Notes from the Field

Validating PACE and Inspiring Future Scientists

October 31st, 2024 by Brenna Biggs, NASA Airborne Science Program

At a weekend science camp in the remote village of Bautista, Philippines, the faces of students at Coloscaoyan National High School quickly changed from skepticism to excitement when they realized that the NASA scientist speaking to them on Zoom was in fact not artificial intelligence. According to the Deputy Executive Director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippine Science High School System, “Many of them expressed disbelief that an actual NASA scientist would have time for them or engage with them… We can’t express enough how thankful we are for your time and for the impact you have on those students… Truly, you have left an indelible mark on each of those students and inspired many of them to become future scientists.”

Students and faculty at Coloscaoyan National High School in the Philippines during a PACE-PAX outreach event. Photo by Brenna Biggs.

This story is from one of 63 virtual student engagement events held for NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne Experiment (PACE-PAX). The mission used aircraft (the NASA ER-2 and CIRPAS Twin Otter) and waterborne research vessels (R/V Blissfully,R/V Shearwater, and R/V Fish) to calibrate and validate the data from the PACE satellite, which was launched in February 2024. California was the main hub for the mission, with most of the airborne and waterborne activities occurring in Edwards, Marina, Long Beach, and Santa Barbara.

NASA Earth science missions are not only an opportunity to conduct great science but also to involve students and the general public in the scientific process. As the NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP) science communication lead, I host outreach events for students worldwide. For PACE-PAX, I reached over 2,600 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade from 25 schools in three countries (the United States, Philippines, and South Africa) and six states (California, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Texas). Over 50 percent of these schools were located in California to highlight the state as the mission’s hub.

Students at Empangeni High School in South Africa during a PACE-PAX outreach event. Photo by Brenna Biggs.

Students at Philippine Science High School Eastern Visayas Campus pose for a picture after a PACE-PAX outreach event. Photo by Brenna Biggs.

Each outreach event consisted of a customized presentation with a duration ranging from 10 minutes to an hour based on grade level and class availability, followed by a question-and-answer (Q&A) session for students to ask about PACE-PAX, NASA, or whatever they wanted. On some occasions, special guests from PACE-PAX were included in content creation, Q&A, or presentations: Ivona Cetinić (NASA GSFC), Bridget Seegers (NASA GSFC), Rachel Smith (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Norm Nelson (University of California, Santa Barbara), or Brent McBride (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). 

Nelson and Cetinić gave virtual tours of Nelson’s lab at UC Santa Barbara for 15 fifth-grade students at Washington Elementary School, also located in Santa Barbara, California. Additionally, Seegers gave virtual tours of her workspace, water filtration system, and other instruments onboard the R/V Blissfully for a total of 65 students from grades three, five, and six at schools located in Ohio, Illinois, and Texas. Our volunteers greatly enhanced the students’ experiences.

The schools included for PACE-PAX outreach represented a wide variety of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, academic levels, and demographics. Out of the 25 schools reached, 17 were American public schools, 2 were American private schools, and 6 were international schools. Notably, we reached 50 at-risk and 41 special education fifth-grade students at a school in a disadvantaged community in Corpus Christi, Texas; we hosted three bilingually interpreted events (two English/Spanish and one English/Tagalog); we reached 381 high schoolers in middle- or low-income municipalities in the Philippines. Finally, 30 presentations were delivered to students at schools that are part of the NASA-sponsored Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program.

Bridget Seegers (NASA GSFC) answers a 6th grader’s question after a virtual R/V Blissfully tour during a presentation for Wheaton Christian Grammar School in Winfield, Illinois. Photo by Brenna Biggs.

These events were very well received. A group of transitional kindergarten students from Felton, California, even sent handmade cards to express their gratitude! As teachers noted, “This activity fueled the love for science in our students,” and “The class and I learned a lot and really enjoyed you and the presentation,” and “NASA truly rocks!” And as students noted, “Thank you for teaching us about PACE-PAX and what the satellites exploring Earth do. I learned that NASA doesn’t only explore outer space, but Earth too,” and that “Learning about the different types of plankton and aerosols was so much fun!”

I look forward to reconnecting with these students for the next NASA mission!

Photos published with permission via student photo releases from Coloscaoyan National High School, Empangeni High School, Philippine Science High School, and Wheaton Christian Grammar School.

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