet can ignore the inconvenience of time zones in mak-ing its materials accessible anywhere, anytime. An interactive website will provide content for infor-mal and formal education (targeting teachers of different grade levels) and outreach to members of the general public. This material will include downloadable instructional materials, streamed video of spe-cial lab events, and eventually, as it becomes available, data and analysis tools. DUSEL experiments will be summarized by content area and searchable via the National Science Digital Library by science education standards. The site will feature live Cosmic Weather Reports from the CROP and SALTA projects and live webcasts and downloadable podcasts of lectures and programs. A weekly newsletter posted electronically will feature a “find” of the week highlighting an experiment or collaborating in-stitution, promote the lab's calendar of events, and include an “Ask-a-scientist” feature. The web site will also have trip planning advice and downloadable pre- and post-visit classroom activities; teachers will be able to plan school group tours (and the general public its own visit), customizing itineraries and downloading pre-, during, and post- visit curriculum materials. 12.1.9 Evaluation Program, exhibit, and facilities development will be informed by ongoing formative and summative assessment. University partners and local school districts will bring significant expertise in educational assessment. Working with the R&D Center, CSU’s collaborative office with the local Poudre School District, graduate students can evaluate such topics as the impact of a short-term visit on understanding and attitudes toward science; the level of content appropriate for different grade levels; the effective-ness of classroom activities and much more. This feedback may even provide publishable data on the impact of the education and outreach work of the Laboratory.Broader Impacts Committee: Dan Claes (UNL, CROP), Chair; Brian Jones (CSU, LSoP), co-Chair; Susan Pfiffner (UTK, BEESA), co-Chair; Marge Bardeen (Fermilab Education Office), Douglas Duncan (Colorado, Astronomical Laboratories), Jack Dunn (UNL, Meuller Planetarium), Chang Kee Jung (SUNY), Mark Kuchta (CSM), Barbara Monday (CU, Science Discovery), Gavin Polhemus (CSU), Robert Stencel (DU), Victor Stenger (Colorado Citizens for Science), Andrew Warnock (CSU and Discovery Science Center), and Jeff Wilkes (UW). An advisory board composed of active science teachers, informal educators, undergraduates and scien-tists will review E&O programs annually. Based on the status of the programs, the board can offer ad-vice on performance, comment on plans, and ensure that the program remains informed on national and international trends.12.2 Informal Education12.2.1 Phase 1: 2007-09On-site: Discussions with staff members of regional science centers, museums, visitor centers, and tourist attractions indicate that Henderson DUSEL could reach up to 65,000 people annually with highly unique visitor spaces and leveraging outreach opportunities. Phase 1 of the on-site development will focus on creating the first in a series of visitor spaces. This space will be located in the heart of Empire, Colorado in a former school building (Figure 12.1) located on state highway 40 that connects the I-70 corridor with the popular tourist destinations of Winter Park, Fraser, Grand Lake and Rocky

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Mountain National Park. The building will receive a modern façade and contain approximately 3,050 square feet of space for visitors. While construction at the mine is underway, the center will provide a general introduction to the Laboratory and to activities available on-site. Hands-on exhibits will en-gage visitors, a three-dimensional topographic map will showcase the trail system at the GeoPark, a simulated mine will preview the Underground Public Lab, and a gift shop will sell T-shirts and science

books and toys.

Figure 12.1. Front of the Empire School building potentially available for use as a temporary visitor’s center.

Cosmic rays form a continuous background of radiation, playing a significant role in driving the evo-lution of life on earth, as well as driving physics experiments sensitive to their passage underground. Rock can provide a natural shield for both life forms and experimental apparatus. SALTA student teams along the Roaring Fork Valley and Front Range community schools will be linked together to monitor local cosmic ray activity and study correlated extended air showers. A small array of 4 SALTA scintillation panels will run at the Visitor's Center, tied to the SALTA (CROP and WALTA) grid. In the center's lobby (and possibly the entrance to the lab itself), monitors will display live local cosmic ray shower events as recorded by the SALTA schools. Development of an interpretive scientific trail system near the Henderson DUSEL site will also take place during Phase 1. Promoting the area as a science park could tap the growing international interest in UNESCO GeoParks and establish an additional draw for tourists to frequent the vicinity (even be-fore the laboratory opens). For example, on a geology hike, visitors will explore the relationship be-tween the Tertiary volcanics that host the ore deposits and the Precambrian crustal rocks that form the core of the Rocky Mountains. On a physics hike, visitors will learn the physics of gold panning or prospect for regions of higher background radioactivity. On a biology hike they will explore the eco-logical relationships between lichen species and the rocks on which they prefer to live. Facilities will be staffed by docents who can staff the building and lead hikes.Off-site: Off-site informal science education during phase 1 will piggyback on the enormously popular Little Shop of Physics (LSoP) traveling science program from CSU. LSoP reaches ~15,000 students per year all across Colorado and the Native American reservations of the southwest four corners re-gion. LSoP brings hundreds of hands-on science experiments to school gymnasiums and presents en-gaging shows that help to inspire students to become scientists. Mobile prototype hands-on experi-ments developed for the Henderson DUSEL visitors’ center will be pilot tested in the LSoP road show. The exhibit designers at the Discovery Science Center in Fort Collins, Explora in Albuquerque, and the Sciencenter in Ithaca are all interested in contributing. The LSoP will also disseminate information and brochures and help recruit teachers and students.12.2.2 Phase 2: 2008 – 10 (Note overlap with Phase 1)On-site: In Phase 2 we will work with informal science center experts and DUSEL scientists to ex-plore options in creating a master plan for the visitor experience to include a main visitors’ center and limited access underground public lab. The main center will contain approximately 7,500 ft2 of exhibit

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space providing a video introduction to DUSEL, a large vacuum spark chamber illustrating the ubiq-uity of cosmic rays, dozens of hands-on science exhibits, and an auditorium. Exhibits will broadly cover cultural and historical content as well as the current science being conducted at the laboratory. Successful LSoP prototypes will be redeveloped as full-sized exhibits. A fulldome digital planetarium will create an effective deep underground experience for visitors and offer programs on astronomy, planetary science, Native American mythology, microorganisms, and continental dynamics. The cen-ter will also feature an outdoor picnic pavilion, amphitheater/star gazing area, and interpretive scien-tific trail guides for the neighboring Arapaho National Forest.The close proximity of the Henderson Main Campus to a steep outcrop of granite provides an opportu-nity to create a horizontal underground space completely separate from mining and DUSEL opera-tions. This Underground Lab would be the world’s first underground hands-on science center, its sub-terranean setting allowing interactive exhibits available at no other facility.It may be possible to utilize an existing tunnel system (see Fig.12.2). Another possibility would be to excavate a new area closer to the main visitors’ center. The Underground Lab will feature exhibits (see Table 12.1) whose inquiry-based experiments will challenge visitors to relate observations with the "bigger-picture." Visitors will explore the propagation of seismic waves through rock. A flowing bore-hole will allow physical and chemical measurements of groundwater and provide samples for micro-bial and molecular characterization experiments. Three state-of-the-art teaching laboratories will be used for school field trips. All exhibits will be complemented by low-cost tabletop activities that can be duplicated at home.

Figure 12.2. An existing drift provides an example of the type of underground space that could be developed into an un -derground exhibit area.

We may explore the feasibility of placing the planetarium underground in this facility. A spherical theater could help visitors visualize how the UNO detector works through a simulated view from within. It could take them on a tour of their universe or the inside of a microorganism. Located at the end of a real tunnel would enhance the experienced offered by a virtual 3D deep underground experi-ence. Such a unique theater could help draw visitors. An entry tunnel with a series of Geiger counters (see Table 12.1) could be used to demonstrate how rocks are used to shield the UNO detector from cosmic rays, and thus why DUSEL has to be underground.Other facilities that support education and outreach programs include shared facilities such as an audi-torium, classrooms, surface and subsurface laboratories, computer facilities and office space. Addi-tional facilities include housing for visiting scientists, teachers, graduate and undergraduate students. The existing double-wide trailer consisting of 1,830 square feet behind the Empire School will be con-verted for use as a temporary dormitory for REU students and scientists.

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Development of exhibits will continue off-site while construction goes forward on-site.

Table 12.1. Possible exhibits for the Underground Public Laboratory

A dramatic demonstration of the elasticity of rock (top); polarized light reveals rock crystals (bot-tom)

Waves generated by a sledge-hammer are recorded by a geo-phone. From the distance and travel time, the elastic properties of the rock can be quantified.

Water sampling can be demon-strated within the underground lab (left); borehole scanners can be in-tegrated into inquiry-based exhibits.

With ~25°C/km Geothermal Gra-dient, a temperature gradient of 0.1°C could be measured by em-bedded probes in the walls under a 15’ ceiling.

Highly directional speakers will al-low visitors walking down the tunnel to hear clicks from a series of Geiger counters set up to demonstrate the attenuation of cosmic radiation.

A DeltaNu Raman Spectrometer can show the characteristic “finger-prints” of minerals. Sericitic alter-ation associated with the intrusion could be identified.

Off-site: Wherever possible we will borrow ideas from successful exhibits much as the LIGO Science Education Center in Livingston, LA has done with exhibits from the Exploratorium. However, we will want to develop some site-specific exhibits as well. Working with partners from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Discovery Science Center in Fort Collins, The Explora science center in Albuquerque, and the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York, we will decide on an overall exhibit design and prototype exhibits with audiences at our partner facilities. Once the designs have been tested and refined, they will be built for installation in the main visitors’ center.12.2.3 Phase 3: 2010 and BeyondOn-site: Phase 3 will begin with the grand opening of the visitor facilities and a shift in focus towards educational programming. Real-time event displays from DUSEL experiments will begin to run con-tinuously at the center. A large above ground SALTA surface array at Henderson could provide more complete information on local shower activity. This is information that underground experiments could tap, and the participating SALTA schools would make use of in planning their own correlation

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studies with experiments below.Special program packages will be offered for youth, church, and scout groups that will include options for earning badges. Annual open houses will feature guest speakers and special behind-the-scenes fa-cility tours.Showcasing late-breaking data will help keep the center fresh over time in order to continue to attract local populations. We will work with the science PIs to incorporate hands-on exhibits in their experi-ment proposals.Off-site: A small 1,500 ft2 traveling exhibition will be developed and booked nationwide. The Scien-center has a great deal of experience designing, fabricating, booking, and shipping traveling exhibits. They have expressed an interest in helping out with the entire traveling exhibit component. Institutions that are already interested in hosting a DUSEL traveling exhibit include the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Discovery Science Center in Fort Collins, The Explora science center in Albu-querque, and the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York. Also in phase 3, casual shows geared toward tourists will be presented at popular summertime venues in popular resort towns like Aspen and Vail.12.3 Formal Science Education12.3.1 Phase 1Instructional Materials: An interactive website will make DUSEL educational materials available from the very beginning. Educational materials will include downloadable instructional materials, streamed video of special lab events, and eventually, as it becomes available, data and analysis tools. These later efforts will benefit by joining the I2U2 (Interactions in Understanding the Universe) project, taking advantage of its experience in the development of databased projects. I2U2 hosts a portfolio of lab exercises for classroom use and has been developing a common approach to data anal-ysis and unified toolset for use across many experiments and datasets. Experiments already providing data and basic analysis tools include STAR, LIGO, ATLAS, and CMS. K-12 Professional Development Short Courses: Professional development will emphasize the nature of science, inquiry-based instruction techniques, and address equity and diversity issues, alternative concepts, technology integration, and assessment. A credit-bearing series of topical short courses, each lasting one to three days, will be developed and piloted during the first summer. Topics for these face-to-face courses will be pulled from newspaper headlines and aligned with national systemic initiatives to make them as attractive and relevant as possible. Follow-up discussions will provide ongoing sup-port for teachers as they implement classroom activities. Based on assessment, these courses will be re-vised and offered again in the summers, on weekends throughout the academic year and at regional and national science teacher conferences.Research Experience for Teachers: The goal of the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) pro-gram is to enhance the professional development of K-12 teachers through authentic research experi-ences that bring new knowledge to the classroom. Teachers will have the opportunity to participate through two types of RET, both of longer duration than the short courses described above. The first type will be offered during the academic term, the summer or both. This RET is made possible through supplements to funded NSF research projects. DUSEL research scientists, with assistance from the Education and Outreach Office, will apply to NSF for additional funding to support a teacher to participate directly with them in their research work. The second type of RET would be 6-8 week research experience where 8-10 teachers participate in DUSEL-related research as part of an integrated summer program. In these experiences, teachers develop hypotheses, design and implement experi-ments, garner results, interpret data and provide intellectual contributions to DUSEL research projects. Part of the RET experience would involve developing and documenting means to transfer this research experience and knowledge into the classroom. Partnerships exist with the Center of Excellence Information Systems at Tennessee State University

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(Judy Butler and Dr. Gary Todd) and the NASA Astrobiology Institute education and outreach teams to help recruit teachers. In addition, the RET will continue to expand our partnership with educators and researchers. Professional Development for HUSEP Personnel: To sustain and support efforts to integrate research and education, we will establish a short course geared for our research scientists and educators. The course will be offered at annual Henderson DUSEL collaboration meetings. The goal of this course will be to foster an understanding of the different roles scientists and educators play in the scientific community and the needs of the multiple audiences we serve. Also, scientists will learn how to com-municate their research to a general audience and also educators will learn more about DUSEL re-search. The team that develops the short course will serve as consultants on proposed experiments at DUSEL to ensure that the broader impacts of all experiments are efficient, effective, and based on sound educational research.Research Experience for Undergraduates: The REU programs proposed (over the three phases) will engage students in exciting interdisciplinary field research unavailable anywhere else, through interactions with both US and international faculty mentors. These state-of the-art experiential opportunities will foster new interdisciplinary skills and also help students develop the more fundamental but equally crucial technical speaking, writing, pre-sentation, and international networking skills. During Phase 1 the broader impact committee will as-sist individual investigators in procuring NSF supplementary REU support for individual undergradu-ate students to work during the academic year, summer session or both on NSF-funded research projects and on including REU opportunities on future solicitations.HUSEP will coordinate efforts at its collaborating institutions to include DUSEL-related research projects within their existing summer REU programs. Summer REUs are typically 8-10 week authen-tic research experiences where undergraduates learn the scientific process through inquiry based meth-ods of experimental design, data analyses, interpretation and dissemination. There are 20 current REUs at Colorado universities. These encompass a number of disciplines related to DUSEL science: molecular biology, ecology, computer science tectonics, geomorphology, and environmental, chemi-cal, electrical and mechanical engineering. They will provide a natural path towards the development of onsite REU programs at the DUSEL lab. The Colorado universities will serve the initial hosts to undergraduate students analyzing samples and data, collected at DUSEL, in university laboratories. The international REU, BEE-SA, under consideration for its 2007 renewal, has undergraduates per-forming research underground in the South African gold mines. Here research questions related to biogeochemical processing and microbial diversity in the deep subsurface are already being explored. BEE-SA may serve as a training ground for HUSEP scientists to receive training in undergraduate re-search protocols, work side by side with undergraduate students, and mentor/advise students. The HUSEP scientists benefit by working out methods and logistics associated with their research and col-lect data for publication or as preliminary data for future solicitations. BEE-SA plans to apply for sup-plementary funding specifically to build an RET component on Henderson DUSEL research.REU participants will share facilities with DUSEL research scientists. Five REU projects could be op-erating each summer, involving 75 to 150 people. Shared facilities include an auditorium for seminars and lectures, classrooms, surface and subsurface laboratories, computer facilities and office space. Ad-ditional facilities include housing for visiting scientists, teachers, graduate and undergraduate students. Housing on or near the site is essential for the development of informal interactions. The existing dou-ble-wide trailer consisting of 1,830 square feet behind the Empire School will be converted for use as a temporary dormitory for REU students and scientists.Strategic Partnerships: By recruiting additional Front Range and Mountain community colleges and technical schools, we can contribute to the expansion of the SALTA program as well as encourage participation in microUNO, the proposed in situ PMT background measurements for UNO.

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12.3.2 Phase 2Instructional Materials: Two categories of instructional materials will be developed in collaboration with BSCS in Colorado Springs. One category will be for materials to be used while on a field trip to Henderson DUSEL. The other category will be pre- and post-field trip activities for use in the class-room. All inquiry-based instructional materials will focus on the national science education standards that deal with interdisciplinary systems. All materials will be field tested in a variety of classroom set-tings to ensure that they are effective for diverse populations. All materials will be available for inter -national download from the education website. Foreign scientists working at the laboratory will be asked to help check translations for accuracy.Research Experience for Teachers: We will continue to expand the program from RET supplements to NSF research proposals to the design and development of an integrated summer RET program.Research Experience for Undergraduates: As DUSEL develops, summer REU programs with a focus on attracting and retaining a diverse student population will be hosted onsite. Eventually, 50 under-graduates will participate at the Lab each summer. We will keep in touch with students and advisors, tracking undergraduate degree completion, matriculation to graduate programs, and pursuit of science and engineering careers. We will also assist individual investigators in finding support for additional undergraduate students to work on research projects.Actual research activities will be designed in accord with funded projects, but we can imagine biology students determining the diversity of plants or insects on Henderson’s surface property, while others examine the microbial diversity in the fracture water underground.  A student interested in chemistry could investigate rock/water interactions and determine the age of the fracture water.  A geology stu-dent might research seismic activities, while a physics student could work on detector development or monitoring. For a biogeochemical REU, the overall scientific objective is to determine what parame-ters constrain life at depth by characterizing the microbial diversity in these deep subsurface ecosys-tems, delineating the bio-available energy and nutrient resources that constrain the in situ microbial ac-tivity.  Such a multidisciplinary project would encompass environmental field techniques, microbial and biogeochemical laboratory exercises, and tutorials on a broad range of topics, including environ-mental remediation, geological evolution, the origin and evolution of life, exobiology, molecular biol-ogy, and ethics in science.In addition to the full summer research program, we will offer shorter workshops in the summer and between semesters. Such programs have shown very positive impacts on underrepresented students. Students from tribal colleges, Hispanic communities, HBCUs, and foreigners will be encouraged to participate. 12.3.3. Phase 3: 2010 and beyondK-12 Professional Development Course Suite: Teachers will have the opportunity to take a suite of three professional development courses. The first will be a distance orientation course that will intro-duce the teachers to the science and educational opportunities available at the Henderson DUSEL. This course will also allow the course facilitators to assess the teacher's needs. The second course will be a summer two-week face-to-face institute at the laboratory. During this course, teachers will engage in authentic research, learn how to apply inquiry-based lessons in their classrooms, be exposed to multi-ple disciplines, and develop a comprehensive action plan for classroom integration. Teacher partici-pants will stay in the same dormitory and eat cafeteria meals with the DUSEL research scientists. Nightly symposia will spark imagination and promote scholarly discussion. A state-of-the-art class-room and a teaching laboratory will be incorporated into the main visitors’ center for these activities. Each teacher will be loaned a laptop computer for the duration of his or her stay at the site. The final course in the suite will be a year long distance follow-up course to help keep the teachers engaged in the content while they integrate their experience into their teaching. Initially, we will target teams (learning communities) of teachers from the same school or district in order to increase the chance of

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successful implementation. Graduate continuing education credit from collaborating universities will be offered as well as a modest stipend for the face-to-face course. Once established, this program can easily be opened to international teachers.Preservice Teachers: Preservice teachers at collaborating universities will be informed of DUSEL re-sources and opportunities. These teachers will also be invited to all off-site and on-site teacher work-shops and may be recruited to help test instructional materials. Informational resource kits will be dis-seminated to preservice programs nationwide.Research Experience for Undergraduates and Teachers: During phase 3, summer REU and RET programs will be hosted onsite. We will develop truly multidisciplinary programs in which biology, chemistry, physics, geology and engineering students work together, examining, for example, relation-ships between biogeochemistry and microbial communities. As an example, we anticipate a biogeochemical REU to follow the format of BEE-SA where under-ground sampling trips generally involve 2-3 mentors and 4-6 students. Limiting group sizes facilitates student training in underground procedures, reduces the time underground, and simplifies the coordi-nating efforts of mine managers. Two days of prepping trains students in safety and training. Once underground they place a sterile compression packer into the opening of a valved borehole and connect vials to collect water samples for chemical and microbiological analyses.

Figure 12.3 Students sampling water from the octopus in the Merrispruit mine (left);

Hampton U. student takes field notes in the Joel Mine.

Left in place for at least one day the filter can collect cells from hundreds of liters of water. Hand-op-erated pumps are used to filter mine air for microbiological analyses.  Biofilms on mined rock sur-faces, in subsurface pools, and on mineral precipitates from dripping water represent other samples of opportunity for study.These boreholes may be accessed repeatedly over time; some can be used to run in-situ experiments.   For such projects students would make periodic trips underground to collect samples, install in-situ de-vices, and set up remote monitoring systems.Field Trips: School groups visiting Henderson DUSEL will perform innovative experiments tied to science standards that illustrate modern research in a dramatic underground facility. No other lab in the world will provide a similar experience. Teachers will plan tours at an interactive website, customizing itineraries and downloading pre-, during, and post- visit curriculum materials. At the lab, students will perform experiments developed in cooperation with area educators and DUSEL scientists that relate classroom topics to DUSEL science; examples include cosmic rays and shielding, groundwater sam-pling and analysis, and seismic wave propagation.In the Underground Public Lab, student groups will perform experiments that require underground space. A cosmic ray telescope will reveal the directions of cosmic rays energetic enough to pass through tens of meters of rock; in this low-background environment students will be able to detect the small radiation levels present in common items; probing rock temperature at different levels estab-lishes the existence of the geothermal gradient. Visiting groups can use a lunchroom with folding ta-bles, chairs, cubbies and coat racks, and an instructional area consisting of a (shared) auditorium and

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two classroom/lab areas, in addition to the public areas such as the planetarium, exhibit hall, and GeoPark.Summer Camps: SUNY-Stony Brook will host a summer school program on Long Island for His-panic, Native American and economically disadvantaged Colorado high school students annually. Re-search seminars and organized social activities will fill their week, building excitement for DUSEL science, and strengthening community ties in the Henderson area. We will also investigate the possi -bility of running Outward Bound-like Xtreme science summer camps for small (~24) groups of kids recruited worldwide.Science Fair: The Henderson DUSEL scientists, post-docs, and personnel will represent a rich pool of mentors for science fair projects. Colorado's students rank highly at the International Science and En-gineering Fair and local industry helps support the robust infrastructure of the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF) that is directed by the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Edu-cation at CSU. In collaboration with CSEF, the laboratory could host national student competitions to deploy deep science experiments that could be monitored remotely through the web.Hands-on mining and geological engineering opportunities: Maintenance of an experimental re-search mine will offer students and faculty access to a state-of-the-art facility for instruction and re-search in mining and geological engineering. Many of the nation’s geology field camps may also be interested in hands-on underground mapping exercises that the lab could offer.Continue Refining Programs from Phases 1 and 2: The following programs from Phase 1 will con-tinue to be implemented and refined:

K-12 Professional Development Short Courses Professional Development for HUSEP Personnel

12.4 Additional Public Outreach Efforts12.4.1 Major Interdisciplinary ImpactsThe very interdisciplinary nature of DUSEL promises broad impacts on society. With science that cuts across the disciplines (and NSF directorates) the DUSEL S2 efforts have already begun delivering on the promised synergy among the previously unrelated disciplines it is bringing together.

Henderson DUSEL’s extraordinary collaboration with Phelps Dodge/Climax Molybdenum has brought academics together with the mining industry in planning a laboratory that not only func-tions in parallel with, but shares infrastructure with and receives support from, a fully opera-tional commercial mine.

The successful cooperation that allowed opportunistic biological sampling and geological analy-sis during contracted core drilling demonstrates the effectiveness of this collaborative effort be-tween science and the mining industry (see Sections 3.2 and 3.3).

The counting capabilities of Henderson DUSEL’s Low Background Counting Facilities should meet the needs of many Homeland Security-related activities. The means of addressing the rele-vant security issues of such work, at scientific lab ordinarily characterized by free and open ac-cess, could be met by establishing a dedicated LBCF Midway Shaft Station. This proposal is discussed in Section 3.5.

The establishment of a “Mining Academy” will provide a world-class facility for undergraduate and graduate education in mining and geotechnical engineering as well as a national laboratory for mine rescue training and mine health- and safety-related research. Such an Academy is dis-cussed in detail in Section 3.4.

Deep underground science and engineering opportunities may attract a different type of people to sci-ence and engineering. The cross-disciplinary synergy, which is starting to appear, promises to foster a new breed of scientists and engineers skilled in multiple-science techniques and cross-cutting applica-

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tions.12.4.2 Data SharingDUSEL will build public support for its continuing research efforts in part by opening up its data to make its research more accessible to the public. Web publication of selected subsets of processed data, with web-interfaced analysis tools will make it possible for interested parties to explore DUSEL sci-ence at home. The nature, size, and complexity of the data sets and analysis tools will differ from one experiment to another, as well as the time-scale for processing the data (separating reliable data from problem data, applying needed calibrations or corrections) and making it available in a comprehensible form to the general public. While the specific policy for making data available must be decided inde-pendently by each collaborating group, we will offer examples to be followed, and propose guidelines.As an example, the UNO experiment proposes making its data available nominally three years follow-ing its collection. A dedicated team will package the data in a special format for public use and be available for software support and to answer science questions. A good model for this is the B-Lab project associated with the Belle experiment. Web publication of Belle data (already pre-processed into a ROOT-usable format) is accompanied by web-interfaced (ROOT-based) tools to perform invari-ant mass reconstruction at home. As mentioned in Sect. 12.3.1, the development of needed tools will be facilitated by joining I2U2.DUSEL will also create modules for the Earth Exploration Toolbook, a rich set of classroom-ready lessons that utilize scientific datasets (serc.carleton.edu/eet/index.html). Many of these datasets have been tailored for classroom use. Some lessons may require the downloading and installation of spe-cialized public domain analysis software. The Earth Exploration Toolbook is a collection of com-puter-based Earth science activities. Each activity, or chapter, introduces one or more data sets and an analysis tool that enables users to explore some aspect of the Earth system.Step-by-step instructions in each chapter walk users through an example—a case study in which they access data and use analysis tools to explore issues or concepts in Earth system science. In the course of completing a chapter, users produce and analyze maps, graphs, images, or other data products. The ultimate goal of each activity is to build user's skills and confidence so they can use data to conduct their own investigations of the Earth system. Spreadsheet applications, graphing tools, satellite images12.4.3 Multimedia projectsThe KEK Public Relations Office has just begun to realize the importance of video documentation. It is now building an archive of filmed interviews (to preserve an oral history of its experiments), under-ground tours (with planned distribution on DVD) and special events (to be filed with progress reports to funding agencies). Direct ownership of such footage allows the experiment and its collaborators to use it without concern over copyright or royalties. We propose to document DUSEL construction starting with sessions between engineers, architects, and mine management in this planning phase. In consultation with award-winning executive producers specializing in science content at Nebraska Educational Television (NET) ideas are also under development for promoting the science of DUSEL. As local PBS stations go digital, many are considering expanding to additional channels, some dedi-cated to science content. A documentary on the planning and construction of DUSEL would generate footage not only for the short introductory film to play regularly in the Visitor Center lobby, but for any of the following video projects being investigated as well:

a series of science programs focused on the Science of DUSEL, “Xtreme Science” (deep under-ground engineering, biology in extreme environments, which could easily be generalize to in-clude other science: high energy physics, Antarctic exploratory drilling, etc). NET has produced a number of episodes for NOVA, and there is great interest in targeting work for a NOVA (or similar educational science program).

spin-offs from the above, developed as minute segments in response to frequently asked ques-

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tions and posted on the DUSEL web-site and made available to cable education channels. planetarium shows developed under consultation with planetarium directors at UNL and CU

who have both produced shows for national distribution) and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. A fulldome digital planetarium show can create an effective underground experience for visitors: a 360-degree view with surround-sound of dripping water and the rumble of heavy equipment as it suddenly appears crossing the tunnel intersection ahead, mining and crushing footage, as well as coring activities and biological sampling. Digital imaging from within the UNO detector would be possible (as part of a planetarium show tracking the origin of neutrinos in stars and supernova through space, into the earth, and to their detection in UNO). Distribu-tion of such productions to planetariums at museums, science centers, and schools could promote their use in special programs, providing spectacular advertisement for the laboratory.

In addition DUSEL will develop a deep science National Geographic Xpedition. The online Xpeditions are designed to increase

geographical knowledge through home learning activities as well as teacher-tested lesson plans all sorted by grade level and U.S. National Geography Standards.

short audio features developed as segments for radio programs such as StarDate and Earth & Sky. StarDate invites the submission of 2-minute (250 word) scripts for its consideration and neutrinos (observing stellar events deep underground), and astrobiology (the connections be-tween deep subsurface biology and the search for extraterrestrial life) are perfect subjects.

12.3.3 Involvement of Scientific PersonnelDUSEL’s Education and Outreach Office will actively encourage all its scientists to participate in and contribute to outreach efforts. To begin, we will elevate outreach sessions at all DUSEL-related work-shops from optional parallel activities to presentations integrated into the scientific plenary sessions. Outreach presentations will be regularly scheduled into all scientific colloquium series at the lab.One goal is to assist scientific personnel to develop their abilities in education and outreach. We will invite speakers from successful outreach programs, as well as funding agency representatives who can offer program guidelines, to offer instruction to scientists in how to do effective outreach. Workshops will demonstrate proven classroom teaching practices and methods at all levels. Because public debate and controversy provide excellent learning opportunities, the office will invite experts who can offer how-to primers on presenting controversial topics like evolution, global warming, and bio-terrorism and the public health. In addition, regularly scheduled presentations will recruit REU mentors, as well as follow-up mentor training and help sessions.DUSEL will take advantage of its interdisciplinary nature by encouraging cross-disciplinary exposure and exchanges among all its scientists. A weekly newsletter (posted electronically but also available in limited distribution in hardcopy) will feature a “find” of the week highlighting an experiment or col-laborating institution, promote the lab's calendar of event, and include an “Ask-a-scientist” feature. Weekly general audience lab-wide colloquia, independent of regular group-specific or area-specific colloquia, will be open to the public. Both will encourage scientists to be informed across the curric-ula of exciting science taking place at the lab.Scientific personnel will also take part in public presentations and host special events (regional student science fairs, judged by DUSEL scientists) and an annual open house (organized with the Visitors’ Center). Henderson-DUSEL will host he annual joint meeting of AAPT-Colorado/Wyoming and CAST - Colorado Association of Science Teachers, the NSTA’s Colorado section. Undergraduate stu-dents in REU programs can present workshops to visiting K-12 students. Graduate students will also take part providing the valuable opportunity to make presentations on their research to a more general audience.12.3.4 Implementation

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Website: A strong web presence is planned right from the start to provide (i) regular updates on lab construction; (ii) information on DUSEL science and links to associated experiments; (iii) educational materials, starting immediately with the teacher’s guide to the 3-dim anaglyph map and instructions for the hands-on activities introduced at the topical workshops; (iv) highlights of outreach efforts al-ready begun (the SALTA project and associated BEESA activities); and (v) material promoting the Front Range region around the Henderson Mine as a GeoPark. An interview with former BNL direc-tor Maurice Goldhaber (SUNY), highlighting a career that included pioneering work in neutrinos and proton decay, has been produced into a set of podcasts. These will be made available from the Hen-derson-DUSEL website and distributed to schools on DVDs upon request.The website will be interactive with content area will be cataloged by the National Science Digital Li-brary and discoverable by grade level and national science education standard. By Phase 2 virtual field trips will be added to the website as well as links to all other neutrino and un-derground labs in the world. A weekly newsletter will go into (electronic) production. In Phase 3 the site will feature live Cosmic Weather Reports provided by the surrounding network of SALTA schools, and live webcasts and downloadable podcasts of lectures and programs.Electronic lab exercises will become available during Phase 3 when we expect fulltime support staff will be available to package and maintain the datasets and software, in consultation with designated experts from each participating experiment. Earth Exploration Toolbook modules will be developed.Kiosk: One of the first milestones of phase 1 will be the placement of an informational kiosk pro-posed between the playground and parking lot of the Empire School. The school is immediately visi -ble entering town from I-70; its parking lot and playground make for a pleasant rest stop to picnic, walk a dog, or let kids run around. Brochures and GeoPark booklets will be distributed in “take-one” boxes. Annotated 3D maps and photos will be displayed to make the kiosk interactive and captivating. As an alternate location, Arapaho is investigating setting up this kiosk in the Georgetown Visitors’ Center. During Phase 2, a glossy tri-fold brochure will be developed for distribution in brochure racks found in regional hotel lobbies and restaurants. The Arapaho project will help network with the Colorado Department of Tourism. An expanded exhibit in Georgetown and a second kiosk in the Idaho Springs Visitor Museum will describe the lab and the visitor experience, and stimulate travelers to make the brief side trip to Henderson.Multimedia: We will begin archiving video footage of collaboration meetings, scheduled walk-throughs, surveys, core drills and biological sampling. A second production run of the 3-D map of Colorado will be accompanied by a teacher guide; both will be distributed at state and national science teacher conventions.As ground-breaking nears plans will be formalized to document the planning and construction of DUSEL. A series of science programs focused on the Science of DUSEL, “Xtreme Science” (deep underground engineering, biology in extreme environments, which could easily be generalize to in-clude other science: high energy physics, Antarctic exploratory drilling, etc) is under consideration. Under consultation with planetarium directors at UNL and CU, footage collected over the previous two years will be developed into a 3-D fulldome planetarium show creating an effective underground experience for visitors. Distribution of such productions to planetariums at museums, science centers, and schools across the world would provide spectacular advertisement for the laboratory.A 3-D fulldome planetarium show creating an effective underground experience for visitors will be produced for in-house use and distribution. We will explore the production of a series of science pro-grams focused on the Science of DUSEL, “Xtreme Science”.12.5 Prior Work / S2 Accomplishments12.5.1 Broader Impacts Committee Workshops and Presentations

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The Broader Impacts Committee held workshops for a total of over 60 area educators at each of the three Denver-area Henderson DUSEL topical workshops. An additional 50 educators participated in the Stony Brook capstone workshop. Recruitment was conducted with the help of the officers, news-letters, and email distribution lists of the local NSTA affiliates. The Stony Brook workshop was jointly sponsored by The Long Island Group Advancing Science Education (LIGASE) which gra-ciously hosted the event at their facilities. Each workshop featured a presentation on the science of DUSEL (e.g. the search for microorganisms, an introduction to neutrino physics), a hands-on compo-nent, and an extensive discussion session. The hands-on activities developed by the Broader Impacts team introduced the teachers to concepts associated with DUSEL science, but were designed with ev-eryday objects, consistent with our vision of creating effective demonstrations using simple and inex-pensive material. These activities included extracting DNA from fruit, observing cosmic rays in a build-it-yourself cloud chamber, and modeling the temperature gradient of the earth in a cup of moist sand. Similar presentations were made April 11 to the Denver Area Physics Teachers group and throughout February to local chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the Soci-ety of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). At all sessions, we sought insight into the needs of local schools and organizations and suggestions on how these needs might be met by a nearby National Laboratory. Ideas for involving diverse student groups included very clear suggestions for developing pipelines to promote and recruit student and teacher participation in REU & RET programs. On February 25 CSU's Little Shop of Physics hosted its 15th annual Open House. Over 4500 visitors worked with LSoP’s 200+ hands-on experiments and interactive demonstrations, and over 500 visited a center with informational posters and hands-on activities on the science of DUSEL. Informal discus-sions provided additional input on outreach to the general public.Additional presentations on the outreach efforts associated with Henderson DUSEL were made at the September 2006 Next generation Nucleon decay and Neutrino detectors (NNN06) in Seattle, CROP’s annual Fall Saturday Workshop at UNL, and to over 40 educators at the annual Midwest Regional NSTA Conference in Omaha, October 2006.The discussions provided many ideas, and a clear consensus on a particular few. In addition to the specific needs identified in Sect 12.1, there were frequent comments on the strengths of the DUSEL facility as a venue for making connections with K-12 education:

DUSEL’s physical setting and scale mean the laboratory should have a significant draw. While other science museums and facilities might offer professional development opportunities

for teachers, the lab could tie the experience to real, exciting science being done right here, right now. Teachers are eager for lessons that illustrate basic science concepts in the context of ongo-ing research.

DUSEL’s interdisciplinary nature is a plus for schools looking to integrate the sciences; Col-orado’s standards for science instruction emphasize earth science and many teachers are weak in this area in particular.

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Figure 12.4: Viewing cosmic rays in a mixing bowl, left; Clear Creek student team sets up muon telescope in the Hen-derson Mine, center; the “Geothermal gradient” is measured in a mug of hot sand, right.

12.5.2 Student measurements at the Henderson MineLocal high school teams have measured underground cosmic ray rates at the Henderson mine, a pre-lude to more comprehensive measurements now being made by HUSEP’s Low Background group. Begun as an educational effort associated with the Snowmass 2001 Summer Study on the Future of Particle Physics, the SALTA project is working to establish a network of cosmic ray detectors mod-eled after the University of Nebraska’s CROP project operated by secondary school teams in the Roar-ing Fork Valley and near range (Clear Creek High School which serves the county containing Hender-son Mine participates). In Fall 2004, the SALTA schools configured their detectors as portable muon telescopes and student teams rotated the responsibility of moving the detector modules to collect data at four underground locations. The same high school teams will have an opportunity to further use their experience with PMT-based detectors and the Quarknet data-acquisition card in the proposed in situ background measurements planned in UNO’s pending R&D proposal.12.5.3 3-Dimensional Anaglyph MapUsing techniques developed by the US Geological Survey and satellite data from MODIS a 3-dimen-sional anaglyph map displaying the unique topography of Colorado was created for Henderson-DUSEL. 9000 posters featuring this map were produced and distributed, individually and in class-room sets, to Colorado and Long Island teachers through the outreach sessions of the topical work-shops, Tennessee, Indiana, and Washington, DC teachers at Astrobiology teacher workshops, and SALTA member schools. The posters have been used in laboratory sections of geology courses at CSU and UNL; a teacher’s guide to its features is in preparation. 12.5.4 State contribution to Henderson DUSEL Surface FacilitiesIn May 2006, Democrat President of the Colorado State Senate Joan Fitz-Gerald and Republican State Representative Al White co-sponsored SB06-229 to fund DUSEL surface facilities including a visitor center. This bill, signed into law on May 31, 2006, commits State funding in the amount of $20 mil -lion dollars over a five year period.

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