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Opportunities at NRAO

VALARIE BOGAN

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vbogan@nrao.edu

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Agenda

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  1. Introductions
  2. Spectrum Management at NRAO
  3. Courses
  4. Student programs
  5. EPO Tours
  6. Citizen Science Projects

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Introductions

Please share your name, institution, and location

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The Many Disciplines of NRAO

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Chris De Pree

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Opportunities at NRAO

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Courses on SuperKnova

  • Undergraduate Curriculum
    • Recorded Lectures
    • Reading Assignments
    • In-Class Assignments
    • Topic quizzes
    • Final Exam

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Courses on SuperKnova

  • Digital Badge Courses
    • Asynchronous
    • 10-20 hours to complete

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Courses on SuperKnova

Science Fundamentals

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    • Topics Included
      • Waves
      • Propagation of Waves
      • Properties of signals in the time and frequency domain

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Courses on SuperKnova

Engineering Fundamentals

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    • Topics Included
      • Transmitters
      • Receivers
      • Antennas
      • Radio link analysis

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Courses on SuperKnova

The Legal and Regulatory Foundations of Spectrum

Management

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    • Topics Included
      • Historical and current policies
      • National and international agencies involved in spectrum management
      • The FCC rule-making process
      • The future of spectrum management

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Courses on SuperKnova

Spectrum Economics and Market Tools

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    • Topics Included
      • Auctions
      • Secondary markets
      • Unlicensed bands
      • Experimental licenses
      • The foundations of spectrum valuation
      • Allocation methods
      • Economic concepts

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Courses on SuperKnova

Spectrum Management Methods

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    • Topics Included
      • A historical view of spectrum management
      • Management techniques
      • Regulatory and standards bodies
      • Spectrum sharing
      • Cellular communication

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Middle and High School Curriculum

    • 30 lessons
      • 8 middle school
      • 22 high schools
      • Include
        • Lesson plans
        • Student pages
        • Available in English and Spanish

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Funds are available for materials and feedback!

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Student Programs

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Visiting

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Very Large Array and Greenbank

  • Regular public hours
  • Large groups (10 or above) need to make arrangements
  • Special tours have limited availability and must be arranged in advance with an NRAO staff member

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Citizen Science Projects

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Sensing the World Around You

  • Understanding the uses of radio frequencies in your local community
    • RTL-SDR dongle
    • Android phone activity
    • Android and iPhone activities

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Sensing the World Around You

  • RTL-SDR dongle
    • Investigating local broadcasters
    • Tracking aircraft
    • Receiving signals from satellites
    • And so much more

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Sensing the World Around You

  • RTL-SDR dongle
    • Dongles to give away

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Sensing the World Around You

  • Android Phone
    • App Wi-Fi Analyzer

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Sensing the World Around You

  • Android and iPhones
    • FCC Speed Test
    • Mobile broadband
    • Contest with carriers

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Sneak Peak

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Signal Sleuths: Uncovering Radio Frequency Interference

  • Searching for unusual signals in RFI data
    • Sneak peak
    • Prototyping will start in June

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Most of the materials mentioned here are available on superknova.org��Questions?

Valarie Bogan vbogan@nrao.edu