240
May 2018
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
SECTOR
INSIGHT:
.
edu
school- and university-level students the opportunity to gain
hands-on field remote sensing learning and research knowl-
edge in an actual research scenario. This program was de-
signed to help educate parents and K-12 teachers who could
then contribute to creating a diverse and highly skilled future
workforce in the field of remote sensing.
The project started with an exhibition that was open to the
public called “SPatial LITeracy-
SPLIT through ART
” where
students displayed over twenty visually-appealing remote
sensing images. Each image was accompanied by its own
story including information about remote sensing data and
environmental issues. The goal was to spark the interest of
students and the public in remote sensing through art. The
event was advertised through various websites and the local
newspaper
.
Soon after the exhibition, the teaming effort between Mr.
Roger Blevins (Huron High School, Ohio), Dr. Kristin Arend
(Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wild-
life), and Dr. Anita Simic Milas (BGSU), organized a series
of field campaigns and educational events at the Old Woman
Creek (OWC) National Estuarine Research Reserve, Huron
High School and BGSU, where students and teachers learned
how to acquire and process spectral information using the
field spectroradiometer and UAV/drone. They derived spec-
tral indices related to water quality using real data to map
and correlate chlorophyll-a and total phosphorous in OWC.
Knowledge was first passed from Dr. Simic Milas’ graduate
to undergraduate students and then, in separate sessions, to
high school students and teachers.
As part of the project, a one-day workshop was organized at
BGSU for the students and teachers of Huron High School
and other local high schools. Mr. Roger Tokars and Mr. Rigo-
berto Roche of NASA Glenn Research Center, and Dr. Andrea
Vander Woude from NOAA shared their knowledge about
“
Monitoring Harmful Algal Bloom in Lake Erie
”. Dr. Robert
Vincent, Professor Emeritus of BGSU, presented his perspec-
tive on remote sensing research from his experience while
working in academia and industry.
An experts-panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Simic Milas,
focused on how to attract students into the field of remote
sensing and how to keep them interested throughout high
school and university. The panel comprised of an Associate
Professor of Education, two experts in the remote sensing
field, a high school science teacher with two of his students,
and undergraduate and graduate students. The discussion
underscored the importance of three factors for learning suc-
cess: (1) Students must be provided with hands-on training
and experience-designed projects in educational streams
nowadays; (2) The educational system at universities should
favor knowledge and interest over grade-based achievements;
(3) Teachers should be additionally educated and more effec-
tive in passing remote sensing knowledge and enthusiasm
about the field to their students.
The workshop concluded with another component of the cas-
cading education model, a hands-on session where high school
students and teachers had a chance to learn the basics of im-
age manipulation and visualization. The outreach component
was enriched by the YouTube videos and webinars created
by the university and high school students
.
All components of the SPLIT Remote Sensing project pro-
moted each other. While the SPLIT exhibition event, web-
sites and newspaper articles attracted teachers and students
to the program, the field campaigns and hands-on tutorials
helped them to understand remote sensing basic concepts. An
active-learning and team-building atmosphere were a driving
force behind the peer learning between the students. The in-
teraction between the students and NASA experts motivated
students to participate in the panel discussion. The YouTube
videos and webinars have secured ongoing engagement of
teachers and students in the field of remote sensing after the
event. Overall, the SPLIT Remote Sensing project could be
described as an effective cascade education model that helps
instantiate spatial literacy of students, teachers and parents.
Moreover, the SPLIT Remote Sensing educational approach
empowers the geospatial community by attracting more
young people who would take the drive towards more rapid
development of the disciplines of photogrammetry, remote
sensing, GIS, and other supporting geospatial technologies.
Thus, the role of the remote sensing societies, such as the
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
(ASPRS) and consortiums such as America View, in promot-
ing the same or similar educational models is critical.
Funding for this activity was provided by AmericaView
through a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey, awarded in
December 2013.
Author
Dr. Anita Simic Milas is an Assistant Professor in the School
of Earth, Environment and Society (SEES) at BGSU, Ohio.
She is also a director of SPLIT Remote Sensing®
.
