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S. Pompea (Pompea & Assoc.), S.K. Croft, S. McGee (Wheeling Jesuit Univ.)
We have developed a variety of research-based student activities as part of an NSF-funded program for middle schools students called Astronomy Village: Investigating the Solar System. Students are able to work through nine different investigations exploring life in the solar system and the surfaces of Earth and the planets using a CD-ROM-based multimedia program. This talk describes activities that use multi-spectral imagery in an exploration of the reflective properties of chlorophyll. Using appropriate, easily available filters, students can demonstrate that two objects that appear green (such as a car and a plant) have very different properties in the near infrared, since chlorophyll in plants is reflective in the near IR. The results can be applied to imaging of the planets to look for chlorophyll features indicative of life. The goal of Astronomy Village: Investigating the Solar System is to provide middle school teachers and students with a multimedia instructional package that is aligned with the tenets of the National Science Education Standards. With the guidance of their teachers, students engage in genuine scientific inquiry and investigation in a rich visualization and modeling environment.