Some Public Astronomy in China

MSU’s GK-12 Project:Expedition 2008

To Beijing and Xi’an

Goals

• Connections to university researchers

• Connections to school administrators

• Connections to public schools

• Sightseeing

People in the group

• 6 university faculty• 1 school district superintendant• 3 middle school teachers• 6 GK-12 Fellows (graduate students)• 1 spouse

Research Connections

• Beijing Jiatong Technical UniversityPhysics Colloquium, The Active Sun (MLW)

Physics Demo Equipment

• Students in introductory physics try ~100 demos each semester.

Optics Demos

To “see” waves in a guitar’s strings

Moment of Inertia

The red tubes climb the steps

Magic Bell

Beijing Ancient Observatory

• Beijing city wall was built in the 1400’s against the Mongols

• In 1442 the Ming and Qing dynasties began to put astronomical instruments on the wall

• In 1600’s and 1700’s robust instruments

Equatorial armilla and sextant

APOD picture

Ancient earthquake direction indicator

Schools: Mr. Bernstein teaches 8th graders a human number line

Mary Lou teaches astronomical numbers

Natural Selection game

Jigsaw in shop class

Principal accepts MSU gifts

Middle school science teachers

T Square

Great Wall from the airplane

Climbing the Wall

Yes, it really is steep

Drum tower

Terracotta Warriors, Xian

Chariot wheel impression

Warrior Brian

Xian Wall at night

Xian smog

Chinese food is great!

The Olympics is coming

Street vendor

Summer Palace

Parking at the university

Double sided quilt