Kinesthetic Models 

To complement diagrams and written descriptions, I enjoy creating interactive ways for students to engage with concepts in a hands-on fashion and experience them in 3D.

Due to the invisible nature of magnetic fields, understanding their interactions can be unintuitive. However, since they partly behave like elastic bands, I created a model for students to help explain the process of magnetic reconnection shown in the video. By using bungee cords and carabiners to represent magnetic field lines, students could physically manipulate their tensions and discuss the directional movements of the field lines around a foam Earth when they connected in different orientations. For some students, this approach helped their understanding of the Dungey cyle - or as some of the students then nicknamed it, the Bungee cycle.

Escape Room

A challenging aspect of studying aurora is that you may have to work late into the night. Teaching students between 6pm - 2am, I realised that many of them struggled with staying awake and engaged when given exercises. While these exercises might be effective during regular office hours, they were not suitable for a late-night schedule. 

I then developed a Space Physics escape room, where students must solve challenges to get 4-digit padlock codes and unlock the next task. They interacted with the room using UV torches, balloons, bullet casings, and jars of slime, which represented different regions in Earth's magnetic field. Colored slime indicated the magnetic field strength, while colored beads represented particle temperature. Walking through a large taped outline of Earth's magnetic field on the ground and placing these jars helped the students imerse themselves in the problem.

Rocket Launch Challenge

When running their own experiment at the EISCAT Svalbard Radar, students control two teams: one for predicting future conditions and another for analysing their data in different ways. I observed that some students neglected to use their teams and did not fully figure out the conditions and reanalyse their data until their experiment report was due. 

To enhance the activity, I drew from my radar experiment experience. I have been running the radar when scientist were launching a rocket through the aurora, at which point the reports from these teams are of vital importance. With this in mind, I then introduced a challenge for the students: could they theoretically select the optimal moment to launch a rocket through the aurora above the radar and hit their target 10 minutes after pressing the big red button? 

With the incentive of an UNIS buff, I immediately saw heightened engagement among the students, where for some launching the rocket become their primary focus. 

Instructional Videos

For first-time users, conducting an experiment at the EISCAT Svalbard Radar can be daunting due to the complex array of buttons, computer commands, and the time pressure to begin the experiment.

To assist with this, I created an instructional video series including a tour and explanation of the equipment, a tutorial on the computer commands, and a guide on interpreting the information displayed on the screens in the radar control room. The videos were produced and edited thanks to the FieldPass project.

My motivation was that the students who watched the videos before arriving for their experiment would be more prepared. I particularly intended for those anxious about the responsibility of running the experiment to gain peace of mind from the preparation.

Student Certification