Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community.
Full descriptions are listed below.
Astronaut Don Pettit Shares Space Physics "Science Off the Sphere"
Videos
Audience: All Educators and Students
Free Education Webinar
Series from the Aerospace Education Services Project
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Dates: Various Dates during May 2012
Celebrate Space Day at the National Air and Space Museum
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: May 5, 2012
Engineering Design: Forces and Motion --
Balloon Aerodynamics Challenge Web Seminar
Audience: 6-12 and Informal Educators
Event Date: May 7, 2012
Quadratic
Functions: Exploring Space Through Math -- Weightless Wonder Web Seminar
Audience: 9-12 and Informal Educators
Event Date: May 9, 2012
Live Video Chat: How Space
Station Research Affects Life on
Earth
Audience: Grades 7-12
Event Date: May 11, 2012, 2-3 p.m. EDT
Pre-Service Teacher
Institutes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Audience: Higher Education Students
Application Deadline: May 11, 2012
Institute Dates: July 14-27, 2012
For High School Juniors
and Seniors: 2012 Lunabotics University/College Recruitment Fair
Audience: 9-12 Students
Application Deadline: May 11, 2012
Event Date: May 26, 2012
2012-2013 National
Student Solar Spectrograph Competition
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Deadline to register and apply for build awards: Sept. 30, 2012
What's New at NASA's Space Place Website
Audience: K-6 Educators
Additional Frequently
Asked Questions -- NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Competitive Program for
Science Museums and Planetariums Plus Opportunities for NASA Visitor Centers
and Other Informal Education Institutions (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number:
NNH11ZHA004N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008) --
Available For Download
Audience: Informal Education Institutions
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Astronaut Don Pettit Shares Space Physics
"Science Off the Sphere" Videos
NASA astronaut and Expedition 31 crew member Don
Pettit continues to examine how microgravity affects scientific principles
through “Science Off the Sphere,” a video series featuring unique physics
experiments performed on the International Space Station using everyday
objects.
NASA and the American Physical Society, or APS, have partnered to share the
videos with students, educators and science fans around the world.
In the short, downloadable videos, Pettit has used knitting needles and water
droplets to examine static electricity, demonstrated capillary flow by creating
a zero-gravity tea cup, used thin water films to experiment with fluid motion,
shared infrared imagery of Earth and more.
APS, the professional society for physicists, shares new "Science Off the Sphere" videos every other Thursday on its
outreach website, Physics Central. The website also features educational
content on the physics topics demonstrated in space by Pettit and facilitates a
physics-oriented challenge based on the experiments. APS reviews the responses
and identifies a winner, who is recognized by Pettit in a future installment.
For more information and to view the science demonstrations, visit: http://www.physicscentral.com/sots.
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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.
NASA and Education Resource Access (Grades K-12)
May 3, 2012, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Sonya Williams
will explain NASA's mission directorates and their purposes. Learn about the
K-12 educational materials created by each of the directorates and how
educators can access these materials free of charge. Learn about citizen
science opportunities, student design challenges and many other NASA resources
that educators can incorporate into their classrooms.
Animals in Space (Grades K-5)
May 3, 2012, 7 - 8 p.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Wil Robertson
will demonstrate how teachers can 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.
Animals in Space (Grades K-5)
May 5, 2012, 9 - 10 a.m. EDT
Aerospace education specialist Wil Robertson
will demonstrate how teachers can 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.
Food for Thought: Space Food and Nutrition in
the Classroom (Grades 4-9)
May 5, 2012, 11 a.m. -
noon EDT
Aerospace education specialist Steve Culivan
will share "Food for Thought," a new NASA educator guide designed to
explore space food and the nutritional needs of astronauts that includes a menu
of inquiry activities and other resources to address this exciting topic.
Rocket Scientists Write? (Grades K-12)
May 7, 2012, 6 - 7 p.m.
EDT
Aerospace education specialist John Weis will
demonstrate language arts activities using NASA materials and lessons found
within NASA educator guides. Materials discussed will cover reading
comprehension and composition for grades K-12. Lesson plans and strategies will
be shared.
NASA's S'COOL Program (Grades 4-12)
May 8, 2012, 3:30 - 4:30
p.m.
Aerospace education specialist Les Gold will
introduce NASA's Students' Cloud Observations On-Line, or S'COOL, program. The
program engages students to make observations of cloud type and cover and then
share it with NASA. Scientists use the data to assist their understanding of
global climate change. After sending in observations, teachers receive
satellite images for comparison to student data.
Free Planetarium Program for Your Computer
(Grades K-12)
May 15, 2012, 3:30 -
4:30 p.m.
Aerospace education specialist Les Gold will
introduce participants to a free planetarium program. Participants will learn
how to use the program to demonstrate day/night cycles, the sun's changing
position in the sky, as well as seasons, phases of the moon, constellations and
more.
Looking at Our Earth From Above (Grades 4-9)
May 15, 2012, 6 - 7 p.m.
Aerospace education specialist Steve Culivan
will integrate science, technology, engineering, mathematics and geography, or
STEM-G, with Earth observations, remote sensing and maps. NASA curriculum
products, missions and other resources will be utilized to demonstrate an
inquiry-based teaching strategy to better understand Earth and the processes
that shape it.
Mars Uncovered: Revealing the Geologic History
of Mars (Grades 5-12)
May 16, 2012, 7:30 -
8:30 p.m.
Aerospace education specialist Tony Leavitt will
share an inquiry-based lesson that presents a critical-thinking approach of
studying the surface of Mars. This process is similar to the approach used by
NASA scientists. 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.
Rocket Scientists Write? (Grades K-12)
May 21, 2012, 6 - 7 p.m.
EDT
Aerospace education specialist John Weis will
demonstrate language arts activities using NASA materials and lessons found
within NASA educator guides. Materials discussed will cover reading
comprehension and composition for grades K-12. Lesson plans and strategies will
be shared.
Toys in Space (Grades 4-9)
May 24, 2012, 7 - 8 p.m.
EDT
Aerospace education specialist Steve Culivan
will share NASA's Toys in Space videos and activities. In this program,
astronauts took toys from around the world with them into space. Students
predict, observe and record how the toys behave without the effects of Earth's
gravity, putting Newton's Laws of Motion to the test. Participants will receive
copies of the astronaut videos for use in the classroom.
Sun-Earth-Moon Relationships (Grades K-8)
May 24, 2012, 7 - 8 p.m.
EDT
Aerospace education specialist Rick Varner will
introduce sun-Earth-moon models that help to explain the phases of the moon and
both lunar and solar eclipses. Additionally, the activity "Kinesthetic
Astronomy" will be introduced for its explanation of the seasons.
For more information about these webinars, and
to see a full list of webinars taking place through June 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.
________________________________________________________________
Celebrate Space Day at the National Air and
Space Museum
Celebrate Space Day at the National Air and
Space Museum, on Saturday, May 5, 2012.
This event is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
Space Day is an annual favorite at the National Air and Space Museum. Visitors
enjoy hands-on activities; meet NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers; find
out how space suits are made; design a mission patch; and learn about space
from museum experts.
Visit the Museum’s National Mall building in Washington, D.C. to see the Buzz
Lightyear action figure that flew in space. Or get an up-close look at space
shuttle Discovery at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
For a list of scheduled events, visit http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/dateRange.cfm?date=5/5/2012.
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Engineering
Design: Forces and Motion -- Balloon Aerodynamics Challenge 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 May 7, 2012, at 6:30
p.m. EDT. This Web seminar will introduce the Forces and Motion: Balloon
Aerodynamics Challenge for students. This activity provides first-hand
information about density, neutral buoyancy and drag, which is then used to solve
a problem. The activity provides many opportunities for incorporating national
mathematics, science and technology learning standards into your curriculum.
For more information and to register
online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar23.aspx.
To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
Email any questions about this opportunity to the NES Help Desk at NASA.Explorer.Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
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Quadratic Functions: Exploring Space Through Math -- Weightless Wonder
As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for
educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project is hosting a 60-minute Web seminar
on May 9, 2012, at 8 p.m. EDT.
Investigate the characteristics of quadratic functions to solve real-world
problems involving the parabolic flight path of NASA's Weightless Wonder C-9
jet. Get an overview of a student investigation, solve related quadratic
equations and evaluate and graph quadratic functions. A graphing calculator
will be used to demonstrate concepts; however, you do not need a calculator for
this professional development seminar.
For more information and to
register online, visit https://digitalmedia.wufoo.com/forms/nes-webinar-registration-quadratic-functions/.
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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Live Video Chat: How Space Station Research Affects Life on Earth
The NASA Explorer Schools project is offering students in grades 7-12 an
opportunity to ask questions of Tara Ruttley, the associate program scientist
for the International Space Station. Join the video chat on May 11, 2012, from 2-3 p.m. EDT.
Ruttley will answer questions submitted during this live video chat about
conducting research on the space station and the benefits of this research to
astronauts living and working in space and to life on Earth.
Students do not need to be in a school participating in the NASA Explorer
Schools project in order to ask questions during this video chat.
Submit questions during the chat through a chat
window, or send them to NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
To learn more about NES, visit the explorerschools.nasa.gov website.
For more information and to view the video chat, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/research-ruttley-chat.html.
If you have any questions about the video chat, contact NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.
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Pre-Service Teacher Institutes at NASA’s
Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has partnered
with Oakwood University to offer a two-week Pre-Service Teacher Institute
taking place July 14-27, 2012, in Huntsville, Ala. This residential session is
for education majors preparing to teach grades 4-8.
Participants will engage in hands-on learning
experiences designed to develop their skills for teaching science, technology,
engineering and mathematics using NASA-developed curriculum resources.
Full-time undergraduate students in their junior or senior year at minority
institutions are invited to apply. Housing, meals, travel assistance and a
stipend will be provided.
Applications must be postmarked by May 11, 2012.
For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education/msfc/psti.
Please email any questions about this
opportunity to Marilyn Lewis at marilyn.h.lewis@nasa.gov.
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For High School Juniors and Seniors: 2012
Lunabotics University/College Recruitment Fair
As part of NASA’s Third Annual Lunabotics Mining
Competition, a University/College Recruitment Fair will be held on May 26,
2012, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Top colleges and universities
from across the U.S. will be at the fair to share information about science,
technology, engineering and mathematics opportunities at their schools. NASA
scientists and engineers will be available to answer questions about specific
majors and technical career paths.
Students interested in attending this free
recruitment fair are asked to register online before May 11, 2012. To
register, visit http://www.secorstrategies.com/nasa-lunabotics.
Inquiries about this event should be directed to
Mary Baker at Mary@SecorStrategies.com.
To learn more about NASA's Lunabotics Mining
Competition, visit www.nasa.gov/lunabotics.
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2012-2013 National Student Solar Spectrograph
Competition
The National Student Solar Spectrograph Competition is the Montana Space Grant Consortium’s
Education Program for NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS,
mission. IRIS will use spectrography and imaging in ultraviolet wavelengths to
reveal the dynamics of the sun’s chromospheres and transition region.
This yearly competition is open to undergraduate interdisciplinary teams from
colleges and universities across the U.S. Teams are challenged to design and
build a working ground-based solar spectrograph and demonstrate the
capabilities of the spectrograph as defined by their science goal. Typical
teams have three to six students and must have a faculty advisor.
Both substantial scholarship prizes and travel prizes will be given in four
categories: best design, best build, best science observations and best
presentation of results. Teams may apply for funding of $2,000 per team for
project materials. Priority for build funds will be given to minority-serving
institutions, community colleges and institutions with less aerospace activity.
Applications for build awards and registrations are due on Sept. 30, 2012.
The competition will be held in Bozeman, Mont., in May 2013.
For more information and to register online, visit http://www.spacegrant.montana.edu/IRIS/index.html.
Please email any questions about this competition to Randy
Larimer at rlarimer@ece.montana.edu.
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What's New at NASA's Space Place Website
The Space Place is a NASA website for elementary school-aged kids, their
teachers and their parents.
Space is harsh! It’s vicious!
It reminds us every day.
There‛s heat and cold and sun that
blasts
All objects in its way,
The zero-g, no gravity!
A galactic cosmic ray!
And not a whiff of air to breathe.
Nor guide to show the way.
At the Space Place, we have plenty to remind you of the nature of nature when
you leave Mother Earth.
New at spaceplace.nasa.gov
It was a dark and stormy August night in 1859 … solar stormy, that is. A
solar storm caused such bright Northern Lights that gold miners in the Rockies
were frying up bacon and eggs at 1 a.m. thinking the sun was up.
Violent storms on the sun blast out charged particles and radiation that can
damage satellites, power grids, and communication and navigation systems. In
the new game “Shields Up!” you are in charge of protecting three
satellites by putting them into safe mode whenever bad stuff is coming their
way. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series, or
GOES-R, monitors the sun’s surface and warns the other satellites when they
need to get ready for the worst.
Put your "Shields Up!"
and save those satellites at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/shields-up.
Space Place en Español
Black Hole Rescue!, en
español, is a challenging game in which you must spell out black-hole-related
vocabulary words by clicking on moving letter tiles that have been dropped into
a swirling vortex of matter that is slowly being devoured by a black hole. Talk
about a harsh environment. So time is of the essence!
This is a good language arts game for Spanish speakers or learners. Accented
letters must be matched too. No substituting an “n” for an “ñ” or an “e” for an
“é.” Rescue words from the black hole at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sp/black-hole-rescue.
New Space Place "Listmania®"
“Customers who bought this item also bought . . .” is a common
marketing ploy on popular retail websites. Well, The Space Place team knows a
good idea when we see one, and we are not above borrowing. You will now find
recommendations at the bottom of every Space Place article, game or activity.
There’s a lot of cross-pollination on the site, so these suggestions should
help visitors deepen their appreciation for any topic that engages their
interest.
For the Classroom
What’s the weirdest, most alien place you can imagine? Well, no
matter how extreme your imaginary world, there’s probably something like it
somewhere in the universe, probably in our own galaxy. Even our own solar
system has some real doozies. Methane rain on Saturn’s moon Titan? Crushing
pressures in Jupiter’s atmosphere? A surface hot enough to melt lead on Venus?
So, how do space scientists and engineers know what kinds of science
instruments (cameras, spectrometers, etc.) to put on spacecraft that are
destined for one of these strange places? The classroom activity “Designing for
the Barely Imaginable” explains these planetary science instruments as
extensions of our five senses, with each type of instrument analogous to eyes,
ears, noses, etc. The activity invites students to imagine and describe an
alien world, then design a pretend mission to explore that world and give the
results! This activity involves engineering design, physics, earth science and
language arts. Find it at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/classroom-activities/#alienworld.
For
out-of-school time
Here’s a classic physics experiment with a space exploration twist.
Crush an aluminum can without even touching it. This version of the activity is
presented in the context of testing a new spacecraft material. How would this
material work in the harsh vacuum of space? The activity requires pouring a
small amount of boiling water into an empty soft-drink can, which an adult can
do, but the rest is very doable by a child. And the result is a dramatic
demonstration (and explanation) of atmospheric pressure. It makes it look as if
we ourselves withstand a measure of harshness under the weight of our own
atmosphere. It’s at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/soda-can-test.
Special Days
May 2, 1953: First Commercial Jet Flight
Why can't we just fly into space? Read about a rocket that hitches an
airplane ride for part of the trip to space. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/galex-pegasus.
May 17: Pack Rat Day
You can't afford to be a pack rat when
you are packing for a trip to Mars. Try
this fun, geometry-oriented activity for your class. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/classroom-activities/#marspacking
May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens Erupted, Completely Blowing Off Its Top
Volcanoes look amazing from space. See Mount St. Helens and others at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/gallery-earth/#volcanos.
June 5: World Environment Day
How are satellites helping us understand and care for the environment? One
way is by tracking migrating endangered animals. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/migration
June 15: Nature Photography Day
Kids can make their own cameras and take awesome nature pictures while
learning about light. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/classroom-activities/#pinhole
June 16, 1914: Birthday of Lyman
Spitzer, Jr.
He was a great scientist, and the Spitzer Space Telescope is named for him.
Read how it was invented to make a dream come true. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/story-lucy
And another
thing…
If you are taking a vacation from the classroom, have a wonderful,
restorative summer. Before you let those kids go, however, remind them to visit
The Space Place in between their other screen-related activities!
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Additional Frequently Asked Questions -- NASA
Research Announcement (NRA) Competitive Program for Science Museums and
Planetariums Plus Opportunities for NASA Visitor Centers and Other Informal
Education Institutions (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number: NNH11ZHA004N, Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008) -- Available For Download
Four Frequently Asked Questions received after
the proposal due date have been added to the CP4SMP+ portal page on NSPIRES at
the following URL:
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=%7b75AAC7BF-2F69-6C73-2980-B1DCF25EA665%7d&path=closed
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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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