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/.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.htmlHands-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.htmlBlack 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.__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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/foredu...bytype/Build_the_Station_Simulation.htmlPlay 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.htmlSpaced 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
