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43 

 Appendix IV.D. . 



Title: JASON Project 



Issue: Bringing real time science to students through telepresence 



Relevance; Via telepresence, students watch and participate in scientific research as it is conducted in the 

 field and laboratories. 



Background and Approach: 



Dr. Robert Ballard of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), while exploring the Titanic wreck 

 site used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Jason Jr., tethered to the deep submergence vehicle, Alvin. 

 Jason Jr., or "JJ" as the ROV was referred to by crew members, included video cameras and was 

 controlled from the Alvin. Ballard realized that it would be possible to send the video images back to tlie 

 surface and broadcast to laboratories or other sites. Ballard teamed with Electronic Data Systems (EDS), 

 Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and museums in the United States and Canada to form the JASON 

 Foimdation for Education. For a two week time period EDS supplies the telecommunications technology 

 from the dive sites and combines it with prepared material to produce four 50 minute programs a day for 

 two weeks. The show is sent via satellites to the museum sites for screening on large projection systems. 

 Shidents attend the sessions and, through interactive links, are able to question scientists on site and 

 control the ROV. In addition to the scientists, their support staff, and tlie television crews, students and 

 teachers are selected to accompany the team. The students and teachers take part in the broadcast and 

 work witl-i the scientists during the broadcasts and visit other sites of interest. Since the first program in 

 1989 to the Mediterranean Sea, the JASON project has visited the Great Lakes, Galapagos Islands, Belize, 

 Sea of Cortez and Hawaii. During the initial years of the program the National Science Teachers 

 Association (NSTA), funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, developed a curriculum 

 for teachers to use to prepeire students for the excursion to the museum. The National Council for the 

 Social Studies (NCSS), EDS, TBS, museum sites and the JASON Foundation for Education assisted iii the 

 development of the curriculum. The curriculum integrates technology, science, mathematics, and social 

 studies into a series of activities designed to provide background information to the student so the 

 museum visit becomes more than an outing to watch a television broadcast. A key component of the 

 curriculum project was teacher enhancement sessions at the museum sites to introduce the curriculum. 



Partners: Private foundations, professional societies (NSTA, NCSS), government (NSF and ONR), 

 industry (EDS and TBS), museums and science centers, school districts, academia. 



Motivating Factor: The major motivation was to give students a d-iance to watch science in action thus 

 countering some of the stereotypical characterizations of scientists. 



Products: JASON ctirriculum materials (one for each year), two weeks of Uve broadcasts and thousands 

 of motivated students, as well as an estat joshed site on the World Wide Web (http:// 

 seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Jason.htmi). 



Impact or Benefits: Increased student awareness of scientific processes, tlie nature of science as an 

 integrated endeavor, and the possible career opportunities in science and technology. 



Lessons Learned: T>ie curriculum is vital in that it helps students understand the nature of the live 

 program they are watcliing. The teacher workshops are necessary to introduce the scope of the materials 

 to the teachers. 



