Bordentown teachers attend astronomy research gathering

Duo studies at Green Bank observatory

By:David Koch
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — Astronomers have long used telescopes that detect visible light to increase our knowledge of an expanding universe.
   But now, modern scientists have radio telescopes that pick up radio waves emitted from the farthest reaches of the galaxy to further our understanding.
   Located in Green Bank, W.Va., the world’s largest fully steerable telescope is of the radio variety that nearly matches the Washington Monument in height.
   This summer, two Bordentown Regional School District teachers, ninth-grade inclusion teacher David Dudzinski and eighth-grade physical science teacher Holly Studzinski, got to use that telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Green Bank site.
   From July 29 to Aug. 11, Mr. Dudzinski and Ms. Studzinski studied the universe with the nation’s brightest astronomers and a state-of-the-art telescope.
   Ms. Studzinski, a teacher at the MacFarland Junior School, said the program gave her a newfound love for astronomy.
   "My favorite part is getting familiar with a telescope," said Ms. Studzinski. "I’m completely able to run a radio telescope by myself."
   The duo studied at the Green Bank observatory through a program known as the Radio Astronomy Research Enhancing Coordinated and Thematic Science (RARE CATS) Institute.
   Funded by the NRAO, the RARE CATS Institute has allowed more than 700 teachers since 1987 to do scientific research.
   Mr. Dudzinski and Ms. Studzinski were joined by 15 other educators this summer, including two teachers from Russia.
   For two weeks, educators worked from eight in the morning until nine at night, said Ms. Studzinski. Days at the observatory included a morning lecture by astronomer Ed Murphy, an afternoon tour of the facility and nightly guest lecturers discussing current research.
   Located within the Monongahela National Forest, the telescope sits on a valley floor which blocks out man-made radio interference, said Ms. Studzinski.
   The Green Bank telescope is so sensitive that objects that give off heat, and thus radio waves, are not allowed near it.
   In order to reduce the amount of heat and radio waves, the telescope’s instruments are frozen with liquid helium to get them as close to absolute zero as possible.
   Gas powered vehicles also are not allowed at the Green Bank observatory because the heat generated from the spark plugs could affect the telescope’s accuracy.
   Ms. Studzinski had to learn to drive a diesel vehicle, which is the only kind of car allowed at the site.
   Besides learning about diesel vehicles, teachers also learned to work with each other.
   Teachers in RARE CATS were split up into groups of three to tackle real science problems.
   "I learned a lot about working in cooperative teams," said Ms. Studzinski. "When you’re standing on the other side of the desk, you don’t remember what it’s like being a student."
   Ms. Studzinski and her group, which included a teacher from Ohio and one from West Virginia, had to find galactic hydrogen. On five different nights and in five different sections, Ms. Studzinski’s group found hydrogen.
   Although astronomers at the Green Bank observatory already knew hydrogen existed in the Milky Way, the purpose of the project was to have teachers work together on the observatory’s 40-foot diameter, $75 million telescope.
   "We learned about all the different aspects of radio telescopes and how they make it,’ said Ms. Studzinski.
   Both teachers learned about the program through Ms. Studzinski’s cooperating teacher during her student teaching days at Bordentown Regional High School. Besides the two-week stay in Green Bank, the RARE CATS program also includes a $500 grant for each teacher to provide students with a research project.
   Ms. Studzinski is using her grant money to build a weather station, which will measure temperature, humidity, wind speed, and air pressure.
   Built on the balcony of Ms. Studzinski’s second-floor classroom at MacFarland, the weather station will allow students to work in groups of two to study different weather variables.
   "Each group will study two variables in the weather, like temperature or humidity, and see how they relate or not relate to each other," said Ms. Studzinski.
   This year’s students in Ms. Studzinski’s physical science class will learn about sun spots next year in Mr. Dudzinski’s earth science class.
   "They’re going to learn how sunspots affect our weather," she said.
   Ms. Studzinski’s study of astronomy at the Green Bank observatory will allow her to teach other aspects of physical science as well.
   Since astronomy is the most popular unit of physical science with students, Ms. Studzinski is using it to help teach chemistry and physics, which are all important parts of astronomy.
   "I wasn’t jazzed up (about astronomy) before I went, so that’s why I went," said Ms. Studzinski, "to get excited and pass it down to my students."