The SunRISE ground radio lab campaign: integrating student research, education, and outreach during the 2024 total solar eclipse

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Abstract
The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab (GRL) at the University of Michigan develops and deploys Long Wavelength Array (LWA) antennas operating over 40–160 MHz to support low-frequency radio heliophysics and student training. This paper presents the scientific and educational outcomes of a dual-site observing campaign conducted during the 8 April 2024, total solar eclipse, which provided a valuable natural laboratory to investigate rapid, eclipse-driven ionospheric variability driven by the sudden reduction of solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray input. LWA systems were deployed at Upland, Indiana, located along the path of totality, and at Peach Mountain Observatory, Michigan, which experienced approximately 95% solar obscuration. The dynamic spectra at both sites were dominated by persistent and intermittent narrowband features consistent with radio-frequency interference, while the integrated intensity curves showed complex, nonmonotonic variability that did not follow eclipse obscuration in a simple manner. At Upland, the intensity minimum occurred before eclipse onset and was followed by a gradual increase through the eclipse interval. At Peach Mountain, the signal exhibited smaller and more irregular variations during and after maximum obscuration. These results indicate that the measured radio intensity reflects the combined influence of evolving solar-disk and coronal emission, ionospheric propagation, background variability, and residual interference rather than eclipse geometry alone. Complementary GNSS-derived total electron content measurements near Upland showed eclipse-associated F-region variability of approximately 5–8 TECU. Because the LWA and GNSS observations probe different ionospheric regions and physical processes, the two datasets are interpreted as complementary rather than directly equivalent diagnostics. Beyond the scientific observations, the campaign integrated undergraduate and master’s students into antenna deployment, calibration, real-time monitoring, data processing, and scientific communication, providing practical experience in field-based heliophysics research and public outreach.

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