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S'COOL E-note for August, 2006

Greetings and welcome to the sixth monthly email of news from S'COOL.

THIS MONTH'S NOTES INCLUDE:

1) Pat Minnis on Earth and Sky
2) Does S'COOL fit your state education standards?
3) Earth Science Week, Oct. 8-14, 2006: "BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST!"
4) Incorporate the Cloud Photo of the Month in your fall observation plans
5) Comparing ground to satellite data

1) Pat Minnis on Earth and Sky
Our colleague and friend of S'COOL, Dr. Pat Minnis, recently spoke again about Contrails' effect on warming on the radio series Earth and Sky. You can read the interview online or download and listen to this short program.

(2) Does S'COOL fit your state education standards?
The S'COOL team is small, and there are a large number of states (and countries!) out there. If you know a specific education standard(s) in your state that S'COOL satisfies, we would appreciate receiving an email. We will collect the information on a web page that will help your fellow teachers as they try to prioritize S'COOL and the millions of other competing demands of the modern classroom. Please send:
- which state! Or which country, if this question applies.
- state standard number/letter/or other identifier
- brief description of the standard
- if applicable, what specific part of the S'COOL experience meets that standard
Your assistance with this project will be most appreciated!

(3) Earth Science Week, Oct. 8-14, 2006: "BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST!"
Don't forget this upcoming event. I received my Earth Science Week packet this week, so if you ordered one or are on the list to get one through S'COOL, keep an eye on your mailbox. It is stuffed full of resource materials, including, especially, the fine S'COOL cloud chart!

(4) Incorporate the Cloud Photo of the Month in your fall observation plans
Take a look at our featured Cloud Photo of the Month, and browse the link of past winners at the bottom of this page. We are looking for a variety of pictures, and especially interesting explanations, so keep this opportunity in mind as you begin your observations this fall. But please, only submit photos you or your students actually take. We are NOT interested in any of those unbelievable pictures that occasionally circulate on the Internet. We want your photo, with your explanation of why it merits the distinction of 'S'COOL Cloud Photo of the Month'.

(5) Comparing ground to satellite data
Over the summer the S'COOL team has been fine-tuning our new feature, mentioned in the May Enote, of an email notification system that will send you an email when satellite data corresponding to one of your observations is processed. The email will include a link taking you directly to the data visualization page. This page will feature an on-line form where you or your students can classify and comment on the match. We are about ready to start testing this system with actual teachers and students. Keep an eye out for such an email (the subject will be "S'COOL ground to satellite comparison"), and please provide us feedback on this new S'COOL feature.

As always, keep looking at the sky!

Dr. Lin Chambers - Director
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The CERES S'COOL Project - Students' Cloud Observations On-Line
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/ scool@lists.nasa.gov
Tel.: (757) 864-4371 Fax.: (757) 864-7996
The CERES S'COOL Project, MS 420, NASA Langley Research Center,
Hampton, VA 23681-2199
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