Hosted by California State University, Los Angeles
and Sponsored by
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

August 7-9, 2008

THE ONLY CONFERENCE THAT CONNECTS TEACHERS
WITH THEIR STUDENTS' FUTURE EMPLOYERS

Last Year's Conference Photo Highlights

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 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
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Breakout Sessions
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2007 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

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Keynote Speakers
Robert S. Winokur
Robert S. Winokur has over 40 years of experience in the federal and private sectors working in naval undersea warfare and technology, satellite remote sensing, meteorology and public policy. He was responsible for the operation of EarthSat's remote sensing, weather, environmental, GIS and image processing business areas. Before moving to EarthSat in 2000, Mr. Winokur was Vice President of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE), where he was responsible for fostering and guiding oceanographic programs involving academic, federal and industrial activities, managing the program support office for the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, guiding the Secretariat for the Census of Marine Life, and leading educational outreach programs in the oceanographic sciences, such as the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Prior to these positions, Mr. Winokur retired from federal service in 1999 after 38 years working for the Department of the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) culminating in various senior executive positions. From November 1993 to April 1999, Mr. Winokur served as the Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services, NOAA. As Assistant Administrator, Mr. Winokur directed an integrated program for the development and use of all operational civilian satellite-based environmental remote sensing systems and NOAA's national climatic, oceanographic and geophysical data centers. He was responsible for the acquisition, processing, dissemination, and exchange of national and international environmental data.
Dr. William Patzert
Often called the "Prophet of California climate," Patzert is a scientist at the California Institute of Technology’s NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

His research is focused on the application of NASA satellite data to improving our understanding of our planet's climate and important environmental problems ranging from developing El Niño, La Niña and longer-term climate forecasts to monitoring the health of coral reefs. The author of many scientific and popular articles, Bill works with undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world, and lectures at many local universities. A media favorite, he is often sought out by reporters and is regularly seen on local and national television representing NASA and JPL. In a recent article, he was named as one of the West’s most influential individuals in dealing with water issues.

He is a graduate of Purdue University and went on to earn a Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Hawaii. Bill began his career on the research faculty of the University of California’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., and then moved to JPL, where he has been employed since 1983. During his career, he has served as a consultant to many respected organizations including NASA, the U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations and many scientific and environmental groups. He has received many awards for scientific accomplishments, as well as communicating science to the public, including 4 NASA Exceptional Service Medals and the Medal of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (highest award of the French Space Agency).

Dr. Michael Hanes
Since January 2007, Dr. Hanes has been President and CEO of Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he is responsible for planning, operations and strategic direction of a nationally renowned science center. Prior to that he served as the President of Georgia Southwestern State University from August of 1996. During his tenure, the University made significant progress in a number of areas, including academic program improvement, facilities development, and institutional advancement. He is known best by SEA as the strongest supporter of the Satellites & Education Conference. As Dean of the School of Education at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1996, he helped get the conference started and supported it even after he left West Chester for his position in Georgia. He also taught many education courses in South Carolina, Michigan, and Florida, published 5 books and contributed chapters in 8 additional volumes.

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Conference Highlights
Breakout Sessions
Dr. Percy Thomas will be conducting two workshops:  one for students: How to Succeed. And for teachers: How to Help Your Students Succeed.

Dr. Thomas has developed and implemented national training programs on leadership, success, motivation, achieving excellence, multicultural workforce practice, management principles, and basic supervisory practices.  He has assisted several Federal agencies in managing their human resources by conducting program evaluations and organizational training assessments.   Dr. Thomas has also conducted extensive research on inner‑city juvenile gangs.  He teaches at the internationally recognized Johns Hopkins University Leadership Development Institute.


Drs. Alan E. Strong & Gang Liu And Mrs. Tyler Christensen, NOAA/NESDIS

NOAA Coral Reef Watch has produced a new web-based electronic tutorial for those involved in coral reef management and monitoring.  The self-paced lessons, available both online and on CD, focus on NOAA Coral Reef Watch’s data products which link satellite measurements of sea surface temperature to an increased risk of coral bleaching.  The training content was first developed under funding from the World Bank/Global Environment Facility, and has been taught as on-site workshops in five locations around the world.  Our users requested translation of these workshops into an on-line format to make the training fully accessible to coral reef managers throughout the US and worldwide.  The tutorial is linked to the national science education standards, making it useable for an advanced high-school or undergraduate audience.

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Margaret Mooney, Earth Science Outreach Specialist, CIMSS, UW-Madison
On-line Educational Activities and Opportunities
This presentation will highlight interactive on-line activities developed at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. CIMSS has been on the forefront of educational software design for over two decades, routinely integrating on-line activities into courses on satellite remote sensing. More information is available at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/education/
This past year CIMSS has been collaborating with University of Washington researchers and education experts to create a NSF-funded distance learning course for science teachers called Satellite Applications for Geoscience Education which will debut this fall. A second course on Global and Regional Climate Change will be available in the summer of 2008. Information about these new courses and educator stipends to evaluate the new material will be presented during this session.

Steve LaDochy, Department of Geography and Urban Analysis and Pedro Ramirez, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Natural and Social Sciences, Cal State L.A.
In this workshop, they present a hands-on activity for high school and undergraduate college students in Earth science.

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Nel Graham, Teacher - California
This sessions two activities used every year in a California classroom.  The content is centered around using both red/blue anaglyphs and stereo pairs to look at surface features on Earth. Red/blue glasses are provided to demonstrate a technique for viewing stereo pairs without a stereo viewer. The lessons are useable for 6th – 12th grades and support California Science Standards in 6th grade plate tectonics, 8th grade Earth’s place in the Solar System, 9th grade Integrated Science, and High School Earth science plate tectonics.

Larry Combs, NOAA Space Environment Center (SEC)

"Space Weather and the National Space Environment Center"

This presentation will ask the question, "What is Space Weather". It

will present information on the Sun and its effects on us, tell you who

the NOAA Space Environment Center is and what they do, discuss various

satellites used for Space Weather Forecasting, and talk about the

dependence on space-based technology. There will also be an emphasis on Outreach and Education provided by SEC. Focus: 6-12 (and adult

education)
Angelique Hamane and Johana Cervantes, California State University, Los Angeles

A k-12 Hands-on Activity Illustrating the Use of Satellite Imagery to Monitor Ground Deformation as a Precursor to Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic eruptions may result in loss of many lives and cost billions of dollars in damage annually.  As the world population grows, more and more people live in potentially dangerous volcanic areas.  Therefore, monitoring potentially hazardous volcanoes is essential for safeguarding communities.  In addition, educating citizens of possible dangers from volcanic unrest is necessary for saving lives and property. 
Remote sensing is a useful technique in reducing the risk of volcanoes.  Prior to an eruption, magma moves toward shallow levels beneath the ground causing the surface above the chamber to bulge slightly.  As the volume of magma in a reservoir increases, the summit of a volcano inflates.  Monitoring ground deformation via satellite imagery in conjunction with Global Positioning System (GPS) is used to effectively show magma migration into and out of a magma reservoir.
In our presentation, we introduce a hands-on activity, geared toward 9-12 grade and college-level students, that includes monitoring ground deformation as measured through changes in distances between two points using various-sized balloons.  Analyses and Interpretation of data will enable students to accurately forecast an imminent volcanic eruption.

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M.Y. S.P.A.C.E. is an initiative of the Satellites & Education Conference. Middle school and high school students who attend the conference with their teachers are brought together in team building activities and charged with a global issue to study during the conference.  They are given the resources of the university and of NASA and NOAA. They present a report on their findings to the conference during the last session. During an intense three days, they build friendships with students from around the world while gaining multiple perspectives.

Click here for highlights from 2007

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