Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics


CfA Space Geodesy Homepage

Project ATLAS Homepage

An Introduction to Project ATLAS

The Global Positioning System (GPS)

Using GPS in the Classroom

Experiment 1: The Global Mapping Experiment

Mapping Your Community

Experiment 2: The Community Mapping Experiment

ATLAS Wrap-up and Suggested Activities

ATLAS Worksheets





Assisted
Transnational Learning using Artificial Satellites

Welcome to Project ATLAS

A Spanish version of this Teacher Guide is now available.

Project ATLAS (Assisted Transnational Learning using Artificial Satellites) is a multidisciplinary, international educational outreach project aimed at school children in the age range of 12—14 years. At the core of the ATLAS project are a pair of cooperative, international scientific experiments through which student participants from around the world employ satellite and Internet technologies to learn about the world in which they live. For more information regarding the educational goals, see the ATLAS Proposal.

The Project ATLAS Teacher Guide

This Web site represents the Project ATLAS Teacher Guide for the ATLAS activities of Spring 1999. This Web site contains all the information you need to teach the concepts behind the Project ATLAS scientific experiments and to allow your students to participate in the experiments. This web site, therefore, is the resource that you need to enable your school to participate in Project ATLAS.

Please start with the Introduction to Project ATLAS. This section gives the overview of the Project ATLAS activities and goals, and gives the time schedule for the Spring 1999 experiments.

What is Expected of You the Educators

Part of Project ATLAS is a miniature curriculum that requires teaching and presentation to the students. Part of Project ATLAS is a coordinated global experiment using artificial satellites. For your convenience we have designed ATLAS with a rigid central organization. Therefore, many decisions regarding scheduling and teaching are left in your hands.

Each school needs to have one ATLAS School Coordinator, who will be the primary contact with the ATLAS team at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). The ATLAS School Coordinator will lead the ATLAS Teacher Team of one or more teachers and coordinate ATLAS activities. The ATLAS Teacher Team may consist of only one teacher (and this one teacher may be the ATLAS School Coordinator). However, we encourage the ATLAS Teacher Team to be composed of teachers from several different disciplines, such as science, mathematics, social studies, and foreign languages. We suggest organizing your ATLAS Teacher Team early.

Can My School Participate in Project ATLAS?

The enrollment for participation in the Spring 1999 Project ATLAS Experiments is closed. Look to this web site in the Fall of 1999 for a report on the Spring 1999 ATLAS activities and how to become involved in Project ATLAS in Spring 2000.

Who was Atlas?

Atlas is a character from Greek mythology. He was a Titan who bore the pillars separating heaven and Earth on his shoulders.

Acknowledgements

Project ATLAS is funded by the Smithsonian Institution Educational Outreach Fund. We acknowledge the support of the University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO) Facility, Amy Rosewater and Chuck Meertens in particular, for providing the GPS receivers on loan. The ATLAS logo was designed by Richard Bennett. Logo artwork by Kristi Shahid and Art Banuelos. Irene Kapothanasis provided a critical review of the text. Judy Lees provided valuable contributions to the ATLAS Teacher Guide and coordinated many of the administrative aspects of the first ATLAS experiment.


Space Geodesy Group
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden St, MS 42
Cambridge, MA 02138-1516