Curacao- February 1998
Hungary- August 1999
Canada- July 2000
Zambia- June 2001
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Mission Statement The Physical Science Department at Palm Beach Community College provides a hands-on learning environment where students explore the realm of Astronomy, Physics, and more. To nurture skills in critical thinking and creative problem solving, students use the latest computer technology along with professional astronomical and electronic equipment to conduct laboratory experiments and field measurements. Through the establishment of a center of excellence in science education, students are exposed to a stimulating environment that reflects the highly technical and diverse workplace of South Florida.
Hands on experience
Classroom learning
Application of concepts
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Undergraduate Science Education Palm Beach Community College is committed to achieving excellence in Science Education. Excellence starts from the first day of classes, as students enter the newly renovated Astronomy Center to begin a semester of active, hands-on projects. Instantly, students are engaged in the learning process as they assemble and operate telescopes to explore the night sky. This continues throughout the term as students utilize state of the art astronomy equipment. Many students become excited about this newly discovered field and continue on as members of the Astronomy Club and possibly members on an eclipse expedition. Each year for the past three years, students have traveled worldwide to bring astronomical images back home to PBCC. Beginning February 26, 1998, students selected from the Astronomy Club recorded and webcasted a Total Solar Eclipse to the Internet from Curacao, Netherland Antilles. Eighteen months later a second team of students expanded on this success, obtaining a wider variety of images while live-loading the next solar eclipse from Balatonfüred, Hungary. Most recently, the students applied their skills to live-load a partial solar eclipse from Yellowknife, Canada on July 30, 2000. Simultaneously, another group of students spoke before leaders in Science Education at the Summer Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Recognition from this group attests to the fact that PBCC has established a reputation for outstanding programs in Science Education and a commitment to student success. Students participating in the Astronomy Education program grow in a variety of ways. Team-building exercises are an integral part of the courses that they take. Club activities employ the use of professional astronomical equipment, computers, and electronics. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are cultivated and honed during the planning and execution of the eclipse expeditions. Graduates of the Astronomy Program learn the intricacies needed to succeed in a modern, technological, global workplace. Sherline Herold, a student who worked on the Canadian expedition said, “It changed my life. I have more of an appreciation for the world and what it takes to put a group together and accomplish an objective.” As a result of this unique program, Palm Beach Community College has established itself as a leader in Science Education.
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Solar Eclipse Expedition I
The first Solar Eclipse Expedition took the team to Curacao, N. A. a small island off the coast of Venezuela in late February 1998. This island was one of the few landmasses that fell along the umbral path. To the benefit of the team, this was the best spot on the planet to view the eclipse on February 26. As a first, students broadcast the eclipse via the Internet using cellular data communications, the nearest telephone line was 20 miles away! Twelve members of PBCC took part in the expedition. Ten students and two faculty members spent months preparing for the event. Learning to use new equipment, developing a website, studying astronomy, and working together as a team was necessary if the team was to capture the eclipse. Totality lasted for only 3 ½ minutes, so the team had to be prepared. The results were stunning! Through the use of telescopes, CCD imagery, and even a 35mm camera, the team was able to record amazing images of the eclipse. In addition, with the power of the Internet, people from all over the world logged on and watched PBCC’s students shine. As this was our first endeavor, support was needed and many groups contributed to make the first expedition a reality. Astronomic, photographic, and computer equipment for the expedition was purchased through a variety of sources including a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Jon M. Saken and a faculty endowment awarded to John W. Berryman, the two principal investigators of the endeavor. In addition, the PBCC Inter-Club Council funded a majority of travel expenses for the expedition and a generous donation from McGrawHill/WCB assisted the group in purchasing vital computing equipment.
eclipse path
the first team
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Solar Eclipse Expedition II
The second expedition brought new challenges and new opportunities for the students of PBCC. Students were selected well in advanced of the trip based on academic promise, support from faculty members, and a commitment to the team. Ultimately, nine students were selected from this highly competitive pool. Students began preparing for the trip six months before they left Florida. Learning to operate extremely complex equipment, developing a team approach to problem solving, and of course fundraising were a few of the students’ responsibilities. On August 7, 1999 Solar Eclipse Expedition II set off for Balatonfüred, Hungary to record the total solar eclipse on August 11. Unfortunately, an approaching cold front swept through bringing with it unseasonable cloud coverage, not good for eclipse viewing. The team split up to afford multiple viewing opportunities. This strategy was a success! Although the Internet presentation team had a bit of cloud cover during totality, the astronomical team had clear skies and captured stunning images of the eclipse. Using telescopes and CCD cameras, students recorded images of the solar disk and the full extent of the solar corona. In addition, the group uploaded live images to the website, so that the event could be viewed worldwide. About 1.8 million people logged on to the website to watch the team in action! Not only did the students learn about Astronomy, Physics, and Technology, but they were also responsible for sharing their new knowledge with others. Using multimedia presentations, the students educated other students in the Palm Beach County School District ranging in age from three to eighteen. This outreach allowed the students to give back some of their knowledge to the community. The experiences gained by the team will serve them for the rest of their life. Quite simply stated by one member of the team, “It was amazing.”
the second team eclipse path
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Solar Eclipse Expedition III At the urging of the Florida Association of Physics Teachers, Palm Beach Community College embarked on its third expedition. This time the challenges would be very different; the team would be divided by over 3000Km (1900miles). A partial solar eclipse was occurring on July 30, 2000 during the annual National Association of Physics Teachers Conference. The team decided to divide up and showcase PBCC’s commitment to science education by presenting the eclipse live at the University of Guelph. Both teams were off to Canada; one team headed to the conference in Guelph and prepared its presentation, while the second group traveled further north to Yellowknife. Each team faced its own challenges. Students in Guelph were speaking before leaders in science education. They needed to be ready for some tough questions and intense scrutiny. Meanwhile, the team in Yellowknife had equipment to prepare and needed to establish a remote observatory in the Northwest Territory. The teams spent many sleepless nights preparing for eclipse day. Unfortunately, the skies had other plans. Eclipse day arrived and it was raining in Yellowknife. The teams waited glued to satellite images of the front. Finally, a break in the sky occurred and the eclipse was glorious. Both teams marveled at the amazing spectacle in the sky. The presentation in Guelph was a success! The teams were able to live load the eclipse and the Physics Teachers were able to observe excellence in science education in action. The Yellowknife team was able to capture the event using telescopes, CCD imagery, Astrovideo equipment, and a 35mm SLR camera. Images were quickly processed and uploaded to the website. For one day, the world turned its attention to a small town in a remote region of Canada and shared the experience with the students of Palm Beach Community College.
eclipse path
the third team
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Solar Eclipse Expedition IV
On June 21, 2001, the moon’s shadow will cross Southern Africa from Angola to Madagascar treating observers to the first total solar eclipse of the millennium. As leading scientists are preparing for the event, Palm Beach Community College is planning to work along side them exposing its students to field study education. This eclipse promises to be a spectacular event. While most eclipses last for a few minutes, at the peak of this eclipse we will have 4 minutes and 56 seconds of totality. A relatively long time to record and study the eclipse.
The location of the event will provide some challenges for eclipse-chasers. The peak of the eclipse will occur over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Angola. Unfortunately, setting up equipment on a rolling boat and trying to achieve accurate results would be impossible, so the team will have to observe from the continent. Angola would be an ideal choice, but due to political instability the team will have to move west. Zambia is the next logical choice; a politically stable country directly in the path of the eclipse where 3 minutes and 50 seconds of totality is expected. Although we will lose one minute of totality, safety is our primary concern. To best locate ourselves on the centerline, the team will be camping and ‘roughing it’ for a majority of the trip.
Another factor that influenced our location was the prospect of clear skies. After much analysis, the prospects of good weather seem likely for Zambia. During June, Zambia is experiencing winter and the temperature ranges from 50-800F. In addition, this is the dry season for Southern Africa and rain is unusual for that region. An analysis of the cloud coverage in Zambia for the month of June illustrates the probability for clear skies. This should provide us with an excellent opportunity to study and record the event.
Allowing others to share this experience is an important aspect of this program and a satellite phone is our best means to broadcast the images to the Internet and provide the community with continuous field updates. The team will be able to rely on telescopes, laptop computers, CCD imaging systems, digital video recorders, and other equipment from earlier expeditions. Limiting new equipment will allow us to focus our resources on traveling to Africa.
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Solar Eclipse Expedition IV The following budget is an estimate of the costs for the June 2001 expedition. These costs are based on eight people traveling to Lusaka, Zambia and continuing on safari to the path of the eclipse. Due to the remote location of the eclipse, a majority of our expenses will entail traveling to Africa and camping while we are there. All figures include money allocated from ICC for students and SP&D for faculty.
✹ Airline tickets: $1,793.90 X 6 = $10,763.40 Prices quoted from Variety Travel as of November 14, 2000. ✹ Airport departure tax charged by Zambian Government $20 X 6 = $120.00 ✹ Equipment for twelve days: $8257.50 Price includes: Vehicles and Equipment: This will include two specially designed vehicles that can be used as a base/supply/kitchen. Pick up and drop off from Lusaka Airport in Zambia Trailer to haul equipment and tents to lodge team and store equipment Trail guide and cook from the time we arrive in Lusaka until we leave ✹ Cost for guide to travel to Lusaka $225.00 ✹ Extra cost for guide to include all days in Zambia $555.00 ✹ Fuel for approximately 900 miles for two vehicles $720.00 ✹ Satellite Phone- The phone will enable us to uplink to the internet from remote areas. This cost is to purchase an IMARSAT satellite phone - $2500.00 ✹ Charges to uplink will cost $1 per minute and we expect to use a maximum of fifteen hours of time for a total cost of $900.00 ✹ Cost for hotel in Lusaka @ $150.00 per person per night $900.00 ✹ Meals for 14 days for 6 ppl @ $21.00 per day $1764.00 Total Costs Estimated at $26,704.90 These figures represent the total cost for the expedition. A detailed breakdown of funding sources is provided on the following pages.
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Support from Local Television Stations
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Local Support from the Palm Beach Post
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Canadian Coverage of Our Expedition
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Worldwide Internet Response Profjohn.com is a website devoted to enhancing participation and interest in ‘Astronomy, Physics, and More.’ The site presents live images of special astronomical events, and provides resource materials in the Physical Sciences and in Engineering. To date, we have successfully live loaded four eclipses: two total solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse, and a partial solar eclipse. At its peak, the website has generated more than one million hits on a single day. The profjohn.com website began in January 1998 with the intention of uploading an eclipse live to the Internet. If successful, the student body and the faculty and the staff of PBCC could all take part in the 1998 Solar Eclipse Expedition to Curacao. Many people from the community and beyond logged on during the first expedition and the site had almost 40,000 hits. With such a positive response, we decided to load the 1999 European Eclipse and were amazed to see the results. Various sites around the world-linked profjohn to their site or sought permission to use our live shots and this time the site logged almost 1.8million hits. NASA, Yahoo, Lycos, Infoseek, GoTo, Google, AltaVista, and many other websites link Profjohn.com. NASA/Goddard continues to support the website and provides a link to profjohn as a venue for live astronomical events. Many new events and exciting educational activities are planned for the site in the near future. We believe that during the next Total Solar Eclipse the eyes of the world will again turn toward profjohn.com to watch a spectacular show in the sky. 1,790,575 hits on 8.11.99
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Curacao
99
250000 225000 200000 175000 150000 125000 100000 75000 50000 25000 0
45000 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0
Hu n gary
Profjohn.com Astronomy, Physics, & More
Future Expeditions Date
Eclipse Type
Saros
Eclipse Central Magnitude Duration
2001 Jun 21
Total
127
1.050
04m57s
2002 Dec 04
Total
142
1.024
02m04s
2003 Nov 23
Total
152
1.038
01m57s
2004 Oct 14
Partial
124
0.927
-
2005 Apr 08
Hybrid
129
1.007
00m42s
2006 Mar 29
Total
139
1.052
04m07s
2007 Mar 19
Partial
149
0.874
-
2008 Aug 01
Total
126
1.039
02m27s
2009 Jul 22
Total
136
1.080
06m39s
2010 Jul 11
Total
146
1.058
05m20s
Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility e S. America, Africa [Total: s Atlantic, s Africa, Madagascar]
s Africa, Antarctica, Indonesia, Australia [Total: s Africa, s Indian, s Australia]
Australia, N. Z., Antarctica, s S. America [Total: Antarctica]
ne Asia, Hawaii, Alaska N. Zealand, N. & S. America [Hybrid: s Pacific, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela]
Africa, Europe, w Asia [Total: c Africa, Turkey, Russia]
Asia, Alaska ne N. America, Europe, Asia [Total: n Canada, Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia, China]
e Asia, Pacific Ocean, Hawaii [Total: India, Nepal, China, c Pacific]
s S. America [Total: s Pacific, Easter Is., Chile, Argentina]
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Estimated Budget for the Next Ten Years All expedition costs are based on an eight-member team for up to ten days. Telecommunication charges included electronic replacement and two hundred minutes live INMARSAT time for each event. Rooms are estimated at fifty dollars a day unless otherwise known. The food costs are based on the government rate of twenty- eight dollars a day. All flight costs are based on rates as of August 31, 2000.
Location
Flight
06.21.01 Total
Zambia
For complete itemization of trip, please refer to the Solar Eclipse IV Budget
36,836
12.04.02 Total
Australia
1500
500
280
2280
18240
500
18,740
11.23.03 Total
Antarctica
2500
500
280
3280
26240
29,740
04.08.05 Hybrid
Panama
700
500
280
1480
11840
3500 (Laptop) 500
03.29.06 Total
Turkey
1000
500
280
1780
14240
17,340
03.19.07 Partial
Alaska
1000
500
280
1780
14240
3100 (DVC) 500
08.01.08 Total
Greenland
2500
500
280
3280
26240
07.22.09 Total
China
2000
500
280
2780
22240
07.11.10 Total
Argentina
800
500
280
1580
12640
Date
Type
Room(10 days) Food(10 days) Per Member 8 Members Telecom Total
12,340
14,740
27,640 1400 (Telescope) 22,740 500 14,140 1500 (Planetcam) 194,256
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Previous Team Members Jeff Day graduated from PBCC with High Honors and continued in the CTE program in Computer Networks. He is currently self-employed as a computer specialist and is studying to become a Novell Certified Trainer.
Robert Ray graduated from PBCC and then completed a B.S. in Ocean Engineering at Florida Atlantic University. Currently he is in his first year of graduate school in Ocean Engineering.
Ernie Tumoszwicz graduated from PBCC and is currently in his senior year at Florida Atlantic University in Mechanical Engineering. He is also employed as a Lead Engineer at Galley Maid, a local boat manufacturing company.
Eric Martinson graduated from PBCC and received a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Miami. He is presently a graduate student at the University of Florida in the Marine Biology Department.
Nalut Chugarnkar graduated PBCC and then completed a B.S. in Nursing at the University of Miami. She is now working at a local hospital and is beginning graduate studies in the spring.
April Sharp graduated from PBCC with and then completed a B.S. in Accounting at Florida Atlantic University. Currently, she is employed at a local CPA firm.
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Previous Team Members
Polina Gaal graduated from PBCC with High Honors and moved to South Miami where she attends Florida International University. She is currently studying International Business and Finance.
Luis Salas graduated from PBCC is currently studying Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Robin Quakenbush graduated from PBCC and is currently attending the Florida Atlantic University Honors College, where she plans to be in the first-ever graduating class in Bioengineering .
Jennifer Wei Smith an A.A. degree from PBCC and now works as a full-time nurse at a local hospital.
Benjamin Davis graduated from PBCC with Honors and is currently pursuing a teaching degree in mathematics at Florida Atlantic University.
Vanessa Rocha is in her last semester at PBCC studying Business Administration and also works in retail management.
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Previous Team Members
Delano Brown graduated PBCC with High Honors and is currently seeking a degree in Actuarial Accounting at Florida International University.
Nicole Kelefas graduated from PBCC with Honors and continued on to Florida Atlantic University where she entered the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Sherline Herold is a sophomore at PBCC. She is a pre-law major and works part-time at PBCC in the Enrollment Management Center.
Ryan Johnson is a sophomore at PBCC. He works part-time in the Center for Personal Instruction Computer Laboratory on campus.
Trish Persad is in her second year at PBCC as a pre-med major. Trish is planning a career in Orthopedic Surgery. She is currently employed at PBCC as in the Enrollment Management Center.
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Background of Faculty Prof. John W. Berryman is the Physical Science Department Chair at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, Florida. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of South Florida and a M.S. in Physics from the University of Tennessee. His graduate work at Oak Ridge National Laboratories focussed on electron-electron interactions in field of experimental atomic physics. As the President of the American Association of Physics Teachers Florida section and a member of the American Physical Society, Mr. Berryman participates regularly in undergraduate science teaching reform projects. He has been a state representative since 1996, in a nation wide effort to develop a physics teachers' network, TCY21, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. He is a co-Principal Investigator on a NSF-ILI Grant in Astronomy and a recipient of the Barnett Faculty Endowment.
Dr. Jon Saken holds a B.S. in Physics from M.I.T. He received both M.S. and Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado. His thesis explored Energetic Bubbles in the Interstellar Medium. In addition, his research has involved IRAS and IUE studies of supernova remnants and supershells, as well as models of the effects of non-sequential star formation in OB associations on the growth of supershells. He also worked on a database of IUE spectra of active galactic nuclei. After receiving his Doctorate, Dr. Saken participated in the Space Telescope Science Institute ROSAT studies of supernova remnants and was the Co-Coordinator for the "Students Hands On Physics" (SHOP) program, an all volunteer program bringing experiential physics to students at Baltimore's largest middle-school. Today, Dr. Saken is a Physics and Astronomy instructor at PBCC. He is a co-Principal Investigator on a NSF-ILI Grant in Astronomy and a recipient of a PBCC Staff & Program Development Astronomy Grant.
Lori Crane is a Professor of Speech Communication at Palm Beach Community College. She holds a B.S. in Political Science and Speech Communication and earned an M.A. in Speech Communication from Ball State University. Her graduate work focused on rhetorical studies and forensics. Professor Crane has been a member of P.B.C.C.'s faculty for the past six years. During that time, she has avidly worked to integrate communication skills across the disciplines. Professor Crane believes strongly in interdisciplinary team teaching and works with faculty members from various fields to provide students with a strong general education foundation.
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Equipment Utilized ✹ Curaco Eclipse Trip Telescopes:
8-inch Meade LX 50 8-inch Celestron C8
Filters:
Thousand Oaks Optical
CCDs: Video:
Santa Barbara Instruments Group ST-7 & ST-6 Digital Video Camera - Sony Sony (analog model) Toshiba Motorola Play Inc.
Laptops: Cell Phone: Snappy:
✹ Hungary and Canada Eclipse Trips Telescopes:
8-inch Meade LX 50 5-inch Celestron G5 (2) Filters: Thousand Oaks Optical CCD: Santa Barbara Instruments Group ST-6 Video: Digital Video Camera - Sony Adirondack Video Astronomy - Astrovid model Sony (analog model) Laptops: Toshiba and Dell Walkies: Talk-abouts - Motorola AC/DC : Highwayman- Roadmaster 35mm cameras: Pentax- Nikon Film: Kodak Snappy: Play Inc. Generator: Ultimate- Coleman
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Contact Information The Profjohn team welcomes inquiries from potential sponsors. Additional information on past eclipse expeditions, the upcoming June 21st expedition, and future trips is available upon request. Inquiries can be directed as follows. ✹ By E-mail:
[email protected]
✹ By phone:
Prof. Berryman 561-439-8394 Dr. Saken 561-434-5126 Prof. Crane 561-357-1353
✹ By mail:
Profjohn MS #32 4200 Congress Ave. Palm Beach Community College Lake Worth, FL 33461-4296
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