26 January Swanson set for SOFIA flight January 26, 2017 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 Bob Swanson of Tupelo, astronomy instructor at Itawamba Community College, will participate in one of NASA’s 11 educator teams for its Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program and will fly on its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, Mar. 5-11. During that week, his team will make at least two and possibly three research flights, each lasting about 12 hours. As part of his role as an Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, Swanson said that he is to do public outreach for the SOFIA program. He has recently released a song to iTunes, “Infra-Ready (Set to Go!),” to commemorate the opportunity. In his spare time, Swanson writes and records children’s music about weather (Stormin’ Bob Swanson, the Singing Weatherman) and gives science presentations to local schools, libraries and community groups. “To make my outreach as effective as possible, I try to bring all my talents to bear, including my passion for music and songwriting,” he said. The program is a professional development opportunity for educators designed to improve teaching methods and to inspire students. As part of the preparation, the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors complete a graduate credit astronomy course and are partnered with professional astronomers to participate as the scientists conduct research on board NASA’s flying telescope, SOFIA. “Being selected for the NASA program is an honor,” Swanson said. “My next challenge is to figure out ways to webcast parts of my SOFIA experience to my traditional and online students while I’m out there in California. Before I leave, I hope to pick up some tips from my tech-savvy students about Facebook Live or Instagram Video Streaming. When I get back, I hope to schedule a Backyard Astronomy event so that I can share stories from my SOFIA experience with the wider community.” According to NASA, SOFIA is a highly modified Boeing 747SP jetliner fitted with a 2.5 meter (100-inch) telescope that uses a suite of seven instruments to study celestial objects at infrared wavelengths during overnight science missions. It flies at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet (12-14 kilometers) above more than 99 percent of the water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere that blocks infrared energy from reaching ground-based observatories. “NASA’s SOFIA observatory provides a fantastic opportunity for educators to witness scientific observations being conducted first-hand so they can better understand and appreciate the research process,” said Hashima Hasan, SOFIA program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, in a news release from NASA. “SOFIA presents a unique opportunity for educators to interact with researchers making observations on board the SOFIA airborne observatory. The educators can then take what they learn back into their classrooms and communities to convey the value of scientific research as well as the wide variety of science, technology, engineering and math career paths available to students.” SOFIA is based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s facility in Palmdale, Calif. Swanson’s background includes Shannon High School, where he taught physics, physical science and earth science; professional meteorologist - six years as a TV weatherman and four years as assistant weather editor of USA Today. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both physics and philosophy from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree in meteorology from Penn State University. He and his wife, Meredith, are the parents of three sons, D.J., Nate and Henry. Related Articles Swanson is MSVCC Instructor of the Year Bob Swanson of Tupelo, astronomy instructor at Itawamba Community College, has been named Mississippi Virtual Community College Instructor of the Year. “While I’m still a bit incredulous, the fact that I was selected out of so many worthy candidates somehow validates my online teaching mantra – that online students deserve a learning experience that is as similar as possible to the one received by their traditional, face-to-face counterparts,” Swanson said. “Thankfully, with today’s technology supported by the vision and know-how of ICC’s eLearning and TIS departments, this goal can largely be achieved.” The voting committee cited Swanson’s significant use of multi-media by adding and recording videos as something that sets his class apart, according to Denise Gillespie, dean of eLearning. Criteria for selection include demonstrates a genuine concern for students and the capability to inspire them; inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn; motivates students to learn and facilities in-depth learning; develops meaningful and innovative curricula; has the respect and admiration of his colleagues; arranges media and content in the online environment to help students transfer knowledge most effectively; strives ... ICC's Swanson participates in NITARP Itawamba Community College astronomy instructor Bob Swanson of Tupelo was among more than 30 participants from the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program who attended the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society from Jan. 6-10 in Seattle, Wash. He is the first Mississippi educator to participate in NITARP. For more than a decade, NITARP has partnered small groups of educators with a research astronomer for original, year-long research projects. At the AAS meeting, the educators from the 2018 class, along with some of their students, presented the results of their work over the past year. As part of NITARP’s 2019 class, Swanson will be teamed with three other educators from Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts, as well as selected students, to work with astrophysicist Dr. Luisa Rebull of Caltech. They will present their research in detecting star-forming regions in the Lagoon Nebula, using archived data from the Kepler Space Telescope, at the 2020 AAS winter meeting to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii. “This NITARP opportunity allows me to directly involve a student, Jaydin Walthers ... Backyard Astronomy set Nov. 15 at ICC-Tupelo Itawamba Community College will present a Backyard Astronomy session from 6-9 p.m., Nov. 15, at the Health Science Education Center at the Tupelo Campus. The event will feature astronomy-related activities including a portable planetarium from the University of Mississippi, a presentation entitled “The Sounds of Science” by ICC astronomy instructor Bob Swanson and short presentations from current ICC astronomy students. Weather permitting, participants will have an opportunity to view the night sky from the parking lot. Attendees will pick up some naked-eye viewing tips as well as have the chance to look through several of ICC’s telescopes at features such as the Moon, Mars and the Pleiades star cluster. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Swanson’s background includes Shannon High School, where he taught physics, physical science and earth science; professional meteorologist – six years as a TV weatherman and four years as assistant weather editor of USA Today. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both physics and philosophy from The University of Scranton and a master’s ... Backyard Astronomy set for Fulton Itawamba Community College will present a Backyard Astronomy session from 6-9 p.m., Apr. 19, at the Fitness Center on the Fulton Campus. The event will feature astronomy-related activities including a portable planetarium from the University of Mississippi; a presentation entitled “The Ringmakers of Saturn” by ICC astronomy instructor Bob Swanson; and a general-interest astronomy video entitled “Dark Universe.” Weather permitting, participants will have an opportunity to view the night sky from the parking lot. Attendees will pick up some naked-eye viewing tips as well as have the chance to look through several of ICC’s telescopes at features such as the waxing crescent moon, the Beehive Cluster and the Hercules Cluster. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Swanson’s background includes Shannon High School, where he taught physics, physical science and earth science; professional meteorologist - six years as a TV weatherman and four years as assistant weather editor of USA Today. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both physics and philosophy from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree in meteorology from Penn State University. In ... CPRAM awards Several members of Itawamba Community College’s staff received awards at the conclusion of the spring meeting of the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi recently in Ridgeland. They include Lee Adams of Guntown, second place in sports photography for “Pure Joy”; second place in digital art/photo illustration for “Reed Drafted by Rangers;” first place in radio programs for “ICC vs. Northwest Football Game;” Amy Brown of Fulton, first place in digital art/photo illustration for “Residence Hall Handbook;” second place in advertisements for “Above the Bar” print ad series; Maggie Caldwell of Mantachie, grand award for “ICC Rocks;” first place in single piece of artwork – non-sports for “ICC Rocks;” first place in public relations innovation for ICC SnapChat Geofilters; second place in Web advertisements for “Change Your Future” social media ads; Allen Coleman of Tupelo, second place in public relations innovation for “ICC Mobile App;” Adam Gore of Fulton, first place in sports feature story for “Big League Dream Comes True for ICC’s Reed;” second place in public relations innovation for “ICC Mobile App;” first place in radio ... October 17 Concert Itawamba Community College’s concert choir and chamber singers will present their fall concert at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 17, in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center auditorium at the Fulton Campus. Admission is free. The program will include a variety of music from patriotic to spiritual. Members include Briana Kaye Cavender, Taylor D. Short, both of Aberdeen; Ashley Claire Fullerton, Jordan L. Ginn, Sarah Elizabeth Robinson, Yasmine D. Turner, Justin Tyler Pitts, all of Amory; Georgia Kate Connor of Blue Mountain; Daviont’e Quartez Tyes of Booneville; Tiah Quinte’ Boyd of Coldwater; Jesse Earl Duncan of Columbus; Layna MaRee James of Duck Hill; Makenzie Lee Conn of Ethelsville, Ala.; Nathan Thomas May of French Camp; Valerie J. Blake, Callen R. Cook, Sarah Louise Dobbs, all of Fulton; Victoria C. Baucom, Zachary Wyatt Jaudon, both of Hamilton; Zachary G. Terrell, Jacob Taylor Loveless, both of Hamilton, Ala.; Megan Amanda Obiedzinski of Hernando; McKenzie T. Morris of Houlka; Justin Tyler Merriman of Houston; Chelsea Keon Orr, Lakendra Shanae Orr, both of Macon; Alexandria Nicole Jones of Mantachie; Elizabeth Mae Wilson of Mathiston; Jennifer Ashley Clifton, Spencer Chase Floyd, Aubrey B. Tackitt, Alicia Diann Tubb, all of Mooreville; Jon H. Ray of Nettleton; Justin L. Gary, Christopher ... Comments are closed.