The lessons on this page were created by ten talented educators from across the country during a summer training program on radio frequencies. The program was conducted by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory staff as part of the SpectrumX project. During the training the teachers were instructed by spectrum experts in topics such as electromagnetic spectrum basics, radio astronomy, satellite communications, and radio telemetry. Teachers then used that knowledge to create the variety of lessons that can be found on Share My Lesson. If you are interested in even more radio frequency lessons or would like to see these lessons in their original format please visit https://superknova.org/educational-resources/.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a national research center that investigates outer space using radio waves. Since radio waves have very little energy this type of astronomy requires very large dish shaped antennas. The best known NRAO controlled telescope is the Very Large Array (VLA) which is a collection of 27 individual radio antennas that act as a single telescope. Diversity and Inclusion are very important to NRAO so every effort is made to ensure that any qualified scientist has the ability to submit a proposal to use the telescope. To learn more about NRAO please visit, https://public.nrao.edu/.
SpectrumX is an NSF Spectrum Innovation Center comprised of 28 institutions that are interested in the use of radio waves. The scientists, engineers, and educators from these institutions know how important radio frequencies are to modern society and are working diligently on research and workforce development projects intended to transform spectrum management. If you would like to learn more about SpectrumX please investigate the center’s webpage, https://www.spectrumx.org/.