2000: Aerosols and Climate

Education Project

How can the UrbanMAAP training workshops and research project web pages be improved to enable students to make significant contributions to the New York City Case Study via school-based projects? A new workshop agenda produced during the summer will be implemented this fall in training for sessions for teachers and students interested in participating in the Fall Intensive Observation Period (IOP). Can the design and field campaign protocols for the hand-held instrument be improved to yield a viable data set for studying the distribution and concentration of aerosols in an urban area?

Objectives

Assess the UrbanMAAP training workshops and research web pages.

Prepare a revised workshop agenda and training materials.

Prepare a revised table of contents for the Aerosol and Asthma Research Project web pages, including descriptions of the content and format for each new and/or revised section.

Test and evaluate the hand-held instrument quality and recommend design improvements that will yield viable data for studying the distribution and concentration of aerosol.

Tasks

Training Workshop and Web Site Assessment Project

1. Review the workshop agenda and web site
2. Discuss the Spring 2000 UrbanMAAP with a several participants to gain their input in assessing the strengths and areas for improvement needed in the training and web pages.
3. Work with team scientists in the preparation of a revised workshop agenda and the development of a resource packet to distribute to teachers and students. This material should specifically state the skills and content knowledge participants would demonstrate they have obtained at the end of each workshop activity and their relation to research project tasks. Also, identify a schedule for when the training and the field campaign should be conducted.
4. Work with team scientists to determine new and revised contents for the web pages to improve students/teachers experiences in conducting their school-based research. Include descriptions of the specific type of content and formats to be added or eliminated. Whenever possible, indicate where and how new material can be obtained.

Hand-held Sunphotometer Instrument and Field Campaign Improvement Project

1. Determine the hand-held designs and protocols to test and evaluate based on the results of the Spring 2000 UrbanMAAP field campaign.
2. Take one week of hand-held sunphotometer measurements, testing and analyzing the selected protocols and designs to determine how to improve the viability of aerosol data retrieved during UrbanMAAP Intensive Observation Periods.

Products

UrbanMAAP Training Workshop Agenda and Resource Packet for teachers and students.

Annotated table of contents for the Aerosol and Asthma Research Project web pages.

Fabricated hand-held sunphotometer design selected for Fall IOP, including documentation of design justification and protocols for students to follow.