Collaborative Project Assignment An assignment written during my Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) 2014 Summer Fellowship at The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute By: Liliana I. Lopez

The SETI Institute SETI is a non-profit organization that aims to understand where we come from and where we are headed technologically as a human race. SETI was started by few but has grown to be nurtured by millions in the span of about 30 years. Scientists are the backbone of SETI but the public is the spirit that keeps it flourishing.

Scientists Collaborate Scientists can devote their entire life's work to answer one question. The world around us is complex and requires patient, willing and dedicated professionals to bring us closer to finding the truth about our existence. The task is great and collaboration is crucial, without it we could not advance as a civilization. Collaboration is so important that there are even awards offered for excellent partnerships. Observational astronomers need the models provided by the theoretical physicists to demonstrate the validity of the model and to understand the physics of the observational data. At SETI, astrobiologists and astronomers work together to understand the kind of extraterrestrial civilizations we might find in other planets. Engineers build the telescopes and instruments that make astronomy possible.

Ponder & Discuss In your work as a student... How important is collaboration with classmates? Do you prefer to work individually or in groups? Why? Recall a time when working on your own was better for your grade and overall understanding of the assignment. Describe the assignment and context. Recall a time when you worked as part of a group. What were the benefits and disadvantages?

Collaborative Project Assignment Context: Equations of Motion Purpose: Collaborate to gain a more robust and complete understanding of a kinematics problem. Use similar tools scientists apply to conduct an experiment and to model data.