Seasons and the Solar System
Peter Blanken - Geography

Professor Blanken would also like to develop laboratory exercises that encourage students to take a more active role in their learning. Mike Albair and Brian Lam are creating a simulation with Anark Studio that shows why the seasons occur. Professor Bagenal has also expressed interest in using this model in her introductory astronomy class. Students frequently have the misconception that the seasons change because the earth moves farther away from the sun at certain points in its orbit. This model should let learners experiment with the tilt of the earth and the surface heating caused by the sun’s rays as they hit the earth at the equator as compared to the more northerly and southerly altitudes.