Big Glass on a Silicon Chip: The CLEA Project in the 21st Century

In the 1990’s, the confluence of personal computing and digital data acquisition made it possible to produce realistic simulations of astronomical instrumentation for classroom use. Since its inception in 1992, Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy) has taken advantage of these developments to introduce a series of PC-based exercises that simulate a wide variety of astronomical research techniques including spectroscopy, CCD imaging, and radio astronomy of pulsars. Project CLEA materials have been widely adopted by astronomy educators because they make it possible to involve students in hands-on investigations that would otherwise be difficult because of time, weather, and financial constraints on real telescopes.