I use this activity in class after students learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, some of the uses of various frequencies, and some of the dangers. This project helps students evaluate a new invention/new use for IR camera drones. Then, using their understanding of the EM spectrum and possible uses, they identify a problem and design an invention that uses one or more waves on the EM spectrum to solve the problem. Then, students create a poster to showcase their invention. Students can work independently or in small groups to complete this activity.

This resource includes a student planning sheet and rubric for the poster that students create.

What happens when an excited atom emits a photon? What can we deduce about that atom based on the photons it can emit? A series of interactive models allows you to examine how the energy levels the electrons of an atom occupy affect the types of photons that can be emitted. Use a digital spectrometer to record which wavelengths certain atoms will emit, and then use this knowledge to compare and identify types of atoms. Students will be abe to:

Students participating in Storm Signals play a critical role in the overall process of the Student Observation Network (S.O.N.). They are able to confirm the predictions of the Sunspotter's Sunspot Suspect, and they will predict magnetic storms around Earth, issuing Space Weather alerts that tell other students to begin monitoring the Magnetosphere for magnetic storms. By collecting and analyzing real-time data from their radio antennas, professional observatories, and NASA satellites, they can carry out the same duties as NASA researchers! The Space Weather alerts issued by the Space Environment Center (SEC) of NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) are essential to protect satellites, power grids and astronauts.

In Storm Signals you will learn:

1. How to instruct students in the construction of a simple device to detect radio emissions from the Sun.

2. How to enable students to obtain and interpret radio emissions from ground-based professional observatories.

3. How to enable students to obtain and interpret radio, x-ray and ultraviolet emissions from NASA satellites.

The Sunspotters program of the Student Observation Network (SON) is excellent for grades K +12. There are activities for all grades available. You or your students may think of other questions to investigate that can lead to open inquiry by using live and archived data. By collecting and analyzing real-time data from student telescopes, professional observatories, and NASA satellites, they can carry out the same duties as NASA researchers!

In Sunspotters you will learn:

How to instruct students in the construction and use of simple solar telescopes to observe sunspots and to predict which sunspots are most likely to produce solar flares or coronal mass ejections,

How to enable students to obtain and interpret data from ground-based professional observatories,

How to enable students to obtain and interpret data from NASA satellites.