John Entwistle – NES Teachers Corner

NASA Announces Streamlined Professional Development Offerings for the 2014-15 School Year

NASA Education is pleased to announce a new opportunity for educators to access dynamic content and professional development based upon our unique mission of research and discovery. As part of the new NASA Educator Professional Development offerings, beginning this fall, educators will be able to locate NASA content in the following ways:

Through a single consolidated online educator professional development website, merging NEON and the NES Virtual Campus into a single site
Cutting edge educator professional development and support aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards
New options for earning Continuing Education Units, or other forms of credit
Webinars, short courses and extended educator professional development experiences

Stay tuned for more detailed information on educator professional development.

NES Professional Development Web Seminar This Week

Chemistry of Water: Mars Exploration — Is There Water on Mars?

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 Web seminar on May 13, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Participants will receive an overview of a NASA inquiry-based lesson, “Is There Water on Mars?”. Participating educators will have the opportunity to refresh their knowledge of concepts such as how atmospheric pressure and vapor pressure affect the boiling point of water, and how scientists use that information to deduce if there could be, or ever has been, liquid water on Mars. The featured activity provides many opportunities for incorporating national science, technology, and mathematics learning standards into curricula as well as addressing high school Next Generation Science Standards.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES4/webseminar6.aspx.

Video Chat for Students: Dawn Stanley — The Space Launch System: NASA’s Heavy Lifter

Join Dawn Stanley May 13, 2014 as she answers questions about the agency’s Space Launch System and her journey to become a systems engineer with NASA.

During this video chat, students will have a chance to ask about the engineering design process and what it looks like at NASA. Our guest for this video chat is Dawn Stanley, a systems engineer with NASA’s Space Launch System Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. She works directly with the Space Launch System program providing day-to-day support and mission assurance. Her job gives her unique insight into the development of NASA’s new heavy-lift vehicle.

During the chat, Stanley will discuss how she became an engineer and how she got involved in developing spacecraft systems.

NES Web Seminar — Algebraic Equations: Calculator Controlled Robots

NES and NSTA are hosting a 90-minute Web seminar on May 7, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Discover a unique way of integrating robotic technology into your algebra classes. Robotic missions engage students and provide a unique way of bringing to life the concepts you are teaching. Learn to use programmable Texas Instruments, or TI, calculators and Norland Research Robots to solve problems requiring substituting values for variables in formulas.

This seminar provides an overview of using robotics in algebra so you can make an informed decision about purchasing the robots and other equipment. You do not need to have a Norland Research Robot or programmable TI calculator to participate in this seminar, or know how to program the calculator.

The featured activity provides many opportunities for addressing grades 6-8 Common Core State Mathematics Standards.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES4/webseminar1.aspx.

NES Video Chat for Students — Astronaut Stephanie Wilson: Living and Working in Space

NASA Explorer Schools is hosting a 45-minute live video chat for students in grades 4-12 on May 2, 2014, at 3 p.m. EDT. During the video chat, astronaut Stephanie Wilson will answer students’ questions about living and working in space. She was selected to become an astronaut in April 1996 and flew as a mission specialist astronaut on three shuttle missions. She has logged 42 days in space.

For more information and to participate in the video chat, visit https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/steph-wilson-chat.html.

NES Professional Development Web Seminar on May 1

Engineering Design: Forces and Motion — The Great Boomerang Challenge
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: May 1, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

Learn about the Boomerang Design Challenge and two extensions featuring free computer simulations that teach students about airflow around airfoils. The activity provides opportunities for incorporating national science, technology and mathematics standards into the curricula and addresses middle school Next Generation Science Standards.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES4/webseminar17.aspx.

Veggie Arrives on the International Space Station

On April 18th, SpaceX-3 blasted off from Cape Canaveral with a plant growth chamber called Veggie, designed to make gardens thrive in weightlessness. The first crop will be a variety of lettuce called ‘Outredgeous.’ The first crop of Outredgeous should be ready for harvesting in late May, but astronauts won’t be allowed to taste-test.

First, the lettuce has to come back to Earth for analysis, to determine if it is safe to eat. Scientists will look for any bacteria growing on the leaves If everything checks out, future crops may be eaten.

This latest development in plants in space is a great extension to the NES lesson, Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber.

For more information about Veggie, visit Science @ NASA or watch the video.

NES Professional Development Web Seminar This Week

Pythagorean Theorem: Exploring Space Through Math — Lunar Rover
Audience: Grades 8-12 Educators
Event Date: April 23, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

Learn to use the distance formula and the Pythagorean theorem to determine the minimal path and minimal time for a lunar rover to perform tasks on the surface of the moon. Participants need a basic knowledge of scale factor and application of the Pythagorean theorem. Having access to a calculator is helpful but not necessary for the session. The activity provides many opportunities for incorporating national mathematics learning standards into the curriculum as well as addressing Common Core State Standards, Mathematics.

For more information and to register online, visit the NSTA Learning Center.

NES Professional Development Web Seminars This Week

Human Body: Space Adaptations
Audience: 4-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: April 15, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

Engineering Design Challenge: Thermal Protection System
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: April 17, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

For more information and to register online visit the NSTA Learning Center.

Make a #GlobalSelfie with NASA on Earth Day

NASA invites you — and everyone else on the planet — to take part in a worldwide celebration of Earth Day this year with the agency’s #GlobalSelfie event.

While NASA satellites constantly look at Earth from space, on Earth Day we’re asking you to step outside on Earth Day (April 22) and take a picture of yourself wherever you are on Earth. Then post it to social media using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie. The individual pictures tagged #GlobalSelfie will be used to create a mosaic image of Earth — a new “Blue Marble” built bit by bit with your photos.

For more information on how to participate, go to http://1.usa.gov/PfjXln