Florida EXPLORES!

EXPloring and Learning the Operations and Resources
of Environmental Satellites!

Click on the map for a complete list of schools in the program.

Scroll down for project background information.

Dr. Paul Ruscher / Rick Lusher
Florida State University, Department of Meteorology; Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4520
(850) 644-3465 (voice); (850) 644-9642 (fax)

exploresadm@met.fsu.edu

Over the past seven years, Florida EXPLORES! has become one of the premiere university-directed K-12 outreach programs in the world. The directors, employees, and teacher and student participants, as well as the general public, are now reaping the benefits of this outreach effort. What began as four demonstration direct-readout weather satellite ground stations in 1992, now in some way touches thousands of people around the world each day. The EXPLORES! family now consists of 200 direct-readout ground stations in Florida public and private schools, science museums, the FSU Meteorology Department, and the Florida State Climate Center. EXPLORES! also works closely with the FSU Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Early Childhood and Elementary Education, the Florida Science FEAT program, Brevard Community College, NASA Space Camp, science, industry, and technology museums statewide, marine science centers, the National Hurricane Center, the Southern Region of the National Weather Service, the American Meteorological Society's Project Atmosphere and Project Maury, Network Montana, Project GLOBE, and the international education community via the World Wide Web. EXPLORES! has become the largest single education outreach program of its type in the world.

The EXPLORES! program seeks to implement the NOAA Direct Readout Satellite Program into science and related subjects classrooms. Project goals include effectively using real time data in pursuit of classroom research initiatives in the earth and physical sciences (many in collaboration with University researchers), continuing to increase the number of satellite ground stations in Florida schools, improving existing school ground station capabilities, and improving collaboration with, and utilization of, other existing statewide projects such as the Florida Student Weather Network (FSWN) and FIRN. The program trains teachers concerning the effective classroom use of technology, particularly material related to weather satellite imagery and satellite derived products. Teachers learn the "how-to's" of content acquisition of satellite derived meteorological data, as well as their application to the earth, environmental, and space sciences from FSU Meteorology faculty expertise in their respective areas.

We continue to provide our teachers with unique resources from our NOAA and NASA contacts, including access to GOES satellite and space shuttle launches, free software and hardware, grant and workshop access for K-12 teachers, etc. Several of our teachers are participants in the American Meteorological Society's Atmospheric Education Resource Agent (AERA) program, which maintains a program identifying master teachers who provide the materials and training for integrating meteorological information into the K-12 science curriculum in their respective states. Many EXPLORES! teachers have also won high honors in local, regional, state, and national forums. The application and selection process is designed to combine a unique blend of novice and expert, veteran and rookie, so that each teacher has the opportunity to teach to, and learn from, the balance of the group.

High school students who are graduates of EXPLORES! schools are now enrolled in the Meteorology Department at FSU as highly trained and highly motivated individuals well versed in the scientific method, and proving capable of doing outstanding work. This outcome is extremely important to the EXPLORES! program, as one of the primary goals of the program is to prepare students to better meet the technological challenges of the next millenium.

EXPLORES! also continues to support the educational training of its teachers, students and employees. One Master's thesis (Graham, 1995) has been completed, and another is in progress (Lans). These theses concentrate on the impact of this type of educational technology on teachers and students in the Florida K-12 classroom. In addition, one of our EXPLORES! teachers has recently completed his Master's thesis on the impacts of weather satellite technology in the classroom (Taggart, 1994). Five additional EXPLORES! teachers finished their Master's degrees during summer 1995 on a vast array of topics relating to the implementation of technology in the classroom. Once published, these works will have impacts across the state in all areas of science curricula.

A call for applications is announced electronically every late February/early March on the EXPLORES! Homepage on the World Wide Web (WWW) and through FIRN venues. Applications are encouraged to be submitted online through the Florida EXPLORES! Homepage.

This program is preparing to enter its eighth year as expansion of all facets of the program continues. Our primary funding source is the Florida Technological Research and Development Authority, located in Titusville, Florida.

For more information please send mail to:

ruscher@met.fsu.edu