Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community. Full descriptions are listed below.
Chemical Elements: Genesis -- What Are We Made Of? Web Seminar
Audience: 5-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Feb. 27, 2012
Student Spaceflight Experiments Program -- Mission 2 to the International Space Station
Audience: 5-Higher Education Educators and Students
Letter of Commitment Deadline: Feb. 27, 2012
Free Education Webinar Series from the Aerospace Education Services Project
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Dates: Various Dates for March 2012
Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber Web Seminar
Audience: 4-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Feb. 29, 2012
Call for Abstracts: 63rd International Astronautical Congress
Audience: Full-time Graduate Students
Submission Deadline: Feb. 29, 2012
Derivatives: Math and Science @ Work -- Space Shuttle Auxiliary Power Units Web Seminar
Audience: Calculus Teachers and Informal Educators
Event Date: Mar. 1, 2012
2012 Army-Navy Bridge Design Challenge
Audience: Grade 6-7 Students
Deadline: March 1, 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
Polar Science Weekend at the Pacific Science Center
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: March 1-4, 2012
Women's History Month Event: Women, Innovation and Aerospace
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: March 8, 2012
International Space Station National Lab Education Project
Audience: Higher Education Community
Proposal Deadline: March 23, 2012
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Audience: All Educators and Students
Nomination Deadline: April 1, 2012
Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshops
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Event Dates: Multiple Dates May - June 2012
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Chemical Elements: Genesis -- What Are We Made Of? 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. 27, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Learn how to use the “What Are We Made Of?” hands-on activity to integrate mathematics and physical science in your classroom. Discover how students can use statistical sampling to estimate the chemical composition of the sun by analyzing data in a way similar to the one used by scientists who analyzed solar particles collected by the Genesis spacecraft.
For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar15.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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Student Spaceflight Experiments Program -- Mission 2 to the International Space Station
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, in partnership with NanoRacks LLC, announces a new opportunity for communities across the U.S. and space station partner nations. The newest Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, or SSEP, flight opportunity, Mission 2 to the International Space Station, gives students across a community the ability to design and propose real experiments to fly in low Earth orbit on the International Space Station.
Each participating community will be provided an experiment slot in a real microgravity research minilaboratory scheduled to fly on the space station from Sept. 28 to Nov. 12, 2012. An experiment design competition in each community -- engaging 300 to 1,000 students -- allows student teams to design real experiments vying for their communities’ reserved experiment slot on the space station. Additional SSEP programming leverages the experiment design competition to engage the community, embracing a Learning Community Model for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education.
This competition is open to students in grades 5-12 and college. Informal education groups and organizations are also encouraged to participate. All participating communities must submit letters of commitment of funding by Feb. 27, 2012. The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education is standing by to help interested communities secure funding.
Through previous SSEP missions on the space shuttle and International Space Station, more than 70,000 students in almost 200 schools have had the opportunity to design and propose real experiments to fly aboard the space station. All 27 experiments selected to date, reflecting the 27 communities that participated in the program on the final two space shuttle flights, have flown in space.
To learn more about this opportunity, visit the SSEP Mission 2 to ISS National Announcement of Opportunity at:
http://ssep.ncesse.org/2011/11/announcing-communities-participating-in-ssep-mission-1-to-iss-and-new-flight-opportunity-mission-2-to-iss/
The SSEP in-orbit research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of using the International Space Station as a national laboratory.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email SSEP National Program Director Jeff Goldstein at jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org.
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Free Education Webinar Series from the Aerospace Education Services Project
The Aerospace Education Services Project is presenting a series of free webinars through May 2012. All webinars can be accessed online. Join aerospace education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.
Here Comes Saturn (Grades K-5)
Feb. 28, 2012, 4 - 5 p.m. EST.
Aerospace education specialist Tom Estill will discuss how you can find Saturn in the sky, how to put together a Saturn Star Party and how to make a model of Saturn. Participants will also learn how to access a variety of NASA lesson plans, information, current pictures from the Cassini spacecraft and NASA videos related to Saturn.
Designing Solar System Models (Grades K-12)
March 5, 2012, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST
Aerospace education specialist Susan Kohler will demonstrate lessons that engage students in visualizing the comparative sizes and distances of solar system bodies by making solar system objects to scale using common objects, walking off the distances between planets and participating in Web-based sun/Earth scale model activities. Lesson plans and strategies will be shared.
Get Ready for Sun-Earth Day 2012 (Grades K-12)
March 6, 2012, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST
Aerospace education Tom Estill will demonstrate how to register for NASA's Sun-Earth Day 2012, how to safely view the sun and how to access live pictures of the sun from various NASA spacecraft. Participants will also learn about sun-related classroom activities.
Physics Resources for Secondary School (Grades 5-12)
March 8, 2012, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST
Aerospace education specialist John Weis will demonstrate simple activities and resources for teaching physics at middle- and high-school levels. Topics and resources covered will include; Newton's Laws of Motion, energy, light and gravity. Lesson plans and modification strategies will be discussed.
Food for Thought (Grades 5-8)
March 12, 2012, 3:30 - 5 p.m. EST
Aerospace education Steve Culivan will share "Food for Thought," a new NASA educator guide designed to explore space food and the nutritional needs of the astronauts that includes a menu of inquiry activities and other resources to address this exciting topic.
Looking at the Sun: NASA's Missions to the Sun and the 2012 Study of the Venus Transit (Grades K-12)
March 14, 2012, 4:30 - 6 p.m. EST
Aerospace education Rick Varner will discuss the inherent connection between the sun and life on Earth This session is designed to look at NASA's missions to the study the sun and share sun-Earth activities and resources available for use in the classroom. There will be a particular focus on the Venus Transit taking place June 5-6, 2012, and the Sun-Earth Day activities associated with this event.
Animals in Space (Grades K-5)
March 16, 2012, 10 - 11 a.m. EST
Aerospace education specialist Wil Robertson will instruct teachers on how to use stuffed animals as props in telling the story of the animals that preceded humans in space. The program is geared for teachers in K-5 with a special focus of aligning the topic with the Core Literacy Standards for elementary grades. Web resources will be provided.
Mars Uncovered: Revealing the Geological History of Mars (Grades 5-12)
March 29, 2012, 4 - 5 p.m. EST
Aerospace education specialist Tony Leavitt will share an activity that uses an inquiry-based, critical-thinking approach to studying the surface of Mars like scientists do. This lesson will teach students to examine geologic features of a planetary surface and use relative age-dating techniques to analyze the information and interpret the geologic history.
For more information about the webinars listed above, and to see a full list of webinars taking place through May 2012, visit http://neon.psu.edu/webinars/.
Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Gwendolyn Wheatle at Gwendolyn.H.Wheatle@nasa.gov.
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Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber 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. 29, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Learn how to incorporate exciting space exploration problems into your technology or life science classes. Use the engineering design process to have students design, build and evaluate the effectiveness of a lunar plant growth chambers while engaging them in research and standards-based learning experiences.
For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar17.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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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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Derivatives: Math and Science @ Work -- Space Shuttle Auxiliary Power Units Web Seminar
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools and Learning Environments and Research Network, or LEARN, projects are hosting a 60-minute live professional development Web seminar for educators on Mar. 1, 2012, at 8 p.m. EST. The Space Shuttle Auxiliary Power Units student activity featured in this seminar is a problem set from the Mission Control series of NASA’s Math and Science @ Work project. Participants will assume the role of a student. Attendees will work the problem set, score their results and share best practices with other participants for implementing this problem set into the classroom.
For more information and to register online, visit https://digitalmedia.wufoo.com/forms/nes-webinar-registration-derivatives/.
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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2012 Army-Navy Bridge Design Challenge
The U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy are proud to announce the first-ever Army-Navy Bridge Design Contest. This competition is a special edition of the national West Point Bridge Design Contest, created specifically for 6th- and 7th-grade students. The contest provides students with a realistic introduction to engineering through an engaging, hands-on design experience.
Students may work as individuals or in teams of two. There's no cost to enter the competition. Contestants may compete on behalf of either the Army or the Navy. Students must enter this contest through a teacher sponsor. No individual submissions will be accepted.
Design submissions are due March 1, 2012. Top designs will advance to semifinal competitions. The top Army semifinalist and the top Navy semifinalist will compete in a final round competition at West Point in May 2012.
For more information about this competition, visit http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/armynavy.htm.
Questions about this competition should be directed to wpbedc1@gmail.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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Polar Science Weekend at the Pacific Science Center
Polar Science Weekend at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Wash., is taking place March 1-4, 2012. The event is four days of hands-on activities, live demonstrations and exhibits presented by scientists who work in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth. Learn about ice sheets and sea ice, polar bears and penguins, scientific instruments and polar expeditions.
Polar Science Weekend highlights NASA-funded work in the polar regions, and is supported by a grant from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
For more information, visit:
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/wordpress/education/polar-science-weekend/
Questions about this event should be directed to psw@apl.washington.edu.
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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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International Space Station National Lab Education Project
The ISS National Lab Education Project, or ISS NLEP, has released a solicitation for proposals of STEM-related educational experiments that utilize the unique ISS microgravity platform.
Proposals are being accepted from the higher education communities through March 23, 2012. Seven areas of opportunities are available. These areas include general facility simulation-based, ground-based, in-orbit activities as well as specific areas that are already developed and ready for advancement.
This announcement is accessible through NSPIRES and through Grants.gov.
To access through NSPIRES, go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={8626F554-923E-4797-DEE7-89CF3988FEE3}&path=open.
To access through Grants.gov, go to: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=VHPgP97WbRJXqyL263ptQLXJL1CmsyGXh2y27YMLhBHGN7PDb56Y!-213555334?oppId=143253&mode=VIEW
Here’s a chance to make your ideas a part of NASA’s mission!
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
The National Science Foundation is currently accepting nominations and applications for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, or PAEMST, program. PAEMST is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Since 1983, more than 4,100 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. Up to 108 awardees may be recognized each year.
Presidential awardees receive a certificate signed by the president of the United States, a trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities, and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. The National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on the behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The PAEMST program is open to outstanding mathematics and science teachers in the 50 states and the four U.S. jurisdictions (Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Department of Defense Education Activity schools and the U.S. territories as a group). Anyone -- principals, teachers, parents, students or members of the general public -- may nominate a teacher by completing the nomination form available on the PAEMST website. Teachers may also apply directly.
Nominations for elementary school teachers (grades K-6) are due April 1, 2012. Secondary school teachers (Grades 7-12) are eligible to apply in 2013.
For more information, visit http://www.paemst.org/.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to info@paemst.org.
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Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshops
The Center for Astronomy Education, or CAE, announces a series of educator workshops for astronomy and space science educators. Advanced workshops are available for participants who have taken part in previous CAE workshops.
The overarching goal of these workshops is for participants to become familiar with research-validated active engagement teaching strategies and assessment materials, as well as how to implement them in their college courses, through role-playing, modeling, practice, and more! To accomplish this goal, participants will learn how to create productive learning environments beginning with a brief review of research on the nature of teaching and learning. Most workshop time will be spent with participants playing the roles of student, instructor and critical friend to practice implementing active engagement strategies such as interactive lectures, think-pair-share, interactive demonstrations and videos, collaborative groups, lecture-tutorials and ranking tasks. CAE is funded through the NASA JPL Exoplanet Exploration Program.
May 5, 2012 -- Oceanside, Calif.
Southern California Regional Teaching Exchange
May 19-20, 2012 -- Holly Springs, Miss.
Improving the College Introductory Courses Through Active Engagement: A Tier I (Introductory) Workshop
June 9-10, 2012 -- Anchorage, Alaska
Improving the College Introductory Courses Through Active Engagement: A Tier I (Introductory) Workshop
June 10, 2012 -- Anchorage, Alaska
NASA CAE Tier II (Advanced) Special Topics Workshop: Using Technology in the Classroom
For more information and to register for workshops online, visit http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops/index.cfm.
Inquiries about this series of workshops should be directed to Gina Brissenden at gbrissenden@as.arizona.edu.
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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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