Relevancy and Diversity Impact

Relevance to NASA The ECSU-NRTS is moving ECSU and partners to be in a competitive position, where they can fit into the critical path identified in NASA's strategic plan for research and/or education. To that end, building partnerships has been a major NRTS focus. The result has been increased participation with NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Space Science Enterprise, and NASA's NOVA and ALERT Programs. Further, Langley Educator Resource Center, Langley Research Center, JPL, John Glenn Research Center and Goddard's Space Flight Center have developed relevant initiatives with the ECSU NRTS and its partners. NASA' s Earth Science Enterprise is charged with developing an understanding of the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Goals and Objective are stated below.

Earth Science Enterprise Relevancy "Expand scientific knowledge of the Earth system using NASA's unique capabilities from the vantage points of space, aircraft, and in situ platforms. Understand the causes and consequences of land-cover/land-use change.... Disseminate information about the Earth system by Increased public understanding of Earth System Science through education and outreach...Enable the productive use of Earth science and technology in the public and private sectors... " NASA Earth Science Education Office

The following ECSU-NRTS initiatives have a strong relevance to NASA Strategic Enterprises, as well as to the overall NASA mission.

Earth Science Relevance: Earth Science Education Funding Announcement Videoconference Feb. 2, 2000 10:30am - 2:00pm 115 Lester Hall on the Campus of ECSU. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) announces an opportunity to participate in the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) in an innovative professional development program. ESSEA is a partnership among IGES, the Center for Educational Technologies (CET) at Wheeling Jesuit University, and NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). Its objectives are to promote the growth of knowledgeable and well-equipped K-12 Earth system science educators through on-line professional development courses; Demonstrate the effectiveness of the World Wide Web in the promotion of professional development of K-12 Earth system science educators; and, respond directly to the need to prepare more teachers to meet the demand of a growing U.S. student population. To meet these objectives, ESSEA provides funds which support universities, colleges, and science education organizations in offering K-12 on-line graduate courses that have been developed for NASAs ESE by the CET at Wheeling Jesuit University. Discussion of the proposal guidelines was an integral part of the videoconference. For more information about the ESSEA program, please see the programs WWW site at http://www.cet.edu/essea. ECSU received two awards through this announcement. NSU received one grant.

Earth Science Relevance: Mathematics of the Great Dismal Swamp The Mathematics of the Dismal Swamp Project supports a team of professors from ECSU to use research on The Great Dismal Swamp Project as a platform for development of a mathematics education course that incorporates a generic wetlands application. The focus of the project is to improve pre-service math education students' understand of the interdisciplinary nature (including biology, organisms and aquatic levels, chemistry, geoscience, estuaries and swamp, and math analysis of the data) associated with Earth Systems Science. Four new modules are being developed, which include the interdisciplinary approach for incorporating Earth Systems Science in the targeted mathematics education course. The team of professors participate simultaneously in both Project ALERT and Project NOVA. The project is sponsored by The NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) Education Program, ECSU, and The MU-SPIN Office of GSFC.

Earth Science Relevance: You Be the Scientist with Satellite Imagery You Be the Scientist with Satellite Imagery in EZ/EC Communities is a student enrichment project for 6 targeted middle schools located in the economic empowerment zone communities of Portsmouth, Virginia and Halifax, North Carolina. The student enrichment component is designed to support extra curricular science activities structured to maximize awareness of and utilization of GOES satellite data to meet core Earth Science learning objectives and to develop marketable skills in the area of computer technology. The You Be The Scientist program launches students into the 21th century with organized integrated science and technology educational enrichment activities. The program also includes a component which exposes students to a variety of careers available in research, data analysis, applications, and computer visualization. NASA educational sites, which provide a wealth of resources on science careers and Earth System Science Concepts, are integrated into the career component. Implementing this project is Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), at which the MU-SPIN Office of Goddard Space Flight Center has established a Network Resources and Training Site (NRTS). ECSU brings satellite imagery to middle schools in its region in an effort to enhance the study of mathematics and science by underrepresented minority students. The program is designed to aggressively strengthen the current Earth System Science (ESS) outreach to EZ/EC middle schools by GSFC and the ECSU-NRTS.

Earth Science Relevance: National Science Teachers Association Conference The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Convention was held in Orlando, FL on April 5-9, 2000. The ECSU NRTS supported the participation of 6 partners who worked at the NASA Earth Science Education Booth. NRTS representatives also attended the preconference ESS orientation session. Information of NRTS ESS programs was distributed during the event. Earth Science Relevance: IEEE IGARSS 2000 Conference ECSU NRTS partners will make several presentations during the July IEEE IGARSS 2000 Conference co-sponsored by NASA and other organizations. Among the presentations are The PICASSO-CENA Satellite Mission K-12 and Public Outreach Program Using Remote Sensing(Hampton University); Diversifying Earth System Science Education - the Undergraduate Research Model(Norfolk State University); Geoscience & Geophysical Modeling: How Will the Dilemma be Solved?(ECSU) ; and The Annual Earth System Science Academy (ECSU).

Earth Science Relevance: NASA's Earth Science Education Forum in Austin, TX Sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and organized by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the 1999 NASA Earth Science Education forum was designed to bring together representatives from all NASA ESE Education Projects. The conference was intended to meet the following objectives: Communicate NASA's Earth Science Education strategy and vision for the future; share knowledge and experience gained as a result of NASA ESE education activities; encourage leveraging and cooperation among principal investigators; and share resources and unique approaches to enhance current programs. Four representatives of the ECSU NRTS made presentations at the conference.

Earth Science Relevance: CET Earth System Science On-Line Courses (Earth System Science Education Alliance-ESSEA) This project extends the current set of NRTS Earth System Science initiatives to include delivery of three courses in Earth System Science to K-12 teachers in the Virginia and North Carolina Region which the NRTS serves. Courses will reside on a LINUX server currently under the supervision on a network engineer and a team of undergraduate student researchers. The 3 available Earth System Science courses (for teachers of grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12) use an innovative instructional design model. Delivered over the Internet, they feature student-centered, knowledge-building virtual communities, the optimal method of teachers to teach and for students to learn. The first of the CET courses will be offered by ECSU and Hampton University beginning Fall of 2000.

Earth Science Relevance: Earth System Science Academy The Earth System Science Academy is one of the major K-12 Earth System Science initiatives sponsored by the NASA NRTS. During the two-day summer academy, teachers tour the Great Dismal Swamp and actively become involved with water testing techniques. Teachers attended both Geoscience and Computer Science workshops. Internet workshops focus on NASA educational resources on Earth System Science. The Earth System Science Academy offers educators the opportunity to learn about the health of local waterways and the Great Dismal Swamp. The Academy challenges educators to develop new skills through the experience of working with university and NASA researchers. Included in the Earth System Science Academy is a tour of the Great Dismal Swamp Boardwalk; Hands on Water Quality Labs; and workshops on Earth System Science.

Space Science Enterprise Relevancy "Combining resources creates numerous opportunities for space science to make significant contributions towards meeting the nation's educational and science literacy goals. As stated in a White House publication of 1994, Science in the National Interest [5], "Our research infrastructure...in colleges and universities, in industry, and in Federal laboratories is an enormous national resource...Stronger coupling between researchers and teachers at all levels...from kindergarten through graduate school...will naturally bring these resources into play to enrich our educational system." Many excellent collaborative education and public outreach efforts are already underway. NASA's strategy is to identify, build on, and extend these activities, taking advantage of lessons already learned. All of the education and outreach programs underscore the priority NASA places on developing partnerships with educators, industry, planetariums, museums, media, and other government agencies to leverage resources and skills in order to offer an array of education and science communication programs. " NASA Office of Space Science The following initiatives have been implemented within the ECSU NRTS in support of the Office of Space Science education goals. As opportunities arise during the continuation period the NRTS will pursue other OSS initiatives.

Space Science Relevance: Space Mission Involvement Videoconference One of the goals was to help university educators understand the NASA Strategic Plan which mandates that the Office of Space Science involve the education community in its endeavors to inspire America's students, create learning opportunities, enlighten inquisitive minds; and communicate widely the content, relevancy, and excitement of NASA's missions and discoveries. The MU-SPIN Space Mission Involvement Workshop was held Dec. 9-10, 1999. Participants discovered how they can participate in major education, outreach and science conferences nationwide!

Space Science Relevance: Office of Space Science Information Systems Program The article entitled " Elizabeth City State University Reaches Minority Schools With Information Technology" was published in issue 47 of this newsletter. The article was written by Valerie L. Thomas, Research/Education Outreach Coordinator, and Linda Bailey Hayden, Network Resource and Training Sites Principle Investigator. SISN ISSUE 47 can be viewed at the URL: http://www-sisn.jpl.nasa.gov/ISSUE47/muspin1.html.

Minority Diversity Involvement "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the Agencys research programs and missions. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Annual Plan to Assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities outlines NASAs commitment to fulfill and implement the Federal mandate issued by President William J. Clinton in Executive Order 12876, dated November 1, 1993. The FY 2000 Annual Plan continues its strong links with the Agency's key Strategic Enterprises-- Aerospace Technology, Human Exploration and Development of Space, Space Science, and Earth Science. The Annual Plan reflects the critical steps that NASA is committed to taking, in partnership with HBCUs, to achieve educational excellence while furthering the Agencys mission. The Agency encourages and promotes the involvement of HBCUs in all of NASAs educational and research opportunities. The vision, mission, and goals for achieving full participation of HBCUs in the development and application of new cutting-edge technologies have been correlated with NASAs Strategic Plan, each of the Enterprises Strategic Plans, and the Agencys Education Plan. " NASA FISCAL YEAR 2000 ANNUAL PLAN TO ASSIST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU) http://mured.alliedtech.com/annualreports/hbcuplan99.pdf ECSU-NRTS plans to help the Enterprise(s) solve its diversity problem The ECSU NRTS is designed to serve the states of North Carolina and Virginia. The NRTS provides network training and facilitate HBCU/MI network opportunities in research and education for SMET faculty and students, as well as for the teachers at predominately minority-attended elementary and secondary schools in ECSU's region. Research focus for the NRTS include High Performance Networks and Earth System Science. The 1999-00 initiatives have shifted the focus away from infrastructure and instead have been designed to enhance the science and research capability of partners and their affiliation with the centers. All activities have a NASA related component designed to introduce or better acquaint partners with the resources and research opportunities available through Goddard Space Flight Center, John Glenn Research Center, JPL, and Langley Research Center. Representatives from the centers and other NRTS have been involved with each university activity. Three education and mission videoconferences were well attended by partner institutions which introduced them to both Earth Science and Space Science opportunities. Four Earth Science Education grants were received by NRTS partners as a result of these activities. The initiatives are described in the Earth Science Enterprise 2000 Education Catalog. Page numbers are indicated after the name of the initiatives. The titles of these awards are: Mathematics of the Dismal Swamp (p.20); You Be The Scientist with Satellite Imagery in EZ/EC Communities http://nia.ecsu.edu/nrts/ess/earth.html (page 8); NSU/NASA Research Experience in Earth System Science hppt://vigyan.nsu.edu/reess (page 11); and Norfolk State University Scenario Based Learning: Inquiry for a Digital Earth (page 56) . Also included in the Earth Science Enterprise 2000 Education Catalog is the Annual Earth System Science Academy (page 26). The following activities are or will be used to address the enterprises diversity problem.

Earth Science Diversity Impact: CET On-line Earth Science Courses The Virginia-based Institute for Global Environmental Strategies has taken an important first step in creating a national infrastructure to promote on-line professional development for K-12 science educators . The non-profit agency announced the selection of six organizations that will receive funding to offer on-line Earth System Science courses for educators. The effort promises to improve science education by impacting the knowledge, skills, and resources of thousands of teachers nationwide. Two of the selected proposals focus on minority and disadvantaged audiences. The Institute--working in partnership with the Center for Educational Technologies (CET), Wheeling, West Virginia, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Enterprise-has created the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) to facilitate the delivery of on-line graduate courses for teachers by universities, colleges, and science education organizations. CET developed the state-of-the-art on-line courses. The selected organizations include: Calif State Univ. at Northridge, CA Elizabeth City State Univ. Elizabeth City, NC The Gulf of Maine Aquarium of Portland, ME Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN U.S. Space Foundation, Colorado Springs, CO WestEd of San Francisco, CA Earth Science Diversity Impact: NSU Research Experience in Earth System Science (REESS) REESS is a 6 week program to educate Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SMET) undergraduates in the visualization and interpretation of satellite data. This is achieved by the assignment of research projects relevant to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise coupled with a rigorous educational program. REESS is funded in part by NASA grant NAG 5-6298 and by Norfolk State University's BESTLab. More information on REESS is available at http://vigyan.nsu.edu/bestlab.htm. At the end of the REESS program, students are expected to : Have an understanding of major issues in global climate change. Be capable of accessing satellite images over the Internet and make informed interpretations. Be able to perform satellite data manipulation and image processing using state-of-the-art tools such as WorldWatcher, IDL and Satellite Tool Kit. Earth Science Diversity Impact: IEEE IGARSS 2000 Conference ECSU NRTS partners will make several presentations during the July IEE IGARSS 2000 Conference co-sponsored by NASA and other organizations. Among the presentations are The PICASSO-CENA Satellite Mission K-12 and Public Outreach Program Using Remote Sensing(Hampton University); Diversifying Earth System Science Education - the Undergraduate Research Model(Norfolk State University); Geoscience & Geophysical Modeling: How Will the Dilemma be Solved?(ECSU) ; and The Annual Earth System Science Academy (ECSU). Earth Science Diversity Impact: NASA's Earth Science Education Forum in Austin, TX Sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and organized by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the 1999 NASA Earth Science Education forum was designed to bring together representatives from all NASA ESE Education Projects. The conference was intended to meet the following objectives: Communicate NASA's Earth Science Education strategy and vision for the future; Share knowledge and experience gained as a result of NASA ESE education activities; Encourage leveraging and cooperation among principal investigators; Share resources and unique approaches to enhance current programs. Four representatives of the ECSU NRTS made presentations at the conference. Each of the 4 representatives was from an HBCU.

Diversity Impact: Langley Research Center The NASA/ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program is intended to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, to stimulate an exchange of ideas between teaching participants and employees of NASA, to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and to contribute to the research objectives of the Center. To date the following faculty have participated in the ASEE program: Dr. Linda Hayden Dr. Jim Kung Dr. Ellis Lawrence Dr. Waldo Rodriquez Ms. Jackie Long Dr. Sandra Deloatch The Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) Program was established in 1986 by Dr.Samuel E. Massenberg for the benefit of undergraduate juniors and seniors and first-year graduate students who are pursuing degrees in aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, computer science, atmospheric science, astrophysics, physics, chemistry or selected space disciplines of interest to LaRC. Two primary elements of the LARSS Program are (1) a research project to be completed by each participant under the supervision of a researcher who will assume the role of mentor for the summer and (2) technical lectures by prominent engineers and scientists. Additional elements of this program include tours of LaRC wind tunnels, computational facilities and laboratories. Library and computer facilities are available for use by the participants. To date over 15 students from the NRTS partner schools have participated in the LARSS Program. NRTS participation in the Pre-service Summer Teacher Training at LaRC is under the direction of Dr. Barbara Johnson. ECSU pre-service teachers who attended the workshops share their NASA Langley Research Center experience during the NRTS Fall K-12 training. To date over 10 pre-service teachers have participated in the LaRC Pre-service Summer Teacher Training.

Diversity Impact: NASA Langley's Educator Resource Center To help disseminate materials and information to educators, NASA's Education Division has established the Educator Resource Center Network. This network is comprised of Educator Resource Centers(ERC'S) and the Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE). These facilities are the principal distribution points where educators may obtain NASA Publications, video/computer materials, and participate in training workshops on the use of NASA educational products. Through the NASA Educator Resource Center Network (ERCN), educators can enhance their existing curriculum with information generated by NASA programs, technologies, and discoveries. Five Portsmouth Public School Educators appointed to the staff of the Langley ERC will conduct a cross-reference study of NASA ERC resources and Virginia Standards of Learning. During the summer of 1999 three North Carolina Educators received a similar appointment to the ERC during which time they conducted a study of the use of NASA educational resources in the North Carolina educational standards.

Diversity Impact: Kennedy Space Center Katrina Godwin, ECSU Computer Science Major under the direction of John Porter, KSC for CLCS Lead Network Systems, has been actively involved in the research project entitled Generation of Test Tools to Exercise Benchmark and Troubleshoot Network Equipment for Realtime CLCS The Checkout and Launch Control System (CLCS) mission is, to replace the current Launch Procession System (LPS) with standards - based, Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) system and custom software. It will utilize multi-vendor platforms tied together with standard Local Area Network(LAN) technology. A program mandate is to replace the existing LPS without causing changes to existing flight hardware or software and with no impact to the flight manifest. Ultimately, these tools will mature into a deliverable suite of tools to be used by the Operations Engineers in their day-to-day activities, as well as generating data to be used in the vendor selection of various network components. The tools, a part of this research project, were generated in the "C" programming language within the Unix environment and utilized, at a minimum, the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) via Unix sockets. The NRTS also submitted a proposal to the SLSTP Announcement from Kennedy. . Through the Announcement, NASA requested proposals from accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to partner with NASA by administering logistical tasks required for undergraduate students to participate in the Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP) 2000 summer course. The proposal was not funded

Diversity Impact: Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Science Information Systems Newsletter is operated by the Office of Space Science Science Information Systems Program. This is an electronic site located at http://www-sisn.jpl.nasa.gov. This newsletter is prepared for NASA's Office of Space Science Information Systems Program through an agreement with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The major focus is on programs sponsored by the Information Systems Program. However, articles of interest for other programs and agencies are presented as well. This newsletter also provides a vehicle for reporting how applications and hardware used for space science and other NASA research and development can be adapted for use by teachers and their students and by non-NASA organizations, as well as providing a vehicle for reporting the transfer of NASA technology. The objective of the Science Information Systems Newsletter is to inform the space science and applications research community about information systems development and to promote coordination and collaboration by providing a forum for communication. The goal of NASA's many outreach programs is to promote to the general public an understanding of how NASA makes significant contributions to American education systems and to institutions dedicated to improving science literacy. The article entitled " Elizabeth City State University Reaches Minority Schools With Information Technology" was published in issue 47 of this newsletter. The article was written by Valerie L. Thomas, Research/Education Outreach Coordinator, and Linda Bailey Hayden, Network Resource and Training Sites Principle Investigator. SISN ISSUE 47 can be viewed at the URL: http://www-sisn.jpl.nasa.gov/ISSUE47/muspin1.html.

Diversity Impact: John Glenn Research Center Dr. Dispendra C. Sengupta (ECSU Professor of Mathematics, desegpta@sun1.ecsu.edu) works with John Glenn Research Center to investigate a variety of high frequency new devices in communication systems; analyze and design a physical and mathematical model of the devices; and investigate the dynamical and chaotic process and techniques for control of chaos in these models. The three-year grant is entitled "Controlling Chaos of Josephson Junction." In his research project, Dr. Sengupta involves a team of undergraduate researchers.

Diversity Impact: Ames Research Center Dr. Ravinda Sinha ( rpsinha@mail.ecsu.edu), Professor of Geoscience at Elizabeth City State University has worked with Ames Research Center since 1996 to assess the impact of burning on earth's atmosphere. The project has implications relevant to land use and land management NREN's vision is to create a next generation network testbed that revolutionizes end-to-end applications for NASA missions and the Nation. ECSU attended the NREN meeting in 1999. As a result of that meeting Dr. K. Palaniappan (Univ. of Missouri at Columbia), DISS Developer, travelled to ECSU as visiting lecturer to discuss the NREN application in Earth Sciences, Interactive Distributed Image Spreadsheets (DISS), facilitating advanced visualizations of very large databases such as those produced by the Earth Observing Satellite.

Diversity Impact: Goddard Space Flight Center Visualization is a method of computing. It transforms the symbolic into the geometric, enabling researchers to observe their simulations and computations. Visualization offers a method for seeing the unseen. It enriches the process of scientific discovery and fosters profound and unexpected insights. In certain fields of study it is already revolutionizing the way scientists do science. NASA has developed a variety of data sets over the years which has only been analyzed by the top scientists. NRTS Undergraduate students work to develop software to provide an accessible and supportive environment, for students to explore, interpret, and analyze scientific data in a manner which allows them to emulate the work of actual scientists. The visualization team has the task of studying three software products from NASA: IISS, LINKWINDS and WORLD WATCHER. IISS uses the spreadsheet paradigm to develop a highly interactive visualization tool. WORLD WATCHER is a software product that provides an accessible and supportive environment for students to visualize data. LINKWINDS is a tool for analyzing large multivariate and multidisciplinary datasets. It provides a multi-user environment across networks. The team now studies the use of satellite imagery using the GVAR server and the DirectPC satellite dish which receives real time GOES 8 data through the GSFC You Be the Scientist Program. Summer Institute in Computer Applications: Melvin Anderson is one of two ECSU students who have participated in the SICA program. This program provides meaningful summer work experience to twenty five college students pursuing technical majors with the intent to increase the pool of minority scientists and engineers from which aerospace organizations hire. Students are paired with Goddard mentors who offer work assignments in the interns' areas of interest.

Diversity Impact: Goddard Space Flight Center ESS Coolspace Program Six schools, including FSU, ECSU and several middle schools have been targeted to launch their students into the 21th century with an integrated science and technology education program redeveloped through research at Goddard Space Flight Center. Mr. Michael Comberiate leads the investigation. NASA has developed a hardware and software system that allows students from elementary school through college the opportunity to process raw satellite data from the GOES weather satellite in real time. The system allows student to manipulate HRPT image data from NOAA and NASA. These image and data sets include post-processed HRPT imagery of significant events such as fires, volcanoes, oil spills, floods, storms, etc as they are being prepared for various websites. Selected imagery from Meteosat (European geostationary weather satellite) and GMS (Japanese geostationary weather satellite), Hubble Telescope, Tropical Rain Monitoring Mission and SeaWiFS (Ocean color/Phytoplankton) are available using these systems. Installation of the systems and training was completed this year. NRTS partners hosted both the Anartica video broadcast and the Hawaii video broadcast organized by the ESS Coolspace Program.

Diversity Impact: NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) NOVA was created to develop and disseminate a national framework for enhancing science, mathematics and technology literacy for pre-service teachers in the 21st century. The lead institutions of the NOVA consortium, include The University of Alabama, Fayetteville State University, The University of Idaho, and a network of fifty other member institutions, are working to produce enhanced scientific literacy for pre-service teachers. Elizabeth City State University Network Resources and Training Site hosted a NOVA workshop on the campus of Hampton University. Minority university partners of the NRTS at ECSU, South Carolina State University, Morgan State University, and CCNY brought teams of faculty to the workshop. Teams consisted of science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and education faculty who are concerned with how universities prepare new teachers. Using the NASA mission, facilities, and resources, NOVA provided faculty with enhanced knowledge and skills to implement change in university courses. Teams that have successfully completed this workshop are eligible to submit a proposal to develop and implement a course for pre-service teachers. This course must address national standards and benchmark guidelines for precollege teachers and must integrate math, science and technology. The workshop topics included: Demonstration of an undergraduate science and math course framework; Examples of successful course models; A mentoring support system for faculty wishing to implement new courses or modify existing courses at their universities. The NRTS at ECSU provided technical support for the NOVA meeting held at Goddard Space Flight Center May 24-28, 1999. Ten notebook computers with Internet access along with technical personal were provided in support of the NOVA workshop. Fayetteville State representative Dr. Leo Edwards, ECSU represenatives Dr. Georgia Lawrence and Dr. Linda Hayden and Hampton University representative Dr. Diane Robinson were included in the participants. The workshop was designed to support the development of plans for NOVA at participating institutions, and to obtaining reactions to and suggestions for a new NOVA initiatives.

Diversity Impact: MURED Precollege and Teacher Forum Faculty and NRTS staff attended the conference sponsored by The Minority University Research and Education Division at Center for Space Education, Astronauts Memorial Foundation Kennedy Space Center, Florida May 18-20, 1999. The theme of the conference was Inspiring Education for the New Millennium. Dr.Charles Cherry, Dr. Georgia Lawrence, and Mrs. Marie Koltuniak attended this conference. To maximize the exchange of information at the NASA Precollege and Teacher Forum, the NRTS participated through a display in the poster session held on May 18, 1999

Diversity Impact: MURED Millennium Videoconference The ECSU NRTS was selected as one of nine universities to broadcast NASA's MURED Office interactive videoconference on Thursday, April 6, 2000. The theme of the videoconference was "Fulfilling NASA's Challenges in the Millennium: Retooling Knowledge Bases, Preparing for Opportunities, and Making Your Mark," The Symposium reached approximately 2,000 students and faculty and focuses on NASA Enterprises.

Student Involvement Native American students comprise 43% of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and over 70% of all the K-12 schools in Robeson County, NC. UNCP is a member of this consortium. Also, in North Carolina is Halifax county, which has schools with over 50% Native American populations. Edgecome County and Wilson County in North Carolina as well as Norfolk/Portsmouth, Virginia are also classified as EZ/EC communities. Each of these partner public school districts is classified as an Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC). More details on EZ/EC communities can be found at http://www.ezec.gov. The ECSU NRTS consortium is made up of five Historically Black Universities/Colleges, These include Bennett College, Fayetteville State University, Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University, and Norfolk State University. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a student population of over 40% Native American Indian, is also a member of this consortium. The department of Geoscience at Elizabeth City State University is well suited to utilize imagery data that may be acquired from NASA. The Department has recently developed a program utilizing Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. GIS can effectively use aircraft imagery data to examine landscape features and may be used to relate such factors as population distribution, highway routes, and drainage patterns. The Geoscience Department is very active in faculty and students conducting earth science research, as well as in teaching earth science, environmental science, geology and geography courses. Technical courses in GIS, satellite imagery/remote sensing, and cartography are also taught. As far as the curriculum structure is concerned, the Department offers a major in geology, as well as minors in environmental science and GIS/remote sensing. Although a small department with about 25 majors, about 80 percent of its students are active in some type of research project. To date the NRTS has provided over $150,000.00 in scholarships to students at ECSU and its partners. This includes fellowships to computer science and physics master degree students at Hampton University as well as undergraduate chemistry majors at Virginia State University. In addition, the NRTS gives service awards to students who have provided dedicated service to the NRTS center. Students who receive the scholarship, work with a faculty mentor in a structured setting to learn the fundamentals of science research. Two teams, The ATM Networking Team and The Scientific Visualization Team have presented their research findings at several regional and national conferences including National Association for Equal Opportunity Higher Education High Tech Expo (NAFEO), Seizing Opportunities for Advancing Research (SOAR) Undergraduate Research Conference, ADMI Symposium on Computing at Minority Institutions, and the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). In addition, student researchers participated in the Undergraduate Poster Session during the MU-SPIN Conferences 96-98. ECSU scholarship students must maintain the qualifying GPA; Attend the visiting lecturer series; Initiate a research project with their advisor; Attend the research training seminars; Make written reports of their student/sponsor travels; Devote 20 hours each week to working in the research laboratory; and remain a full time student carrying at least 15 hours of coursework. This program provides the student with: State-of-the-art computer research support equipment; support for travel to national and regional conferences; money for their college expenses; summer research and internship opportunities; and specially designed seminars with visiting lecturers. NRTS Service Awards were presented during the university's Honors Day Program. The Service Award included a certificate and a check for $100. Recipients of the Service Award have contributed significantly to the NRTS operations and programs. The services included assisting with training sessions, assisting with secondary school and ECSU networking jobs, and a variety of activities. Earth System Science Research Training Awards of $400.00 were awarded to 3 undergraduate ECSU Students to support their investigations. Investigations involve Total Coliform Bacteria in Pasquotank County Waterways (Sherica Williams); Great Dismal Swamp Water Sample Analysis (Larry Elmore) and Fecal Coliform Bacteria (Jennifer Amstutz). One Earth System Science Training Award was given to Sharon Saunders for her workshop entitled "Earth System Science on the World Wide Web." Annually, 3-4 high school student interns are assigned to the NASA Langley Property Disposal Building and Security. Interns work 30 hr/wk for 8 weeks at a rate of $7.00/hr. The job involves answering the telephone, data entry, bookkeeping, assisting warehouse supervisor and other office related duties. Interns also attend the research lecture series coordinated by the NASA SHARP Program Office where they meet NASA scientists and researchers. One aspect of the NRTS student involvement component is the Masters Degree Thesis Research Awards. Each of these students received their undergraduate degree from a NRTS institution and has proceeded on to the graduate level. These renewable awards range from $500 to $3500. The title of each thesis is indicted below. Curtis Felton, Web Based Network Management using Spectrum and Enterprise Manager with Access. Melvin Anderson, Network Analysis Methodology Micheal Field, Holographic Data Storage Using Anisotropic Gratings Chonda Gayle, Researching Network Management Network Traffic Flow. Kuchumbi Hayden, Firewall Architecture Design for UMFORT 198.85.48.x Node Based on Packet Filtering Courtney Fields, Distributed Debugger in JAVA and its Relation to Wireless Connectivity. Charles Gatling :An Analysis of the Underlying Technologies that Enable Voice Over the Internet Protocol. Clarence Jones, Simulating Breast Tumors with Compact Gamma Cameras Timothy McCray, An Optimistic Approach to a Producer-Consumer Evaluation on the nCUBE. Michael King, NRTS 2000 Funded Project: Configuration of network interfaces, address ranges for the IP groups, including rules needed to implement firewall security policy on the UMFORT 198.85.48.x Node and the IP groups on which the rules operate.

Institutional Commitment The Network Resources and Training Site project fits in well with the institution's education strategic plan The first of new courses and new degrees is now being implemented. ECSU is fully committed to the goals of the earth science and environmental science research and education focus of this NRTS. This plays a key role in higher education mathematics and science education. Both the Mathematics of the Great Dismal Swamp project; The Earth System Science Academy; and the Satellite Imagery project are fully supportive of the goals and directions of the Geoscience Dept. and the Mathematics and Computer Science Department. The Mathematics and Computer Science Department has developed a new course in computer visualization while the Geoscience Department has a new Marine Environmental Science BS Degree Program. Below is a description of both these curriculum enhancement and research efforts as well as a description of other workshops developed within the departments in support of the earth science expert institute concept. The Division of Education will enroll the first cohort in its new Masters Degree program in Education. Further, the Division of Education also has a funded chair faculty position in addition to other tenure track faculty position. The ECSU Department of Education Facilities include 12 Pentium computers with Internet access, Page scanner, LCD projector, and digital camera. Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 8:00 - 8:00; Saturday: 10:00 - 3:00. Dr. Georgia Lawarence, Professor of Mathematics Education serves as Co-PI on the recently funded "Mathematics of The Great Dismal Swamp Project."

Research: The Great Dismal Swamp Boardwalk Project In 1975 Elizabeth City State University acquired 639 acres of land in The Great Dismal Swamp from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Recently the U. S. Department of Education, Title III Program, funded the construction of a half-mile long boardwalk and observation tower. The U.S. Navy has licensed ECSU to construct 900 feet of the boardwalk over Navy wetlands in order to reach the University property. The boardwalk is accessed through the Naval Security Group Activity. The property is surrounded by a large buffer zone of swamp, and it is therefore well protected from the effects of human activities. It is an unspoiled area of fresh water wetlands, with no visible signs of use. Parts of the area are always under water, while other parts are seasonally or rarely flooded. Slight differences in elevation define very different ecological associations. The primary purpose of the property is to provide access to a pristine wetlands environment, and to promote public awareness of the crucial role played by wetlands in the coastal plain biome. Without the wetlands there would be no fishing industry in Albemarle or Pamlico Sounds. The Earth System Science Academy offered participants the opportunity to tour the Great Dismal Swamp Boardwalk Project. ECSU students serve as Boardwalk tourguides while ECSU faculty talk with participants following the tour giving them an overview of the project. Faculty also shares with the participants the extent of the impact of the wetlands on local and regional economies and environments. The Mathematics of The Great Dismal Swamp Project offers educational researchers the opportunity to develop mathematics education modules bases on the Dismal Swamp.

Research: Pasquotank River Water Quality Program ECSU also operates The Pasquotank River Water Quality Program. The primary purpose of the Pasquotank River Water Quality Program (PRWQ) is to collect a water quality database for the Pasquotank River over a one-year time period and to use that information to identify any water quality concerns. Data from the Pasquotank River in the past has been either localized to the Elizabeth City area or only tested for a few parameters. A secondary purpose of the program is to monitor the differences between the man-made Dismal Swamp Canal and the Pasquotank River, and to determine if the Canal is having any negative effect on the River. Ten monitoring stations are set up along the Pasquotank River and the Dismal Swamp Canal. The stations are sampled bi-weekly between the hours of noon and 3:00 p.m. and weather conditions are observed and noted. Parameters monitored are pH, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity, and microbiology. Concerns in the Pasquotank River are from mostly non-point sources-runoff from farmland, hog farms, faulty septic tank systems, runoff from lawns, and stormwater runoff from Elizabeth City, the largest populated area on the River. Microbiology is a concern throughout the basin, and pH and Dissolved oxygen levels are suspected to be low in the Dismal Swamp area.

Research: Undergraduate Visualization Research Program Within the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science there exist an active computer visualization research program involving both students and faculty. Within the department is a computer visualization research laboratory operated by Dr. Johnny Houston and an exciting undergraduate research program which includes a research team devoted to visualization of NASA data sets. A team of undergraduates now studies the use of satellite imagery using the GVAR server and the DirectPC satellite dish which receives real time GOES 8 data through the GSFC You Be the Scientist Program. NSU REESS program provides summer undergraduate research experiences in earth system science and visualization of NASA Data Sets.

Research: Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Three of the Co-Principal Investigators on the proposal, submitted by GSFC in response to the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Funding Announcement NRA 00-OES-02, were from ECSU. This proposal is currently under review. Proposal preparation for Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Missions resulted in an understanding of the role that ECSU can play in future NASA missions. The following are exerts from that proposal related to Wetlands Research, Education Outreach and Disaster Management Demonstrations Including Environmental Impacts Due to Severe Storms.

UAV Co-PI 1: Education Outreach, Dr. Linda Hayden Due to the innovative nature of this program in using UAV technology for Earth Science and Applications, the UAVSDP is particularly suited to education and outreach objectives, as described in appropriate links on the homepage http://www.earth.nasa.gov. The education outreach goals address education outreach to teachers and students, or general outreach using the public media.

UAV Co-PI 1: Wetlands Research, Dr. Maurice Power The Great Dismal Swamp is a unique wetland and aquatic environment area in northeast North Carolina. Nearby, Elizabeth City State University is conducting in-situ measurements to monitor and conduct research of this important environmental resource, which is the primary economic factor in the entire coastal biome. Three factors that effect the economy of North Carolina are: 1) Coastal fishing and shell fishing is 90 percent dependent on primary nurseries and the wetlands which control nursery health. Near-ocean fishing is 70 percent nursery dependent. The fishing industry generates 1.5 billion dollars plus annually. 2) A clean water environment is also mandatory for the booming tourist industry of northeast North Carolina, and this factor adds many millions of dollars to the economic well being of the state. 3) Finally there is the all-important relation between a clean healthy environment, and public health. A healthy environment will most certainly result in less strain on public health related budgets. GSFC and ECSU have proposed UAV hyperspectral flights to be conducted over The Dismal Swamp calibration sites to identify and map wetland species. This information will then be utilized to identify and map the location of primary fish nurseries. The analysis will concentrate on understanding the reasons for their deterioration, including the adverse effect upon the fishing industry. The university will be conducting Biology and Biogeochemistry measurements of the ecosystem and the carbon cycle as they relate to the Earth Science Research themes. Thus addressing both research needs and practical questions which have significant commercial interest and value. The goals of the proposed ECSU experiments are: The unique vantage point of space will facilitate research and data gathering to determine: Primary nurseries location. Quantitatively data on aquatic reproductions of fish and shellfish in nurseries. Same as above for plant life in nurseries. Determine nutrient levels (NO3, PO4) in aquatic environments. Algae build up in aquatic environments, and relate nutrient levels. Location of ditches and canals in prescribed areas of Dismal Swamp, and their current value or relation to human activities. Gathering information on all the varieties in Dismal Swamp for a GIS study of the distribution and causes for concern regarding the deterioration of some species, with special regard to the Atlantic White Cedar (Juniper), which will enable the determination of: 1) Peat thickness in relation to tree types. 2) Table pulsing and surface water in the boardwalk area of the Swamp weekly. Coordination of all above information will occur in seeking a solution to current concerns such as nursery deterioration, wetland deterioration, aquatic life forms depletion, the effect on the coastal and near-ocean fishing economy, and determine whether a wave band can signal the quantitative or qualitative presence of total coliform, E-Coli and Fecal Coliform bacteria in aquatic environments. In addition, identify the presence and distribution quantitatively of black bear and deer in Dismal Swamp. It is apparent that using UAV hyperspectral Information to carry out the activities listed above is breaking new ground. Almost every activity will require ground truthing. This task presents a challenge, which ECSU is ready to accept. Objectives: All of the applications and needs listed above for data gathering and research may be identified by one or more of the following objectives. Use ground-truthing to determine the applicability of utilizing UAVs to define present biological, chemical and geochemical conditions in the wetland and aquatic environments of a coastal biome. Determine whether UAVs data can be used to discover public health concerns in aquatic recreational areas (fishing, swimming, etc), and identify sources of the concern. Utilize UAV information to identify the location of primary nurseries, and the reasons for their deterioration, including the adverse effect upon the fishing industry.

UAV Co-PI 2: Disaster Management Demonstrations Including Environmental Impacts Due to Severe Storms, Dr. William Porter Natural and Man-made disasters by their very nature require immediate and rapid situation evaluations under severely hazardous conditions. The use of UAV's seem to offer an important technology which will minimize the risk of manned aircraft and still provide important assessment information. The North Carolina experience with Hurricane Floyd provides an opportunity to investigate the use of UAV's in support of after-the-event disaster related activities. Hurricane Floyd was very destructive to the natural landscape in the eastern part of North Carolina. One of the concerns as a result of this storm was the accessibility of viable highway routes leading out of flooded areas. One of the hardest hit areas was the extreme portion of northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Recently, this area has been very active in the construction of new highways to increase mobility in a rapidly growing and transient populated region. After the Floyd storm, a task force warned Gov. Jim Hunt that new maps were needed so that accurate flood risks would be known in order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the community. It described most maps as outdated and grossly inadequate. The proposed construction of highway 17, from the present two lanes to four lanes, through the dismal swamp, is one of the efforts being considered to increase accessibility between northeastern North Carolina and the Norfolk, Virginia metropolitan area. Most daily traffic on this route occurs as residents of northeastern North Carolina travel to the Norfolk area for employment and recreational activities. One of the important considerations in this road project, because of recent natural disasters such as major flooding, is to facilitate movement while, at the same time, acknowledge the natural setting of this wetland area. Aircraft imagery data could prove crucial to an examination of specific areas and how a newly constructed highway system may affect an environmentally sensitive wetlands region. The Department has the expertise and the facilities to conduct research and to make good use of any data received from a UAV type mission. The Departments faculty have terminal degrees in their areas of expertise; and it has access, to the City of Elizabeth City Planning Department's resources, both human and technical, to assist in the Departments activities. UAV imagery data would help the Department in three very important aspects. First, it would help in the construction of maps that are desperately needed to help examine issues relating to flooding, and other natural disasters and the effect on local populations in a cost effective manner. More importantly, possible solutions to environmental generated issues may be more easily attained. North Carolina officials have acknowledged the need for maps, for example, to examine these and other concerns. The goal of the imagery data obtained is to conduct research to examine the spatial distribution of areas that may be prone to flooding and the potential impact to current highway routes by using GIS. Secondly, UAV aircraft imagery data would help contribute to the Departments research efforts. One objective is to develop a database by which to analyze the potential effect of highway construction on the local terrestrial and marine ecosystems within a wetlands environment. A special concern would be the effect on resource management and the maintenance of a healthy and productive environment. The consideration of the spatial variation and dynamics of local ecosystems would necessitate a review of the processes and pattern of animal and plant life in the northeastern region of North Carolina. Aircraft imagery data would facilitate, and in fact, be necessary, to examine and fully address these concerns in light of periodic climatic disturbances, such as storm and flood occurrences. Given the impending construction of highway 17 to four lanes, satellite imagery data of the area at this time from NASA could serve as a vehicle by which the local environment can be examined prior to changes brought on by highway construction; eventually, this data may be compared with future satellite imagery data of the area. In this way, the effect of mans activities on the natural environment can more accurately be evaluated. Thirdly, UAV acquired imagery data would assist in the Departments instruction of earth science. In this effort, the use of imagery and other data would be a part of instruction in cartography and in the Departments GIS courses. Imagery data received from NASA will be used in the course GEOG 221 Cartography in the Spring Semester 2001. This course is presently using ArcView mapping software to instruct students on methods of thematic mapping. The infusion of remotely sensed images in the course could be accomplished by the addition of a fourth exercise assigned to the students to solve problems of data entry, manipulation, analysis, and summary within the GIS program. Three other exercises that are already used in this course, pertain to thematic mapping. Satellite imagery can be used by applying GIS methodology to construct layers of information relating to the natural and human landscape in North Carolina and other areas. In addition, enabling the study of student work on the effects of the recent floods on changes in drainage patterns and the identification of the most likely highway evacuation routes during times of emergencies. Imagery data will also be used in Advanced GIS, which is also offered in the Spring Semester. Imagery data would be used in instruction for two other GIS courses, introduction of GIS and Remote Sensing, in the Fall 2000 when they are scheduled to be taught.

Education: New Marine Environmental Science B.S. Degree Program Starting Fall of 2000, Elizabeth City State University will begin a four-year degree program in Marine Environmental Science. ECSU will be the only university in the state to focus on the geographical and physical environment as it relates to water quality. The ECSU program will consort with a Marine Science Research Center to be established on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Students majoring in Marine Environmental Science will take courses in physical and chemical oceanography, land-air-ocean interaction in the coastal zone, coastal management and biological oceanography. More information on the Geoscience degree programs can be found at http://www.ecsu.edu/ECSU/AcadDept/Geology/ecsu_geology1.htm

Education: GIS Workshop Dr. William Porter, ECSU professor of geosciences, leads a team of university researchers and K-12 educators sponsored by the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network (MSEN). This effort is designed to give high school educators an understanding of ArcView, GIS analysis, satellite imagery, remote sensing, thematic mapping, and the new North Carolina earth science requirements. More information is available at http://nia.ecsu.edu/nrts/ess/earth.html.

Education: Development of a new course in Computer Visualization. The curriculum committee of Elizabeth City State University has approved the addition of one course to our computer science curriculum. The course is CSC 250: Introduction to Computational Science and Computer Visualization Techniques. The course is designed to attract all science majors and has as prerequisites/co-requisites: Calculus I. During the spring semester , CSC 430: Undergraduate Research focuses on advanced computer visualization concepts. Students will complete assignments using the Silicone Graphics workstations on which AVS Express visualization software is available.

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