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It has become well-established that strong outer radiation belt enhancements are due to wave-driven electron energization by whistler-mode chorus waves. However, in this study, we examine strong MeV electron injections on 10 July 2019 and find substantial evidence that such injections may be a crucial contributor to outer radiation belt enhancement events. For such an examination, it is essential to precisely separate temporal flux changes from spatial variations observed as Van Allen Probes move along their orbits. Employing a new “hourly snapshot” analysis approach, we discover unprecedented details of electron flux evolutions that suggest that for this event, the outer belt enhancement was not continuous but instead intermittent, mostly composed of 4 large discrete injection-driven flux increases. The injections appear as sharp flux increases when observed near apogee. Otherwise, by comparing hourly snapshots for different times, we infer injections and infer temporally stable fluxes between injections, despite strong and continuous chorus emission. The fast and intermittent electron flux growth successively extending earthwards implies cumulative outer belt enhancement via a series of repetitive inward transport associated with injection-induced electric fields.

The space hurricane is a newly discovered large-scale three-dimensional magnetic vortex structure that spans the polar ionosphere and magnetosphere. At the height of the ionosphere, it has a strong circular horizontal plasma flow with a nearly zero-flow center and a coincident cyclone-shaped aurora caused by strong electron precipitation associated with intense upward magnetic field-aligned currents. By analyzing the long-term optical observation onboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F16 satellite from 2005 to 2016, we found that space hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere occur in summer and have a maximum occurrence rate in the afternoon sector around solar maximum. In particular, space hurricanes are more likely to occur in the dayside polar cap at magnetic latitudes greater than 80°, and their MLT (magnetic local time) dependence shows a positive relationship with the IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) clock angle. We also found that space hurricanes occur mainly under dominant positive IMF By and Bz and negative Bx conditions. It is suggested that the stable high-latitude lobe reconnection, which occurs under the conditions of a large Earth’s dipole tilt angle and high ionosphere conductivity in summer, should be the formation mechanism of space hurricanes. The result will give a better understanding ofmore »the solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling process under northward IMF conditions.« less

Large-group (n > 8) co-located collaboration has not been adequately studied because it demands different conceptual framings than those used to study small-group collaboration, while also posing pragmatic constraints on data collection. Working within these pragmatic constraints, we use video data to devise an indicator of the current possibilities for learner collaboration during large-group co-located interactions. We borrow conceptualizations from proxemics and social network analysis to construct collaborative opportunity networks, allowing us to define the concept of collaborative opportunity temperature (COT) readings: a “snapshot” of the current configuration of the different social subgroup structures within a large group, indicating emergent opportunities for collaboration (via talk or shared action) due to proximity. Using a case study of two groups of people (n = 11, n = 12) who interacted with a multi-user museum exhibit, we outline the processes of deriving COT. We show how to quickly detect differences in subgroup configurations that may result from educational interventions and how COT can triangulate with and complement other forms of data (audio transcripts and activity logs) during lengthier analyses. We also outline how COT readings can be used to supply formative feedback on social engagement to learners and be adapted to other learningmore »environments.« less

We examined the regulation of shared problem solving in a museum exhibit. We found that we had to augment our dialogue codes to properly embrace the dynamic nature of the observed learning regulation. These changes reflect aspects of shared regulation that occur when learning takes place (1) in an immersive open-ended learning environment, where (2) learners work together in large groups. We present preliminary results, arguing that designers and researchers may benefit from recognizing how planning and evaluation acts can be tactically embedded in immersive learning environments.

The Next Generation Science Standards and the National Research Council recognize systems thinking as an essential skill to address the global challenges of the 21st century. But the habits of mind needed to understand complex systems are not readily learned through traditional approaches. Recently large-scale interactive multi-user immersive simulations are being used to expose the learners to diverse topics that emulate real-world complex systems phenomena. These modern-day mixed reality simulations are unique in that the learners are an integral part of the evolving dynamics. The decisions they make and the actions that follow, collectively impact the simulated complex system, much like any real-world complex system. But the learners have difficulty understanding these coupled complex systems processes, and often get “lost” or “stuck,” and need help navigating the problem space. Formative feedback is the traditional way educators support learners during problem solving. Traditional goal-based and learner-centered approaches don’t scale well to environments that allow learners to explore multiple goals or solutions, and multiple solution paths (Mallavarapu & Lyons, 2020). In this work, we reconceptualize formative feedback for complex systems-based learning environments, formative fugues, (a term derived from music by Reitman, 1964) to allow learners to make informed decisions about their ownmore »exploration paths. We discuss a novel computational approach that employs causal inference and pattern matching to characterize the exploration paths of prior learners and generate situationally relevant formative feedback. We extract formative fugues from the data collected from an ecological complex systems simulation installed at a museum. The extracted feedback does not presume the goals of the learners, but helps the learners understand what choices and events led to the current state of the problem space, and what paths forward are possible. We conclude with a discussion of implications of using formative fugues for complex systems education.« less