Tracing the Structure of the Universe:
What Do We Know? How Do We Know It?
How Can We Use It In the Classroom?

The Institute:
The Center for Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is offering a five-day summer institute, with one pre-institute session in the spring, to expose teachers to current space science research associated with NASA's HETE mission. The goal of the Institute is to increase teachers' own understanding of key topics related to the structure and evolution of the Universe theme and to provide a context in which many of the Massachusetts Department of Education science content learning standards, as described in the MA DOE Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework, can be met. The three overarching questions that will frame the activities, lectures, and events for this Institute are:

• How does the development of new technologies to collect data in all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum contribute to our understanding of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe?
• How does the principle of universal gravitation help to explain the architecture of the universe?
• How does the life cycle of a star exemplify conservation of mass and energy in the universe?

Check the MA DOE science content learning standards for specific information on how they are linked to these overarching questions.

What is HETE?
The HETE mission is an international collaboration led by the Center for Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The High Energy Transient Explorer is a small scientific satellite designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts, the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. Gamma-ray bursts are likely caused by the death of a massive star, in which the core implodes to form a black hole. Bursts appear to occur randomly, and few last more than a minute, making them hard to study. Within seconds of the detection, HETE relays the locations of gamma-ray bursts to a worldwide network of radio, optical and X-rays telescopes. HETE's prompt localization enables scientists to study the burst afterglow, caused by shock waves from the explosion sweeping up matter and ramming it into the region around the burst. The afterglow can linger for days or weeks in lower-energy forms of light, such as X-rays or visible light. Most bursts originate in the early universe, traveling upwards of 10 billion years at light speed to reach us.

When:

Pre-Institute Session May 21, 2004 2:00 pm-6:00 pm

Summer Institute August 2, 2004- August 6, 2004 9:00am-3:00pm

Where:
The Institute will be held at the Center for Space Research at MIT, which is located on the main campus of MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

There is a limited amount of funding for participants for whom traveling to and from MIT each day would be a substantial burden

Cost/Credit:
There is no cost for this institute. PDPs for certification renewal will be awarded upon completion of the Institute. In addition, 3 graduate credits from Framingham State College will be made available for a small fee.

Applying for the Institute:
If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, please complete the information that follows. The application deadline is April 30, 2004. We encourage pairs of teachers from schools/districts to apply; however, we will also accept applications from individual teachers.

Name:
Home Address:
City:	State: Zip Code:
Home Phone Number:
School:
School Address:
City:	State: Zip Code:
School Phone Number:
Grade Level/Subject Taught:
Email Address:
Brief Response:	In no more than 250 words, please tell us how this summer institute will fulfill personal/professional goals and needs that you have identified for yourself and goals or needs for your school/district.

Questions?
If you have questions about this summer institute, please do not hesitate to contact
Dr. Irene Porro
Education and Public Outreach Scientist
MIT Center for Space Research
iporro@space.mit.edu
(617) 258-7481