Resource Page

Sean studied biology at Yale University and worked at a research lab in Hawaii, then changed careers, working in business for a couple of years before going to Columbia University to study international relations for a master’s degree. He worked at the U.S. Department of Defense, then went to MIT to study political science, where he started out studying national security but later focused on the interaction between, science, technology, and society (STS). He has taught college courses on STS, the history of science, US foreign policy, and the Vietnam War. Sean has also served Educational Divide Reform Institute as Research Associate. Sean has taught Professional Business English Communication to business executives and university leaders from Korea, Japan, Latin America, and Africa.

https://edgerton.mit.edu/

Welcome to MIT’s go-to resource for high-speed imaging.

Professor Harold Edgerton was known for his beautiful strobe photographs that captured events too fast for the human eye, from the splash of a drop of milk hitting a plate to a bullet piercing an apple. He was a teacher and mentor to generations of students. One of those students,  Prof J. Kim Vandiver, went on to become the Center’s founding director. As Doc Edgerton’s TA, he put together a system that allowed him to take high-speed color schlieren photos, allowing us to see the unseen, such as the column of hot air rising from a candle, or the sonic boom of a bullet traveling at Mach 2.

Our image gallery presents selected images from Edgerton’s collection, images captured over the years with our color schlieren system, and recent high-speed images captured by students and staff.

Additionally, we have high-speed video cameras and short-duration strobes capable of capturing events down to microsecond timescales. We can help any MIT student, instructor, or researcher select the right tool for their imaging need, train them in its use, and loan them the equipment so that they can capture the images they need.

A Candle in Still Air

A Candle in the Wind

A Sparker Seen in Schlieren

A Splash of Milk

Aerial View of MIT at Night

Bullet and Crayons

Bullet and Lipstick

Bullet and Peanut Butter Cups

Bullet breaking colored chalk 2

Bullet Splash Formation

Candle Wick

Card Trick

Chalk Impact (1 of 5)

Chalk Impact (2 of 5)

Chalk Impact (3 of 5)

Chalk Impact (4 of 5)

Chalk Impact (5 of 5)

Colliding Paintballs

Cutting a Card Quickly

Dancer

https://chandra.harvard.edu/about/asc.html

The Chandra X-ray Center

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

The Chandra X-ray Center exemplifies NASA’s aim to increase the efficiency of its space programs by encouraging expert teams from outside of NASA to assume expanded responsibilities. In 1991 NASA contracted with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to establish the AXAF Science Center (ASC) to support the development and operation of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), subsequently renamed the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Initially encompassing the areas of user support and science operations (including mission planning, instrument calibration and data processing), the ASC’s responsibilities were later expanded to include flight operations and communication with the public. When the observatory’s name was changed from AXAF to Chandra, the ASC was renamed the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC). The CXC includes scientists, engineers and technicians from SAO, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Northrop Grumman Corporation. These institutions, which were directly involved in the design, construction and testing of the Chandra spacecraft and its scientific instruments, have extensive knowledge of the Chandra observatory.


The Operations Control Center

Operations Control Center Exterior

In 1996 NASA amended SAO’s contract to create the Operations Control Center (OCC), which SAO operates as part of the CXC under the general direction of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Operations Control Center staff control the orbiting Chandra spacecraft and ensure its health and safety.


Chandra Operations

Operations Control Center Interior
Operations Control Center (Interior)

Based upon observing proposals submitted by scientists worldwide and selected through an annual peer review process, CXC staff design observing plans for efficient scheduling of the observatory. The time spent moving from one target to another is minimized, while avoiding potentially harmful x-rays and other radiation from the Sun and ensuring that the spacecraft’s temperature stays within acceptable limits. Commands for executing the observing plan are sent from the OCC to one of the three stations in Spain, Australia and California that make up NASA’s Deep Space Network, for relay to the orbiting spacecraft.

After carrying out the planned observations, the Chandra spacecraft transmits scientific data and monitoring information to the OCC, via the Deep Space Network, approximately every eight hours. Engineers analyze the monitoring data, which provides information on the state of the observatory, such as temperatures and power consumption, to assess Chandra’s condition and ensure the observatory’s safe operation.

CXC staff process the observatory’s scientific data to produce images and spectra of cosmic x-ray sources. The resulting science data products are sent to the scientists who proposed the observations, for further analysis. After one year following observation, all processed data are placed in a public archive for use by scientists and others throughout the world.

The OCC, located in Burlington, Massachusetts, about 10 miles north of Cambridge, consolidates the operational teams into one space that facilitates collaboration and situational awareness. A purpose-built area for Chandra’s spacecraft simulator is also positioned within the OCC, an important upgrade from the previous facility that will be valuable to the mission going forward.

Chandra X-ray Observatory

In preparation for our classes on Sunday and the students’ participation in an American-style classroom next week, I would like the students to read the following two articles, in this order:
  1. “The Value of the Liberal Arts,” written by Dr. Hina Azam, a professor at the University of Texas (see link: https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2022/09/the-value-of-the-liberal-arts/)
  2. “Group Discussions and Critical Thinking” 
The first article is useful for understanding the fundamental paradigm of American education, the so-called “liberal arts” or “liberal education,” which guides education in the US from primary school to collegiate bachelor’s degrees. The second article elaborates on the first article by relating the practice of class discussion to the development of critical and creative thinking, which are key aspects of liberal education.

Harvard Program Schedule (7/22-7/26)