Science with an ngVLA: Reaching Communities and Creating New Opportunities with the ngVLA
RReaching Communities and Creating New Opportunities with thengVLA
Lyndele von Schill and Suzanne Gurton
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA USA; [email protected] , [email protected] Abstract.
The O ffi ce of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and the Education and PublicOutreach (EPO) Department serve the strategic goal of the National Radio AstronomyObservatory (NRAO) to broaden public awareness of, support for, and participation inScience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). ODI operates a suite ofprograms designed to support underrepresented minority undergraduate, graduate stu-dents in pursuit of careers in STEM. EPO highlights the discoveries, technologies, andcareers pioneered and exemplified by the NRAO via multipurpose engagement strate-gies that include face-to-face and standalone learning programs, products, and publicservices for the general public and K-12 students, with attention to reaching diverseaudiences. These established and diverse programs are described, along with proposalsfor new, unique opportunities enabled by the development and realization of a next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA).
1. Broadening Participation
As a facility under the management of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory(NRAO), the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) has full access to NRAO’ssuite of widely well-regarded Broadening Participation programs. NRAO’s programsaddress the key priorities identified by the National Science Foundation (NSF) thatinclude: • Preparing a diverse, globally engaged science, technology, engineering, and math-ematics (STEM) workforce; • Integrating research with education, and building capacity; • Expanding e ff orts to broaden participation from underrepresented groups and di-verse institutions across all geographical regions in all NSF activities; and • Improving processes to recruit and select highly qualified reviewers and panelists.The NRAO has adopted a comprehensive, observatory-wide, "pipeline" approachto the development of STEM capacity, with particular emphasis on broadening partici-pation of underrepresented groups and diverse institutions. This approach begins withengaging K-12 students in a seamless flow of STEM activities that relate to the fullspectrum of fields associated with radio astronomy, and continues through providingundergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral research, training, education, and mentor-ing programs (described below). The ngVLA will vastly increase the opportunities1 a r X i v : . [ phy s i c s . e d - ph ] O c t Lyndele von Schill and Suzanne Gurton
Figure 1. The NRAO’s Broadening Participation “Pipeline". that the NRAO can o ff er to the U.S. and international public, student, and scientificcommunities.In addition to its "outward-facing" broadening participation e ff orts, the NRAO hasdeveloped a set of policies and practices that are designed to recruit and select highlyqualified, and diverse, reviewers, panelists, and search committees, with the goal ofensuring that selections are fair and equitable across all populations.Examples of the NRAO’s existing, significant investment in broadening participa-tion e ff orts appear in this section (see Figure 1). Discussions about new opportunitiesgenerated by the ngVLA appear in Section 4 (Emerging Opportunities for Broader Im-pact and Broader Participation through the VLA). K-12 Education Programs:
The NRAO’s education programs are designed to intro-duce the hidden universe revealed by radio astronomy by engaging program participantsin age appropriate inquiry based activities and research. Examples of K-12 educationprograms aimed at broadening participation include: • Radio Astronomy and Physics in New Mexico (RAP-NM):
A one-week resi-dential summer camp experience on the NM Tech campus for rising 9 th gradersfrom around the state of New Mexico. Student mentors are first recruited fromthe National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) program (see below). • Sister Cities and Observatories:
A 10-day international exchange recruitingfrom high school youth in communities near the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeterArray (ALMA) and VLA introducing them to the world class observatories andthe diverse range of careers possible at each. This program will continue underngVLA. roadening Participation National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) Program:
Opportunities for undergraduateresearch will be coordinated through the NRAO’s NAC program, which is designed toprovide research opportunities to underrepresented minority (URM) students. Studentsare recruited for participation in this program from an established network of His-torically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving Institutions(HSIs). The ngVLA will open more opportunities for traditionally underrepresentedstudents to participate in cutting-edge research which, in turn, increases opportunitiesfor the students to attend graduate school and / or begin careers in radio astronomy. National and International Non-Traditional Exchange (NINE) Program:
Collabo-rative opportunities also exist with the NRAO NINE, which trains the next generationof scientists and engineers from countries in which radio astronomy expertise is lim-ited, but needed. The NINE program focuses on training traditionally underrepresentedpopulations in skills that result in meaningful contributions to the astronomical sciencebody of knowledge. The NINE program includes a network of ever-growing nationaland international "Hubs" where regional populations learn state-of-the art science andtechnology relevant to astronomy. The ngVLA will provide cutting edge research op-portunities to the NINE program, while benefiting from access to skilled scientists andtechnicians from the broad network of NINE Hub communities.
2. Public EngagementPublic Website:
In addition to programs designed with face-to-face interactions, thengVLA will have a strong presence on the NRAO website that will serve as a portalfor the public to explore the engineering advances and astronomical discoveries madepossible by ngVLA. Clear information for visitors wishing to visit the site will be onthe website, as well as opportunities to explore the site virtually. An ngVLA Explorer ,combining video and augmented reality, will be created to give those who cannot visitthe facility a virtual tour. The Role Model series will be expanded to include ngVLAsta ff . It currently reflects the diversity of jobs and experiences that are needed to run anational observatory. Visitor Center:
The planned upgrade of the VLA Visitor Center (VC) reflects mod-ern interpretive methods to explore the intersection of three realms: The stories arisingfrom the resource, visitors’ intrinsic interests, and the mission and goals of NRAO. Thegoals for the ngVLA VC will echo those for the VLA VC, with a substantial updateto be inclusive of the international collaborations that will help make the ngVLA pos-sible. These interpretive goals will be expressed through an overarching theme thatthe ngVLA serves humanity’s deep curiosity and drive to explore the universe and ourrelationship to it: • Interpretation will make information understandable and relevant for non-scientistsas well as scientists. e.g., https://public.nrao.edu/special-features/vla-explorer/ https://public.nrao.edu/special-features/role-models/ Lyndele von Schill and Suzanne Gurton – Non-scientist visitors will understand in general terms the basics of radioastronomy and the ngVLA - and feel happily surprised that they can. – Scientists will appreciate the clarity of the message, without over-simplificationto the point of introducing inaccuracies. • People of diverse backgrounds will feel welcome and actively included as the VCwill actively: – Provide a venue for diverse cultural voices. – Include women, persons of color. – Encourage Navajo and Puebloans to share their stories. • Educators will value and use the ngVLA as a resource. • Visitors and residents will understand how natural conditions here support theVLA, and will feel inspired to help maintain those conditions. • Visitors will understand why the ngVLA exists, and feel the program is useful,relevant and worth supporting. – People will understand how the ngVLA fits into the bigger picture of as-tronomy and human discovery. – Users will feel they are an integral part of the universe, not separate from it. – Local residents and visitors will feel pride and ownership in the ngVLA’srole in unlocking the secretes of the universe. • Visitors will share their positive experiences with others back home.
Media Relations
NRAO’s EPO department includes a full media relations team withpublic information o ffi cers, artists and graphic designers to best represent the discov-eries made possible by ngVLA observations in the popular science media. News andinformation about ngVLA will be featured in such national outreach venues as theU.S.A. Science and Engineering Festival and National Astronomy Night on the Mall.
3. Broader Impacts: Training the Next Generation
In addition to the NAC and NINE programs that focus on providing research, engi-neering, and other "full spectrum" astronomy fields, to underrepresented students, theNRAO has provided substantial internship opportunities for undergraduate and gradu-ate students through its REU, graduate research, and NM Ops undergraduate internshipprograms. The NM Ops internship program, for example, has provided engineeringstudents experience by working in the Observatory’s electronics lab. The ngVLA willprovide an opportunity to significantly increase the number of students with access tostate-of-the-art research and engineering projects.For the last 2 years EPO has funded a media intern at NRAO headquarters eachsummer, with the inauguration of ngVLA a media intern will also be stationed at thengVLA to supplement the e ff orts of the Public Information O ffi cer and assist with majormedia e ff orts. roadening Participation
4. Emerging Opportunities for Broader Impact and Broader Participation throughthe ngVLA
The NRAO recognizes that the ngVLA project will span more than 10 years; thislongevity o ff ers a unique opportunity for the Observatory to build a pipeline for fu-ture employees from the regions in which the ngVLA will be present. Our BI andBP plans, then, include a proactive, intentional plan to include workforce developmentas an integral part of the entire ngVLA project, from beginning construction throughand beyond first science. We expect to continue to ask the community for input intothis important component of the ngVLA project; we have, however, identified the fol-lowing opportunities for new, substantial, outcome-oriented Broader Impact (BI) andBroadening Participation (BP) activities (see Table 1).These ideas represent our commitment to building an ngVLA that is responsible toall members of the scientific and broader communities. We recognize and acknowledgethat the ngVLA is indebted to and responsible to taxpayers, local and regional commu-nities, members of underrepresented communities in STEM, K-12 and high educationstudents, postdocs, faculty, scientists, engineers, technical experts, Education and Pub-lic Outreach professionals, and all other professions that support the ability to delivercutting-edge science and technology to the scientific and broader communities.
5. Summary
The ngVLA will build on NRAO’s existing, well-designed, and implemented, suiteof EPO programs, including the creation of new opportunities to educate the generalpublic about the exciting science resulting from ngVLA observations. The ngVLA willmake use of, and significantly enhance, the Observatory’s flagship National AstronomyConsortium (NAC) and National and International Non-traditional Exchange (NINE)programs, by providing cutting-edge research and engineering opportunities for a newgeneration of astronomers, engineers, and technicians. In addition to these existingprograms, ngVLA will create innovative new BI and BP opportunities that enhance thevalue of the ngVLA well beyond the scientific community. Importantly, the ngVLAwill embrace the NRAO’s commitment to providing these opportunities to populationsthat are unrepresented in STEM fields, and in the field of astronomy in particular.
Lyndele von Schill and Suzanne Gurton
Table 1. Potential Broader Impact / Participation Opportunities Enabled by the ngVLA
Emerging Opportunities through ngVLA BI / BP CommunitiesImpacted
Enhancement of broadband Internet accessinfrastructure, including fiber optics, as anintentional by-product of ngVLA internet needs. BI small, ruralcommunities alongantenna pathsEnhancement of emergency services (e.g., fireresponse units) through collaboration with localcommunities. BI small, ruralcommunities alongantenna pathsEducational opportunities to engage and informlocal stakeholders about radio astronomy and theimportance of ‘their backyard’ to importantnational / international science. • Educational sessions will be presented by adiverse group of students and post-doc toraise visibility of both radio astronomy anddiversity in STEM. • Role model videos for grade school girls andURM students in all fields that support anObservatory. BI &BP small, ruralcommunities alongantenna pathsOpportunity for partnership with URM college oruniversity to develop educational and historicalfilms: • Filming of the ngVLA build for EPO andhistorical reference. • Filming at each site to document communitystories and engagement with the ngVLA. • K-12 lesson plans developed to accompanyfilms and film segments. BI &BP K-12,Undergraduate andgraduate students;faculty; andmembers ofunderrepresentedSTEM groups(e.g.,African-American,Hispanic, andNative Americanstudents andfaculty); thegeneral public roadening Participation Table 1. Continued
Opportunities for collaborative, cross-disciplineresearch during archaeological site excavationsduring the pre-construction period: • Research opportunities with multipledepartments (e.g., archeology / environmentalsciences, water quality) at communitycolleges and universities (e.g., Dry LakeBed). • E ff orts will be made to identify URMstudents for participation in the researchopportunities. • Development of lesson plans centered aroundthe archeology and environment of ngVLAsites. • Educational material produced for localcommunities and the general public, with afocus on connection to the land on whichngVLA antennas are located. BI &BP K-12,Undergraduate andgraduate students;faculty; andmembers ofunderrepresentedSTEM groups(e.g.,African-American,Hispanic, andNative Americanstudents andfaculty); thegeneral public; thescientificcommunityOpportunities to incorporate non-Westerncosmologies into the education about the ngVLA: • Invite indigenous community members(expert and local) to organized talks aboutindigenous cosmology. • STEAM projects (e.g., murals, stories,videos) to capture non-Western cosmologiesin local schools and community centers. • Collaborate with the Society forAdvancement of Chicanos / Hispanics andNative Americans in Science (SACNAS) toengage experts and students in these projects,with a plan to publish comparisons ofwestern and indigenous cosmologies in thecontext of the ngVLA locations. • Development and delivery of Star Parties thatincorporate di ff erent cosmologies. BI &BP Local communitymembers; thegeneral public;K-12, undergradand graduatestudents; post-docsand faculty; thescientificcommunityInvestigate additional benefits / applications of radiofrequency interference (RFI) mitigation: • Providing research opportunities to URMstudents. • Publications. • Inventions. BI &BP General public;industry; localcommunities;K-12, undergradand grad students;faculty; scientificcommunity
Lyndele von Schill and Suzanne Gurton
Table 1. Continued
Develop “road shows" to provide information –along the project timeline – about the ngVLA, itsprogress, scientific outcomes, careers, and itsincorporation into the landscape: • Use of URM students as guides and speakersto provide opportunities for the students togain experience speaking about their work,raise their visibility, and allow them to serveas role models for members of the audiences. • Material developed for the road show canalso be distributed more broadly throughsocial media, and traditional EPO routes. • Lesson plans for delivery to local / stateschools and after school groups thatincorporate radio astronomy and the ngVLAinto state standards. BI &BP General public;local communities,major towns alongthe array; K-12,undergrad and gradstudents; facultyOpportunities for connections to internationalcolleges and universities to o ff er post-doctoralexchanges. BI &BP Graduate studentsOpportunities for developing materials andresources that are tri-lingual (partners: Mexico andCanada): • Engage URM students and faculty in thecreation of materials. BI &BP General public;local communities,K-12, undergradand grad students;faculty; scientificcommunityExploration of opportunities to explore uses andsharable benefits of renewable energy (e.g., solar): • Partnerships with energy collection andstorage industries that may include co-opexperiences for URM students andcommunity members. BI &BP General public;local communities,K-12, undergradand grad students;faculty; scientificcommunityInfrastructure improvement in Magdalena, NM: • Opportunities for employment and training oflocal community members. BI &BP Local community;workforceVocational training for regional students andcommunity members: • Beta team to conduct remote diagnostics(quick telescope fixes and data back toA-team at HQ). • Partnerships with regional communitycolleges. BI &BP Undergrad andgraduate studentsat MinorityServingInstitutions (MSIs)and otherURM-servinginstitutions roadening Participation Table 1. Continued
Expanded National Astronomy Consortium (NAC)program: • Opportunity to develop new cohorts ofcolleges and universities in ngVLA regions. BP Undergrad andgraduate studentsat MSIs and otherURM-servinginstitutionsIdentification of new outlets for dissemination oftechnical, engineering, and scientific information: • National Astronomy Day. • Engineers Week. • DragonCon and other similar conferences. BI General public,scientificcommunityGreater presence at SACNAS meetings: • Student and professional recruitment. ••