Total Eclipse of Fun - Using SPARC to Facilitate Experiential Learning

There are many ways to exhibit experiential learning within an atmospheric science class, but this past spring we took it to the next level through studying the most recent total solar eclipse. In anticipation of this rare event happening so close to Valparaiso University, we requested the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) through an educational deployment of the NSF Facility and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP). Ultimately, a combination of SPARC facility and Valparaiso University instrumentation were deployed to study the total solar eclipse. Instrumentation utilized included, a Doppler LiDAR, Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), surface meteorological observations, and radiosonde observations.

Through this process we engaged 18 students in a one credit research class to design the eclipse field campaign and subsequently analyze the data collected. Additionally, ten students were funded to deploy in the field to use a combination of the SPARC facility and university owned instrumentation. Throughout the course, the students led the development of specific research questions and the way they would utilize the available instrumentation to answer the identified questions. While many courses have research projects, this opportunity allowed for an authentic end-to-end research experience, especially with the need to develop deployment details and conduct the data collection phase. This was experiential learning at its finest. This presentation will discuss the unexpected opportunities and challenges this educational experience had. Finally, we’ll share some analyses of the evolution of the boundary layer captured through this deployment.