Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community.
Full descriptions are listed below.
Join the Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2012 Campaign
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Feb. 12-21, 2012
NASA's Digital Learning Network Webcast Series -- Flying Through
African-American History With the Tuskegee Airmen
Audience: K-12 Educators and Students
Event Dates: Multiple Dates Throughout February 2012
Properties of Living Things:
Fingerprints of Life Web Seminar
Audience: 5-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Linear
Equations: NASA CONNECT -- Breaking Barriers
Web Seminar
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Feb. 15, 2012
4th Annual NASA STEM Educators Workshop Series
Audience: K-12 and Informal Educators
Registration Deadline: Feb. 15, 2012
Women In STEM High
School Aerospace Scholars
Audience: 9-12 Educators and Students
Deadline: Feb. 15, 2012
Temperature and Earth Climate: Modeling
Hot and Cold Planets Web Seminar
Audience: 7-9 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Feb. 16, 2012
NASA's Digital Learning
Network Webcast -- National African American History Month and Engineers Week
Audience: K-12 Educators and Students
Event Date: Feb. 22, 2012
Call for Abstracts: 63rd International Astronautical Congress
Audience: Full-time Graduate Students
Submission Deadline: Feb. 29, 2012
"A Vision of Discovery": Understanding NASA Images through Art
Educator Workshop
Audience: All Educators
Registration Deadline: March 1, 2012
Event Date: March 10, 2012
Women's History Month Event: Women, Innovation and Aerospace
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: March 8, 2012
Pennsylvania Space Grant Workshops
Audience: 5-12 Educators
Workshop Dates: Multiple dates July - August 2012
Application Deadline: March 18, 2012
Astronaut Don Pettit Demonstrates Science Concepts in "Science off the
Sphere" Video Series
Audience: All Educators and Students
New Human Spaceflight Educational Materials Available at NASA.gov
Build the Station Simulation:
Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
Play and Learn: Window to Earth-- Grades K-4
Spaced Out Sports Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
"Food for Thought: Eating in Space" Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
Mass Versus Weight Educator Guide --
Grades 5-8
The Texas School for the Deaf Downlink Videos -- Grades K-12
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Join the Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2012 Campaign
GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science
and education program for primary and secondary schools. The GLOBE at Night
project encourages citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of the
night sky. During four select sets of dates, children and adults match the appearance
of a constellation (Orion or Leo in the northern hemisphere, and Orion and Crux
in the southern hemisphere) with seven star charts of progressively fainter
stars. The map is located at http://www.globeatnight.org.
Participants then submit their choice of star chart online with their date,
time and location to help create a light-pollution map worldwide.
The GLOBE at Night 2012 campaign dates are Feb. 12-21, March 13-22 and April 11-20, 2012.
Over 68,000 measurements have been contributed from more than 115 countries
over the last six years of two-week campaigns.
Children and adults can submit their
measurements in real time if they have a smart phone or tablet. To do this, use
the Web application at http://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/.
With smart phones and tablets, the location, date and time are put in
automatically. And if you do not have a smart phone or tablet, there are
user-friendly tools on the GLOBE at Night report page to find latitude and
longitude.
Through GLOBE at Night, students, teachers,
parents and community members are amassing a data set from which they can
explore the nature of light pollution locally and across the globe. Make a
difference and join the GLOBE at Night efforts in 2012. Activity packets,
one-page flyers and postcards advertising the campaign are available at http://www.globeatnight.org.
Please email any questions about GLOBE at Night
to globeatnight@noao.edu.
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NASA's Digital Learning Network Webcast Series
-- Flying Through African-American History With the Tuskegee Airmen
In honor of National African American History
Month, NASA's Digital Learning Network is hosting a webcast series titled
Flying Through African-American History With the Tuskegee Airmen. The webcast
series will focus on this elite group of African-American pilots who fought war
and racism in World War II and the challenges faced by early African-American
aviators.
Engineering a Proud Heritage
Feb. 14, 2012, 1-2 p.m. EST
Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama became the historic site that launched
proof that African-Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat
aircraft. Engineering schools such as the Tuskegee Institute provided the edge
needed for African-Americans to make a significant impact during World War II.
Mathematics Fuels the Tuskegee Airmen
Feb. 21, 2012, 1-2 p.m. EST
Over 900 men graduated as pilots from the Tuskegee Institute pilot training
program. The elite class of airmen was granted the opportunity to fuel flight
success with calculated risks.
Teachers interested in having their classes participate in the live audience
should visit the DLN website for details to register. Requests will be taken on
a first-come, first-served basis.
Classes not chosen to participate in the live audience may still join the
webcast via live streaming on the DLN website.
For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/dln/special/TuskegeeAirmen.html.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Karen.Ricks@nasa.gov.
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Properties
of Living Things: Fingerprints of Life Web Seminar
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for
educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers
Association are hosting a 90-minute live professional development Web seminar
for educators on Feb. 14, 2012, at 6:30
p.m. EST. The student activity featured in this seminar will introduce
grades 5-8 students to the exciting world of astrobiology. The seminar will
review criteria for determining if something is alive -- or not alive -- and
apply those criteria to determine if anything is living in any of three
different soil samples. This type of analysis is similar to what the Viking
landers used on Mars when looking for life.
For more information and to
register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar12.aspx
.
To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
Email any questions about this opportunity to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
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Linear Equations: NASA CONNECT -- Breaking Barriers Web Seminar
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences, NASA
Explorer Schools and NASA’s Learning Environments
and Research Network, or LE&RN, projects are
hosting a 60-minute Web seminar on Feb.
15, 2012, at 8 p.m. EST. During this professional development
session, participants will receive information about the applications of linear
equations at NASA and learn how to implement the Breaking Barriers activity.
Breaking Barriers provides students an opportunity to step into the shoes of a
NASA engineer to design, build and test an X-1 balloon.
For more information and to register
online, visit https://digitalmedia.wufoo.com/forms/nes-webinar-registration-linear-equations/.
To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
Email any questions about this opportunity to the NASA Explorer Schools help
desk at NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
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4th Annual NASA STEM Educators Workshop Series
Join NASA for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM,
workshop series taking place Feb. 28 -
March 1, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. This conference is for inservice,
informal and preservice teachers who serve the K-12 education community. The
workshops will explore engineering design challenges, problem-based learning
activities, distance learning modules, inquiry-based lessons and hands-on
projects.
Sarah Hill, Chris Darby and Charlotte Isham of the United Kingdom’s National
Space Centre and Simon Roberts of the University of Nottingham will present a
virtual session titled "Beaming
Space Education Across the World." Participants will explore new
ways to increase students’ understanding of moon phases, the Earth-moon-sun
relationship, the seasons and the role of space technology in monitoring and
managing the impacts of climate change.
Registration is free. The deadline for registration is Feb. 15, 2012.
For more information and to register for the workshops, visit http://aesp.psu.edu/register/confreg.cfm.
If you have any questions about the workshops, please contact Brandon Hargis at
Brandon.Hargis@nasa.gov.
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Women In STEM High School Aerospace Scholars
Engineer your dream job. The Women in STEM High
School Aerospace Scholars project offers a one-of-a-kind experience for female
high school juniors to jump-start their futures and explore the possibilities
of a major or career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Participants begin their adventure in an online community. The project
culminates with a summer experience at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Texas. Collaborate with girls from across the country and female NASA engineers
and interns.
Applications are due Feb. 15, 2012.
For more information and to download the
application, visit http://wish.aerospacescholars.org/.
Questions should be directed to JSC-NHAS@mail.nasa.gov.
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Temperature
and Earth Climate: Modeling Hot and Cold Planets Web
Seminar
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for
educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project is hosting a 90-minute Web seminar
on Feb. 16, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Use NASA mission data collected from NASA satellites to see
how a planet’s climate is determined. Attend this session and discover how you
can incorporate authentic NASA data into your classroom to provide a real-world
connection for your students.
For more information and to
register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar9.aspx.
To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
Email any questions about this opportunity to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
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NASA's Digital Learning Network Webcast --
National African American History Month and Engineers Week
In observance of National African American
History Month and Engineers Week in February, the Office of Education at NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland will host a live webcast for teachers
and students in grades K-12.
On Feb.
22, 2012, from 1-2 p.m. EST, students will interact live with
African-American engineers and scientists who will share how they use science,
technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, in their careers. Presenters
will discuss what sparked their career choices and how students can prepare for
future careers in STEM fields. The event will be streamed on the Digital
Learning Network "DLiNfo" webcast channel, and during the event
students can submit questions for the scientists to answer via an email address
that will be provided by the on-air host.
Also during the month of February, GSFC will
release two videos featuring Dr. Aprille Ericsson and James Fraction. These
videos will give an inside look at what engineers do during the day. This is a
great opportunity for educators and students to learn more about engineering
careers at NASA. To view the videos, visit http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010900/a010911/.
For more information on these events and how to
participate, please visit the DLiNfo webcast section at the Digital Learning
Network site, http://dln.nasa.gov.
Questions about these opportunities should be
directed to Trena Ferrell at Trena.M.Ferrell@nasa.gov.
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Call for Abstracts: 63rd International
Astronautical Congress
NASA announces its intent to participate in the 63rd International
Astronautical Congress, or IAC, and requests that full-time graduate students
attending U.S. universities or colleges respond to this call for abstracts. The
IAC, which is organized by the International Astronautical Federation, the
International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space
Law, is the largest space-related conference worldwide and selects an average
of 1,000 scientific papers every year. The upcoming IAC will be held Oct. 1-5,
2012, in Naples, Italy. NASA’s participation in this event is an ongoing effort
to continue to connect NASA with the astronautical and space international
community.
This call for abstracts is a precursor to a subsequent submission of a final
paper, which may be presented at the 63rd IAC. Student authors are invited to
submit an abstract regarding an original, unpublished paper that has not been
submitted in any other forum. A NASA technical review panel of scientists
and/or officials will select abstracts. Many students and professors are
involved in NASA-related research. Persons submitting abstracts are strongly
encouraged to seek advice from professors who are conducting NASA research
and/or from NASA scientists and engineers.
Abstract Preparation
-- Abstracts must be 400 words or less.
-- Abstracts must be written in English.
-- Abstracts cannot include formulas, tables or drawings.
-- Select the symposium and session in which you wish to post your abstract.
Please view the IAC brochure at http://www.iafastro.org/docs/2012/iac/IAC2012_CallForPapers.pdf for list of sessions and more details.
Abstracts must be related to NASA’s ongoing vision for space exploration and
fit into one of the following categories:
-- Science and Exploration -- Systems
sustaining missions including life, microgravity, space exploration, space
debris and search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI.
-- Applications and Operations
-- Ongoing and future operational applications, including Earth
observation, communication, navigation, human space endeavors and small
satellites.
-- Technology -- Common
technologies to space systems including astrodynamics, structures, power and
propulsion.
-- Infrastructures -- Systems sustaining space missions including space
systems, transportation, future systems and safety.
-- Space and Society --
Interaction of space with society including education, policy and economics,
history and law.
Abstracts must be submitted to the
IAC’s website http://www.iac2012.org by Feb. 29, 2012 and
to http://iac.nasaprs.com no later than 11:59:59
p.m. EST on March 4, 2012.
Questions about this opportunity should be emailed to abstract@nasaprs.com.
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"A Vision of Discovery": Understanding
NASA Images through Art Educator Workshop
Join NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Programs for educator workshops taking
place in four locations on March 10, 2012. Experience real-world science and bring captivating activities to your
students. Participants will learn how to use the elements of art to inspire
and engage students in the interpretation and understanding of NASA imagery
based on fantastic new images of
Mercury from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging,
or MESSENGER, mission and of asteroid Vesta from the Dawn mission.
“A Vision of Discovery” workshops will take place on March 10, 2012, in four
locations:
-- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
-- NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
-- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Ore.
-- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
Events at all four sites will include
special speakers, hands-on activities with break-out sessions for K-12 and
out-of-school-time educators, and resource packets full of educational
resources and goodies.
NASA is offering a free webinar option of the workshop for those unable to
attend in person. The webinar will allow interested parties to watch the
speaker presentations in real time. These presentations will be the only
portion of the workshop available by webinar.
Participants must register by March 1,
2012. The cost to attend the workshop is $25. Lunch and snacks will be
provided.
For more information, including times for each site, visit http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/discovery/vision_of_discovery.asp.
Please direct questions about "A Vision of Discovery" workshops to
Whitney Cobb at wcobb@mcrel.org, 303-632-5572.
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Women's History Month Event: Women, Innovation
and Aerospace
To celebrate Women’s History Month, NASA and George Washington University are
hosting a daylong event to foster discussion among students and early career
professionals on encouraging women to enter and succeed in the field of
aerospace. The event will take place at George Washington University in
Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2012.
A panel discussion led by NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will kick off
the event and breakout sessions will follow. Session topics include human
exploration, flash mentoring, student ambassadors and jobs enabling NASA
science.
For more information and to register for the event, visit http://women.nasa.gov/womens-history-month/.
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Pennsylvania
Space Grant Workshops
Keep pace with the latest science research, engage in standards-based classroom
activities and explore ways to make science fun while working with Penn State
faculty during these summer workshops for inservice science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, or STEM, educators. Network with peers and earn
graduate credits. Workshops are aligned with the national science education standards
and Pennsylvania standards for science and technology.
All workshops take place in State College, Pa. Grants are awarded to all
participants to cover lodging, parking, some meals and partial tuition.
Applications for all workshops are due March
18, 2012.
Astrobiology: The Interdisciplinary Search
for Life in the Cosmos (Grades 5-9) -- July 23-27, 2012
Learn about current research in the field of astrobiology and how this
exciting topic can be used to engage students in scientific inquiry.
Participants will receive NASA educational materials related to the topics and activities
presented.
http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/astrobiology.html
Hands-On Particle Astrophysics
(Grades 9-12) -- July 30 - Aug. 3, 2012
Participants will get a brief overview of modern
particle physics and explore various astrophysics topics. Instructors will help
participants build and use devices made from household materials to detect air
showers generated by cosmic-ray protons.
http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/particle_astrophysics.html
Black Holes: Gravity’s Fatal Attraction
(Grades 6-12) -- July 30 - Aug. 3, 2012
Delve into the predicted properties of black holes, the astronomical
evidence for their existence and their importance in the cosmos. Modern ideas
about gravity, space and time will also be explored.
http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/black_holes.html
Questions about the Pennsylvania Space Grant workshops should be directed to
Heather Nelson at teachscience@psu.edu.
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Astronaut Don Pettit Demonstrates Science
Concepts in "Science off the Sphere" Video Series
NASA and the American Physical Society, or APS, have entered into a partnership
to share unique videos from the International Space Station with students,
educators and science fans around the world. NASA astronaut Don Pettit will use
everyday objects from Earth to demonstrate physics through the "Science
off the Sphere" video series.
Space fans know Pettit well from his previous stays in space when he performed
science demonstrations like the "Zero G Coffee Cup." Pettit,
currently on the orbiting outpost as a member of the Expedition 30 crew, is
continuing these demonstrations. This time he has added a physics challenge for
the viewers.
APS, the professional society for physicists, will share the "Science off
the Sphere" videos with students, educators and science fans by making
them available on its outreach website, Physics Central. The website also will
feature educational content on the physics topics demonstrated in space by
Pettit and facilitate the challenge. APS will host the physics-oriented
challenges to ignite interest in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.
Segments of "Science off the Sphere" will end with a question for the
viewers. APS will review the responses and identify a winner. Pettit will
recognize the winner in a future installment.
For more information and to view the science demonstrations, visit http://www.physicscentral.com/sots.
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New Human Spaceflight Educational Materials
Available at NASA.gov
The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom
activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are
available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level
and subject. The following space science-related items are now available for
downloading.
Build the Station Simulation: Educator Guide -- Grades K-8
Just as five space agencies cooperated to build the International Space
Station, students can work together to build a paper model of the world's
largest orbiting laboratory. Teams take on the roles of international partners
as they learn about and assemble portions of the model. During a mock summit,
each team briefs the group about their section of the model. The teams then
assemble the entire model to complete the space station. The guide includes
student sheets, parts of the model, instructions for holding a summit, and
facts about the station.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Build_the_Station_Simulation.html
Play and Learn: Window to Earth -- Grades K-4
Astronauts have a spectacular view of Earth from space. Move through the pages
of Window to Earth and see images taken from space of these geographical
features: peninsula, glacier, lake, desert, cape, island, upheaval dome,
strait, waterfall, reef and volcano.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Window_to_Earth.html
Spaced Out Sports Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
Students learn the science of sports with the activities in this educator
guide. The activities are applications of Newton's Laws of Motion.
Among the guide's six activities students will do the following:
-- Construct a CD hovercraft and apply Newton's Laws of Motion to make
hovercraft work.
-- Use gravity to locate the center of mass of irregular-shaped objects.
-- Investigate the principle of conserving angular momentum.
-- Create and play simulated microgravity sports with a balloon.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Spaced_Out_Sports.html
"Food for Thought: Eating in Space" Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
Among the thousands of questions that need to be answered before astronauts
travel to distant planets and asteroids is the question: How much food will
they need and what foods can they take? Food for Thought includes five lesson
plans that relate to food and nutrition and that are aligned to national
education standards.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Food_For_Thought.html
Mass Versus Weight Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
Students often confuse the terms "mass" and "weight." Each
activity in this series demonstrates the difference between mass and weight by
comparing students' results with the results of astronauts aboard the space
station. Students perform the activities and analyze their data. Then they
watch video of astronauts performing similar demonstrations on the station. The
activities focus on Newton's second law of motion.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Mass_vs_Weight.html
The Texas School for the Deaf Downlink Videos -- Grades K-12
While aboard the International Space Station in 2010, astronaut Tracy Caldwell
Dyson used American Sign Language, or ASL, to answer a variety of video
inquiries submitted by students from the Texas School for the Deaf, or TSD. She
recorded almost an hour of video footage showing an inside view of the station
in response to the students' questions about life in space. NASA sent the video
footage to TSD, and students in Bobbie Guerra's video technology class (Zealous
Studio) used this footage to create a series of video clips.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/TSD_Introduction_Video.html
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Don't miss out on education-related opportunities available from NASA. For a
full list of Current Opportunities, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/current-opps-index.html.
Visit NASA Education on the Web:
For Educators: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
For Students: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html
NASA Kids’ Club: http://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub
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