Archive of Spotlight Feature Articles

Join Our Teacher At Sea On Her Exciting Adventure

By Dr. John Kermond

Susan Carty, Teacher at Sea
Susan Carty, Teacher-at-Sea

Susan Carty with her students before she leaves.

NOAA's Office of Global Programs (OGP) has engaged Susan Carty, a science teacher from Stetson Middle School in Pennsylvania, to sail on the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown as part of the ACE-Asia field campaign. ACE stands for Aerosol Characterization Experiment; this fourth phase involves the Asian Pacific region. OGP support for ACE-ASIA is managed by Dr. Joel Levy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) are the other U.S federal agency participants. The chief scientists for the experiment are Dr. Tim Bates, from the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, and Dr. Barry Huebert, from the University of Hawaii.

Susan Carty with Dr. Barry Huebert in Boulder, Colorado.

Susan, our Teacher-at-Sea, visited Boulder, CO, to meet some of the scientists and to check out the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)-managed C-130 aircraft, while en route to Honolulu, Hawaii to join the ship. She has been on board the RV Ron Brown since March 14th and provides content for the interactive OGP web site . The OGP ACE-Asia website is designed to engage teachers and students in Susan's exciting adventure and provide up-to-date information about NOAA's fascinating research. Susan provides daily updates to "Daily Logs," digital pictures from the Ron Brown, and has participated in several video shoots, including a news piece that aired on KHNL, all of which are currently "streamed" on the website. There is also a strong possibility that Susan will participate in a "live" stream from the Ron Brown and have the video broadcast via the website. Susan communicates daily with students from around the world about her experience and answers their questions which are then published on the website.

Susan Carty in Honolulu, HI with the Ron Brown

Dr. Tim Bates on the Ron Brown as it leaves Honolulu, HI

The RV Ron Brown will arrive in Yokosuka, Japan on April 20th. After the ship open house in Yokosuka on Earth Day, April 22nd, Susan will visit the ACE-ASIA air operation headquarters at the Marine Corps Air Base at Iwakuni, Japan and join a research flight in the C-130. Susan will also visit the land-based sampling operation at Kosan, on Cheju Island, Korea. Back at Iwakuni, she will participate in a U.S-Japan Appreciation Day on May 5th. Over 200,000 visitors are expected on the base that day. After this event, and a visit with our Tokyo representative Dr. Sid Thurston, Susan will meet her husband George in Tokyo and enjoy a well-earned vacation in Japan. On May 13th, they will return to the U.S, where Susan will complete the remainder of her sabbatical. Planning is well underway for a Congressional reception honoring Susan and her great adventure later in May.

With the ability to communicate directly with the scientists, to plot and map the ship's path, and to see first hand a lot of what goes on in and around an international scientific endeavor, our Teacher-at-Sea has already demonstrated that ACE-Asia is a fantastic educational and public interest scientific event.

Asian-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment banner

Additional information about the ACE-Asia Program and atmospheric aerosol particles can be found at the Office of Global Programs.

[4/9/01]

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