When most people think of remote sensing, they imagine satellites observing Earth from space. Yet some of the most important remote sensing research occurring today focuses on the Sun itself. Through NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) Ground Radio Lab (GRL), high school students across the country are helping scientists monitor solar radio activity that can influence critical technology systems here on Earth. 12

At Sault Area High School, students are participating in this national research effort by operating a dual-dipole radio antenna system installed on the school campus grounds. The antenna allows students to collect and analyze radio signals emitted by solar events while contributing observations to a growing scientific database used by researchers and educators nationwide. 31

Understanding the Research

The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab is a NASA-supported educational and research initiative led by the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Participating schools deploy antennas that detect low-frequency radio emissions generated by solar activity, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These radio emissions, known as solar radio bursts, provide researchers with valuable information about dynamic processes occurring within the Sun’s atmosphere. 14

Unlike traditional visual observations, radio remote sensing allows scientists to study energetic events that may not be apparent in visible wavelengths. Researchers use these observations to better understand particle acceleration, magnetic field interactions, and the mechanisms responsible for solar storms. 42

Improving Space Weather Forecasting

One of the most important outcomes of the SunRISE research is improved understanding of space weather. The Earth and Space Science study found that Type II solar radio bursts are closely associated with coronal mass ejections and the shock waves they generate. These bursts can serve as early indicators of solar disturbances that may eventually affect Earth’s technological infrastructure. 45

Space weather forecasting has become increasingly important as society grows more dependent on satellites, GPS systems, telecommunications networks, cloud computing infrastructure, and electric power systems. Better forecasting provides infrastructure operators with additional time to prepare for potential disruptions, helping improve system reliability and resilience. 26

Democratizing Scientific Research

The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab demonstrates that meaningful scientific research is not limited to universities and government laboratories. Through an inexpensive and accessible antenna system, students can participate directly in authentic scientific investigations and contribute useful observations to ongoing research efforts. 61

The project has established a distributed observation network involving schools across the United States. This nationwide approach expands observational coverage while simultaneously creating opportunities for collaboration among students, educators, and researchers. The result is a publicly available dataset that benefits both education and science. 15

Building the Next Generation Workforce

Perhaps the most lasting benefit of the program is its impact on students. Participants gain hands-on experience with scientific instrumentation, data collection, analysis, and engineering concepts while contributing to real-world research. Rather than learning exclusively from textbooks, students become active contributors to the scientific process. 31

The program introduces students to radio astronomy, space science, engineering, and data analysis while demonstrating how scientific knowledge is created and validated. More than 2,500 students nationwide have participated in the initiative, helping cultivate interest in future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 35

Connecting Space Weather to Energy Networks

The significance of this research extends far beyond astronomy. Solar storms influence many of the technologies that modern communities depend on every day. Severe geomagnetic disturbances can affect electric power grids, satellite communications, navigation systems, and broadband networks. Understanding and forecasting these events is increasingly important as critical infrastructure becomes more interconnected and dependent on digital technologies. 426

Modern electric utilities rely on sophisticated communication systems to manage generation, distribution, monitoring, and restoration activities. At the same time, telecommunications networks increasingly support utility operations through smart grids, distributed energy resources, advanced metering infrastructure, and automated control systems. Because these systems are interconnected, disruptions caused by space weather can have cascading effects across multiple sectors. 26

Remote sensing research such as the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab contributes to a broader understanding of infrastructure resilience. The same data streams that help scientists understand solar activity can ultimately support efforts to protect energy and communication networks from disruptions caused by extreme space weather events. 42

Relevance to the Cloverland Training & Technology Center

The emerging vision of the Cloverland Training & Technology Center (CTTC) is rooted in the convergence of energy, broadband, information technology, telecommunications, and workforce development. The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab offers a compelling example of exactly this type of interdisciplinary learning and systems thinking.

Students working with a campus-based radio antenna experience the complete technology lifecycle. Sensors collect data from the physical world. Networks transport that data. Software systems process and visualize observations. Researchers transform information into actionable knowledge. Infrastructure operators use that knowledge to improve the reliability of critical systems. 14

This mirrors many of the workforce pathways CTTC seeks to support, including:

  • Broadband and telecommunications technologies.
  • Fiber optic and network infrastructure.
  • Data science and analytics.
  • Remote sensing and geospatial technologies.
  • Electric utility and energy systems.
  • Systems integration and critical infrastructure resilience. 126

For students in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, participation in programs such as SunRISE demonstrates that globally relevant research can happen locally. A radio antenna installed on a school lawn in Sault Ste. Marie becomes part of a national scientific network. The skills developed through that experience are directly applicable to the technologies that will shape the region’s future economic development. 31

Looking Ahead

The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab represents far more than a classroom science project. It demonstrates how remote sensing, citizen science, workforce development, and infrastructure resilience can reinforce one another. By helping students collect and interpret data from the Sun, the program advances scientific understanding while preparing the next generation of technicians, engineers, analysts, and innovators. 45

In many ways, the antenna on the Sault Area High School campus lawn and the future laboratories of the Cloverland Training & Technology Center share a common purpose: transforming observations into knowledge, knowledge into capability, and capability into stronger, more resilient communities. 16

References

  1. Akhavan-Tafti, M., Soni, S. L., Higgins, C., Fung, S., Lepri, S., Lux, J., Lazio, J., & Romero-Wolf, A. (2025). SunRISE Ground Radio Lab: Monitoring Solar Radio Bursts With an Expansive Array of Antennae at High Schools Nationwide. Earth and Space Science, 12, e2024EA004114. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA004114

  2. University of Michigan. SunRISE Ground Radio Lab. https://sunrise.umich.edu/ground-radio-lab/

  3. University of Michigan. SunRISE Mission Overview. https://sunrise.umich.edu/

  4. Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan. US High Schoolers Monitor Solar Storms with an Accessible Antenna Kit. June 25, 2025. https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2025/06/25/us-high-schoolers-monitor-solar-storms-with-an-accessible-antenna-kit/

references:

  • citation: “Akhavan-Tafti, M., Soni, S. L., Higgins, C., Fung, S., Lepri, S., Lux, J., Lazio, J., & Romero-Wolf, A. (2025). SunRISE Ground Radio Lab: Monitoring Solar Radio Bursts With an Expansive Array of Antennae at High Schools Nationwide. Earth and Space Science, 12, e2024EA004114.” doi: “https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA004114”
  • citation: “University of Michigan SunRISE Ground Radio Lab Program.” url: “https://sunrise.umich.edu/ground-radio-lab/”
  • citation: “SunRISE Mission Overview.” url: “https://sunrise.umich.edu/”
  • citation: “University of Michigan Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. US High Schoolers Monitor Solar Storms with an Accessible Antenna Kit. June 25, 2025.” url: “https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2025/06/25/us-high-schoolers-monitor-solar-storms-with-an-accessible-antenna