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The COASTWISE STEM ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

COASTWSE is an acronym derived from “Community Observations and Analyses using

Spectroscopic Techniques and Wetlands Imaging to foster Stewardship of the Environment”.

COASTWISE strives to introduce high school students to the world of scientific instruments, an area in which Dr. Nick Barbi spent his entire career. It is a fast-moving, exciting, industry supporting a global community of scientists and engineers.  This positions COASTWISE for possible expansion into a broader program under the heading of Workforce Development. The close connection between scientific instruments and scientific discovery has created a unique career path in the scientific instrumentation industry: the applications scientist. Applications scientists enjoy dynamic and rewarding careers, working directly with researchers to provide training and develop new methodologies. They also collaborate closely with marketing teams and engineers to shape product strategies, guide the development of new instruments, and identify emerging scientific applications and markets.

In trying to determine if there were suitable instruments available for us to use, one of our members suggested we should look at the STELLA family of Instruments designed by NASA.  It was love at first sight because of the many versions, including the Q2, an 18- channel Visible Light and Near InfraRed (VNIR) spectrometer, and the truly extensive level of support NASA provides to STELLA users. Since Dr. Barbi was focused on the science and business of spectroscopy, Q2 was the obvious choice.

One of the notable applications of scientific instruments deals with earth sciences.  COASTWISE strives to expose students to the impressive amount of scientific data and information that is available regarding the health of our planet, most notably from NASA and USGS (US Geological Survey), and how to find it, to become better stewards of planet earth.

We chose to use the STELLA Q2 for earth science applications.  The Suncoast region is to a great extent defined by its natural beauty, which is an asset that seeds its own demise through the lure of over-development.  Natural beauty and economic development, both great things, are often at odds with each other.  COASTWISE seeks to expose students to geophysical data acquired through aerial and satellite imaging and spectroscopy, along with the tools used to visualize and interpret these data. By engaging directly with scientific evidence, students develop their own informed perspectives on the health of the environment at both local and global scales, empowering them to balance environmental stewardship with economic development.  Therefore, we introduce tools like Google Earth, My NASA Data and NASA World View, which allow us to see what’s happening to the land and oceans, both locally and worldwide

Mentors include Dr. Nick Barbi, with substantial experience in optical and X-Ray spectroscopy; Aerospace Engineer, Mr. Tim Childers; Parrish High School Marine Science teacher and PhD student in Marine Science education at USF; Ms. Savanna Finley, AI expert, Mr. Luca Stine, and Drone flying expert Mr. Jerry Smith, who owns and operates a local drone technology data collection and reality capture company. 

Guest speakers include

• Dr. Abbey Tyrna (in-person), executive director of Suncoast Waterkeeper, who will describe their real-world project using spectroscopic data and images obtained by specialized drones to map mangrove volume and health in our region. Mentor Mr. Jerry Smith is one of the drone pilots on that project;
• Mr. Mike Taylor (remote speaker), whose role includes being the STELLA expert who interfaces with STELLA users nation-wide;
• Ms. Bianca Cilento (remote speaker), who published the false-color image that inspired COASTWISE;
• Rising Purdue University engineering student Nandini Khaneja who led a team of Texas Highschool students who have flown STELLA Q2 on a drone in Project “Earth Lens”.