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Teachers' Corner -- LIGO in Your Classroom

[explore] We invite you to request a classroom lesson on an aspect of LIGO science. Our NBPTS-certified outreach coordinator can visit your school with materials and plans for the activities listed below. These can be tailored for specific objectives that you may wish to address. Some teachers have requested this service prior to a LIGO field trip while others have used it to help develop a 'science in the real world' context for units on physics, earth science, astronomy or geometry. Visits to schools are available at no charge, courtesy of the National Science Foundation's support of LIGO.


Peruse Our Lesson Menu

LIGO 101  Slides, computer simulations, demonstrations and experimentation with our tabletop interferometer will acquaint students with LIGO's science mission and with our huge detectors. Middle school and high school. [ifo] Waves I  Waves are everywhere but are usually invisible. How can we measure them? Lots of hands-on with microphones, signal generators, oscilloscopes, tuning forks and - of course - Jello. Middle school and high school. [off_site]
Waves II - The Sequel  "Bring us more wave activities," our customers cried, so here is another group of hands-on wave experiences with a greater emphasis on the nature of light. Middle school and high school. [waves] Feel the Pressure  A large group assembly-style presentation on forces and pressure, featuring a variety of highly visual (and a few flammable) demos. Includes liquid nitrogen. Suitable for all levels [demo]
Cold Enough to Freeze  Ice is cold, dry ice is colder and liquid nitrogen is very cold. This lesson emphasizes heat transfer and phase changes in materials. Less hands-on for the students, but vivid demos. Suitable for all levels [d_ice Safe Solar Viewing  Solar viewing through LIGO's portable H-alpha solar telescope. Students are often amazed at the features the sun displays. Supplements include mini-experiments with prisms and lenses. Middle and high school students [scope]
Geometry in Science  LIGO's science framework is built on geometry. Students perform a set of LIGO-connected activities that combine to say "Yes, math is important." Suitable for upper middle and high school students. Sizes in Space  How big are objects in the sky, and how far are they from us? Young students are asked to exercise their imaginations and counting ability in this activity that emphasizes scale. Suitable for K-3. [ss]
Careers in Science Research  A presentation that illustrates the diversity of possibilities in science research careers, using LIGO as a case study that breaks down stereotypical views of scientists and engineers. Suitable for upper middle and high school students.[careers]

Make an inquiry about LIGO in your classroom by calling our outreach coordinator at 509-372-8248 or by sending an email to outreach(at)ligo-wa.caltech.edu

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Last modified Feb 11, 2009
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LIGO is supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation