July 2017 – NASA 'Science WOW!'

NASA Education “Science WOW!” Message — July 26, 2017

Check out the latest edition of NASA Education’s “Science WOW!” — your source for NASA opportunities in science education delivered “Weekly On Wednesday.”

Science Always Starts With a Question …

This Week’s Question: Why Does the Sun Burn Us?

The sun keeps our planet warm enough for living things to thrive. It gives us light so we can see. But it also can burn us. What causes these burns?

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sunburn/en/

Have You Seen This?

Keep an eye on the sun’s space weather activity from your classroom with a Space Weather Action Center. This computer-based activity allows students to track the development and progress of solar storms in near-real time. The activity incorporates online NASA data and addresses national education standards in science, technology and mathematics.

https://sunearthday.nasa.gov/swac/

Solar Eclipse Countdown!

Less Than ONE MONTH Until the Total Solar Eclipse!

Potentially, more than 300 million people in the United States could directly view the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, and NASA wants everyone who witnesses this celestial phenomenon to do so safely. Get the latest safety information before the big event!

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-recommends-safety-tips-to-view-the-august-solar-eclipse

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** New, Updated Look for NASA Education Express Coming Next Week
**NEW** Storyboard Competition for NASA’s REALM Project
‘Predict the Corona’ Art Project
Be a Citizen Earth Scientist With the ‘GLOBE Observer’ App

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources

Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

2017 Solar Eclipse Resources Available for Public Libraries
2017 Thermal and Fluids Analysis Workshop

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** New, Updated Look for NASA Education Express Coming Next Week
Audience: All Educators and Students

To celebrate 20 years of delivering NASA education opportunities to educators and students, the NASA Education Express is getting a brand new look!

The more things change …
— Eye-catching graphics help you zero in on opportunities
— “Act Fast!” section shows which deadlines are looming on the horizon

The more they stay the same …
— Still delivered on Thursdays
— Still highlighting STEM opportunities for educators and students.

Keep an eye on your inbox on Aug. 3, 2017, for the new NASA Education Express message!

https://www.nasa.gov/education/express

**NEW** Storyboard Competition for NASA’s REALM Project
Audience: Graphic Designers and Creative Writers of All Ages
Entry Deadline: Aug. 3, 2017, at 3 p.m. EDT

NASA’s RFID-Enabled Autonomous Logistics Management, or REALM, project is seeking storyboard ideas for a two-minute animation that describes its mission to the public. REALM is a three-phased experimental project based on radio frequency identification, or RFID, technologies.

The winning storyboard will be developed into a video via a separate contest, for which submitters, and others, are eligible to participate.

The creator of the winning storyboard will receive $500. Entries must be submitted by 3 p.m. EDT on Aug. 3, 2017.

For full details, visit https://www.freelancer.com/contest/NASA-Contests-Storyboard-for-Minute-VideoAnimation-for-REALM-Project-1032506.html.

‘Predict the Corona’ Art Project
Audience: All Educators and Students
Eclipse Date: Aug. 21, 2017

Before the advent of photography, astronomers tried to sketch the fleeting shape of our sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona. This ghostly halo of light had been seen for centuries by naked-eye observers at the height of most total solar eclipses, but little was known about its shape and extent or how these changed with time.

On Aug. 21, 2017, the United States will experience a total solar eclipse once again. Along a path 60 to 70 miles wide stretching from Oregon to South Carolina, observers will be able to see a total solar eclipse. Others across North America will see a partial eclipse. To prepare for the big event, NASA wants you to predict what the corona will look like!

Share your drawings with NASA via the NASA Solar Eclipse Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/groups/nasa-eclipse2017/) or via Instagram using #Eclipse2017Corona.

For more information about the project and to see what past coronas have looked like, visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/predict-corona-art-project.

Please submit questions about this opportunity to https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/contact-us.

Be a Citizen Earth Scientist With the ‘GLOBE Observer’ App
Audience: All Educators and Students

Want to be a citizen Earth scientist? To contribute to NASA’s studies of our home planet, all you need is a smartphone, access to the outdoors, and the “GLOBE Observer” app.

Now available for Apple and Android phones, the app is an initiative of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment program. For over two decades, GLOBE has enabled schools and students in over 110 countries to investigate their local environment and put their observations in a global context.

To learn more, visit https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-launches-new-citizen-science-opportunity and http://observer.globe.gov.

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators

The NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State University is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom. Registration is required to participate. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description.

**NEW** Mission STEM: Constructing Explanations and Solutions
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 31, 2017, at 4 p.m. EDT
Participants will explore resources that allow students to practice inquiry-based strategies while completing design challenges. Explore recoding, analyzing and interpreting data. And learn how maps and models can be used to help students gain perspective and answer questions. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/249118

**NEW** Exploring Beyond the Planets: Cassini and Saturn
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: Aug. 1, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Participants will learn about the solar system and beyond. Explore the current research going on at Saturn with the Cassini mission and related activities that can be used within the classroom or during after-school programs. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/254227

**NEW** Talk With a Scientist: Mike MacFerrin
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-12
Event Date: Aug. 2, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Participants will have the opportunity to interact with leading cryo scientist Mike MacFerrin. MacFerrin is a Greenland ice sheet researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. He is an expert in physical geography, cryosphere studies, Earth science, ice interactions and remote sensing. He will be presenting “Tales from a Greenland Polar Field Scientist.” Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/263962

For a full schedule of upcoming NASA Educator Professional Development webinars, visit http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/.

Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan at stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Date: Aug. 21, 2017

On Aug. 21, 2017, the United States will experience a solar eclipse! This celestial event will provide a golden opportunity to engage and educate diverse audiences, and NASA has the resources to help.

Along a path 60 to 70 miles wide stretching from Oregon to South Carolina, observers will be able to see a total solar eclipse. Others across North America will see a partial eclipse. The event will happen around lunch time across the country. For an interactive map with timing information along the path of the eclipse, visit http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html.

Visit the following websites to find additional information and resources, including:
— Tips for safely viewing the solar eclipse.
— Recorded interviews with NASA scientists, mission specialists and eclipse path communities.
— Topical online eclipse videos, featuring a variety of STEM and cultural topics.
— Social media community development and networking.
— Mobile educational eclipse applications.
— Public challenges and engagement activities.
— 2-D and 3-D printing exercises for K-16 students.
— Citizen science campaigns in partnership with NASA mission observations.
— Adjunct activities and educational resources.
— Live streaming of observations and programming.

Total Eclipse 2017 — Through the Eyes of NASA
http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

Eclipses and Transits
http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

2017 Solar Eclipse Resources Available for Public Libraries
Audience: Librarians and Informal Educators

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, is quickly approaching! To help you prepare for the big event, STAR_Net has developed educational resources to assist libraries in creating promotional and program materials for events surrounding the eclipse.

Funded by the NASA@ My Library program, these materials include images, videos, posters, activities, webinars and more! Here are just a few highlights of what is available:

2017 Solar Eclipse Guide: This eclipse information booklet may be downloaded free by anyone at http://www.starnetlibraries.org/EclipseGuide/. The 24-page booklet includes background information on eclipses, times when the eclipse is visible over different parts of the country, safe viewing techniques, suggestions for good outreach partners for libraries, and more.

Online Course About the Sun and the 2017 Solar Eclipse: This course is perfect for librarians who want more extensive background information on how and why astronomers study the sun. It is a five-meeting course, and the last “class” is all about eclipse day. Check it out at http://www.starnetlibraries.org/2017eclipse/eclipse-resource-center/educational-resources/online-course/.

Eclipse-related STEM Clearinghouse Activities: Find fun, hands-on activities to bring the science behind the eclipse to life! Activities are available for a wide range of ages and interest areas. Learn more at http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/index.php?id_category=124&controller=category.

Eclipse Resources Forum: Share ideas and brainstorm with other librarians about eclipse programming and events. Join the discussion at http://www.starnetlibraries.org/forums/forum/eclipse-resources-forum/.

Please direct questions about these resources to Anne Holland at aholland@spacescience.com.

For more information about STAR_Net, visit http://www.starnetlibraries.org/.

Looking for more information about the 2017 solar eclipse? Visit NASA’s eclipse website at https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/.

2017 Thermal and Fluids Analysis Workshop
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Workshop Dates: Aug. 21-25, 2017

The annual Thermal and Fluids Analysis Workshop will be held Aug. 21-25, 2017, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Thermal and Fluids Analysis Workshop encourages knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking throughout the thermal and fluids engineering community within NASA, academia and the aerospace community at large. STEM faculty and university students are encouraged to attend, take free training, or do a combination thereof.

Registration to attend the workshop is free. For more information, visit https://tfaws.nasa.gov/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to Ramona Cummings at ramona.o.cummings@nasa.gov.

Check out the ‘Explore NASA Science’ website!
Science starts with questions, leading to discoveries. Explore the redesigned NASA Science site and send us feedback. Visit https://science.nasa.gov. To view the site in Spanish, visit http://ciencia.nasa.gov.

Don’t miss out on upcoming NASA education opportunities.
For a full list of events, opportunities and more, visit the Educators and Students Current Opportunity pages on NASA’s website:
— Educators http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/current-opps-index.html
— Students http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/current-opps-index.html

Are you looking for NASA educational materials to support your STEM curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at http://www.nasa.gov/education/resources/.

Find NASA science resources for your classroom.
NASA Wavelength is a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels — from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. http://nasawavelength.org/

Visit NASA Education on the web:
NASA Office of Education: http://www.nasa.gov/education
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

Did you miss last week’s NASA Education Science WOW! newsletter?
Visit the Science WOW! blog for an archive of previous messages.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/educationsciencewow/

NASA Education “Science WOW!” Message — July 19, 2017

Check out the latest edition of NASA Education’s “Science WOW!” — your source for NASA opportunities in science education delivered “Weekly On Wednesday.”

Science Always Starts With a Question …

This Week’s Question: How Do We Look for Earth-like Planets in Other Solar Systems?

Exoplanets are very hard to see directly with telescopes. So how do astronomers hunt for them? Check out the latest Space Place in a Snap video to find out!

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/exoplanet-snap/en/

Have You Seen This?

How can a large telescope flying high above Earth in a 747 aircraft help a spacecraft zooming through the distant reaches of the solar system? Watch this “Kuiper Belt Object Chasers” video to learn how the SOFIA telescope is helping the New Horizons mission team guide their spacecraft for an upcoming flyby.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/KBO-Chasers.php

Solar Eclipse Countdown!

Less Than Five Weeks Until the Total Solar Eclipse!

When the sun’s light is blocked during an eclipse, does the temperature in the path of totality drop? Download the GLOBE Observer app and be a citizen scientist during the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Use the app to make scientific observations of how the eclipse changes the atmospheric conditions in your area.

https://observer.globe.gov/science-connections/eclipse2017

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** New Podcast Series Available From NASA’s Johnson Space Center
**NEW** All Aboard! The NASA Education Express Is Turning 20!
‘Predict the Corona’ Art Project
Fly Your Exoplanet on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
NASA Education Workshop at Glenn Research Center — Modeling the Solar Eclipse
Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources

Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

**NEW** New 2017 Solar Eclipse Resources Available for Public Libraries

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** New Podcast Series Available From NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Audience: All Educators and Students
Podcast Release Date: New Episode Every Friday
Live Podcast From Space: Aug. 10, 2017

“Houston, We Have a Podcast” is a new weekly audio show from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The podcast, hosted by Gary Jordan as he talks with various guests, is designed to highlight a variety of topics covering the work of Johnson, NASA’s “home of human spaceflight.”

In the first episode, released on July 7, 2017, NASA public affairs officer Dan Huot provides a high-level overview of the International Space Station: what it is, how it works, and why it’s there. New episodes will be released each Friday; upcoming topics include space food, human research in space, mission control and communications. Personal stories of human spaceflight, from living on the space station to understanding what it may be like to walk on Mars, will come from the Astronaut Candidates of 2017, International Space Station astronauts, and scientists and engineers from around the center.

Timed at an average of 45 to 50 minutes, episodes of “Houston, We Have a Podcast” will be released on iTunes, SoundCloud and nasa.gov. Questions may be asked using the hashtags #askNASA and #HWHAP on various NASA accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

A live podcast episode from space with astronaut Jack Fischer is planned Aug. 10, 2017, on NASA TV, Facebook, YouTube, UStream and other platforms. Live audience viewers will be able to ask questions via Facebook and YouTube. The recorded podcast episode will be released Friday of the following week.

To download episodes of “Houston, We Have a Podcast,” visit https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP .

Episodes also may be found on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/houston-we-have-a-podcast.

Episodes of the podcast will soon be available on iTunes and other platforms.

Please direct questions about this podcast series to Gary Jordan at gary.j.jordan@nasa.gov.

**NEW** All Aboard! The NASA Education Express Is Turning 20!
Audience: All Educators and Students

For 20 years, the NASA Education Express has kept subscribers in the know about opportunities for teachers and students. To celebrate, we’re giving the weekly newsletter a fresh, updated look!

The NASA Education Express will still deliver the latest NASA opportunities for educators and students directly to your inbox each Thursday. But the message is getting a makeover — All to help you find what you need … faster!
— “New This Week” opportunities at the top
— “Act Fast!” for those opportunities where the clock is ticking
— Plus more opportunities for educators and students

Keep an eye on your inbox on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, and be ready to hop on board!

https://www.nasa.gov/education/express

Share your drawings with NASA via the NASA Solar Eclipse Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/groups/nasa-eclipse2017/) or via Instagram using #Eclipse2017Corona.

For more information about the project and to see what past coronas have looked like, visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/predict-corona-art-project.

Please submit questions about this opportunity to https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/contact-us.

Fly Your Exoplanet on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Audience: All Educators and Students
Submission Deadline: Nov. 20, 2017

Set to launch in June 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is an explorer-class planet finder. In the first-ever spaceborne all-sky transit survey, TESS will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants and will orbit a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances. As the TESS team prepares for launch, it invites the public to ponder what exoplanets might look like and share their ideas in the form of sketches and graphics.

This opportunity is open to all ages and skill levels. Submissions will be collected via email. To download the template for submitting your artwork, visit https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/fly_your_exoplanet.html.

The deadline for submissions is Nov. 20, 2017, or when capacity of the drive carrying the submissions to space is reached, whichever occurs first.

To learn more about the TESS mission, visit https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to GSFC-TESS@mail.nasa.gov.

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Solar Eclipse: What, When, Where, How and Safety
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 20, 2017, at 6 p.m. EDT
On Aug. 21, 2017, most Americans will experience their first total solar eclipse in almost 40 years. What is a solar eclipse? Where will the eclipse be visible? When will the eclipse occur? How can the eclipse be viewed safely? This webinar will explore these questions using some of the many NASA resources and classroom lessons supporting this solar event. Learn about the important safety of properly viewing the eclipse with your students. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/263468

**NEW** Solar Eclipse: Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta, Guest Scientist
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 24, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
As a singular event of national scale and with a global audience, the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, will be a landmark event for a new generation. Where will you be? In this webinar, participants will be able to connect with the lead program scientist for NASA’s “Living With a Star” initiative, Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/263957

**NEW** Solar Eclipse: Shadows
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 25, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible across the continental U.S., the first in almost 40 years! Participants in this webinar will learn about shadows and the upcoming solar eclipse. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/254223

For a full schedule of upcoming NASA Educator Professional Development webinars, visit http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/.

Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan at stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

NASA Education Workshop at Glenn Research Center — Modeling the Solar Eclipse
Audience: K-12 Educators
Workshop Date: July 25, 2017, 8:30 a.m. EDT

On Aug. 21, 2017, the United States will experience a solar eclipse. This event will provide an excellent opportunity to engage and educate diverse audiences, and NASA has the resources to help.

Join the Office of Education at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, for a STEM educator workshop on July 25, 2017. Participants will be introduced to problem-based-inquiry learning activities related to the solar eclipse. Learn how to bring STEM challenges and the adventure of space exploration to students in the classroom.

For full event details and registration information, visit https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=237940&.

Please direct questions about this workshop to Stephanie Brown-Houston at sdbrown-houston@nasa.gov.

Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Date: Aug. 21, 2017

Total Eclipse 2017 — Through the Eyes of NASA
http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

Eclipses and Transits
http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

**NEW** New 2017 Solar Eclipse Resources Available for Public Libraries
Audience: Librarians and Informal Educators

Funded by the NASA@ My Library program, these materials include images, videos, posters, activities, webinars and more! Here are just a few highlights of what is available:

Please direct questions about these resources to Anne Holland at aholland@spacescience.com.

For more information about STAR_Net, visit http://www.starnetlibraries.org/.

Looking for more information about the 2017 solar eclipse? Visit NASA’s eclipse website at https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/.

Are you looking for NASA educational materials to support your STEM curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at http://www.nasa.gov/education/resources/.

NASA Education “Science WOW!” Message — July 12, 2017

Check out the latest edition of NASA Education’s “Science WOW!” — your source for NASA opportunities in science education delivered “Weekly On Wednesday.”

Science Always Starts With a Question …

This Week’s Question: Where Is Juno?

Earlier this week, the Juno spacecraft flew directly over Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, the gas giant’s iconic 10,000-mile-wide (16,000-kilometer-wide) storm. Visit the link below to see Juno’s current position!

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/where

Have You Seen This?

Learn more about the Juno mission to Jupiter and what scientists hope to learn as the spacecraft gets closer to Jupiter than any mission ever before! Bill Nye explains what makes Jupiter a treacherous and curious place in the “Why With Nye — Mission to Jupiter” video series.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/video/why-with-nye-mission-to-jupiter/

Solar Eclipse Countdown!

Less Than Six Weeks Until the Total Solar Eclipse!

Download the Total Solar Eclipse 2017 App for access to live video streams of the total solar eclipse!

To learn more, visit https://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/apps/total-solar-eclipse-app.

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

2017 von Kármán Lecture — Five Years of Exploring Gale Crater With the Curiosity Mars Rover
NASA Seeks Creative Arts Inspired by Cassini’s Mission to Saturn

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
NASA Education Workshop at Glenn Research Center — Modeling the Solar Eclipse
Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources

Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

**NEW** Now Accepting Applications for NASA Spring Internships

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

2017 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education
Next Lecture Date: July 13 and July 14, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)

The Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, named after the founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and presented by JPL’s Office of Communication and Education, shares the excitement of the space program’s missions, instruments and other technologies.

Lectures take place twice per month, on consecutive Thursdays and Fridays. The Thursday lectures take place in JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Auditorium, and Friday lectures take place at Pasadena City College’s Vosloh Forum. Both start at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT). Admission and parking are free for all lectures. No reservations are required, but seating is limited. The Thursday evening lectures are streamed live for viewing online. Archives of past lectures are also available online.

Next Lecture in the Series:

Five Years of Exploring Gale Crater With the Curiosity Mars Rover
Event Date: July 13 and July 14, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2017&month=7
Nearly five years after its celebrated arrival at Mars, the Curiosity rover continues to reveal Mars as a once-habitable planet. Early in the planet’s history, generations of streams and lakes created the landforms that Curiosity explores today. Join James Erickson and Dr. Ashwin Vasavada, mission team members from the Mars Science Laboratory, for a discussion about the latest findings from the mission, the challenges of exploration with an aging robot, and what lies ahead.

For more information about the Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, including a complete list of upcoming lectures, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures.php.

Questions about this series should be directed to http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/contact_JPL.php.

NASA Seeks Creative Arts Inspired by Cassini’s Mission to Saturn
Audience: All Educators and Students Ages 13 and Older

During nearly two decades in space, Cassini has inspired people on Earth. Cassini has sent home thousands of images of icy moons and resplendent rings. It helped discover erupting water geysers on Enceladus and seas of methane on Titan. It showed us a view of Earth as a blue dot.

Now the mission is moving toward its “Grand Finale,” and in September 2017 it will finally draw to a dramatic end. NASA’s Cassini team would like to know this: How has Cassini inspired you?

Visit the Cassini Inspires website to explore images and more from the mission. Then use inspiration to get creative. Write a poem. Paint a picture. Choreograph a dance. Tell a story. The possibilities are endless!

Share your creation with the NASA Cassini team on the social media platform of your choice, such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or others. Tag it #CassiniInspires. Or send it directly to cassinimission@jpl.nasa.gov.

To learn more, visit https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/cassiniinspires/.

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Lava Layering: Making and Mapping a Volcano
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-8
Event Date: July 13, 2017, at 8 p.m. EDT
Participants will be introduced to an activity that focuses on interpreting geologic history through volcano formation and excavation. Baking soda, vinegar and play dough are used to model fluid lava flows. Various colors of play dough identify different eruption events. The activity challenges students to do the following:

Construct a model of a volcano.
2. Produce lava flows.
3. Observe, draw, record, and interpret the history and stratigraphy of a volcano produced by other students.
4. Make the connection between the life cycle of a volcano and see these features on Earth and Mars.

**NEW** Solar Eclipse: Edible Experiments/The Great American Eclipse/Eclipse Book Reviews
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 17, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Explore resources for making edible models to teach about lunar and solar eclipses. Browse websites with hands-on activities on subjects such as protection from UV rays. Learn about a collection of children’s literature to use for studying the eclipse. These activities will be great for summer camps and back-to-school events before the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/263976

**NEW** Solar Eclipse: Guest Scientist — High-Altitude Ballooning
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: July 18, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Get an overview of high-altitude ballooning during eclipses with Bernhard Beck-Winchatz from the STEM Studies Department at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Beck-Winchatz has worked on several NASA projects using weather balloon flights that provide affordable access to a spacelike environment for student research. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/263980

For a full schedule of upcoming NASA Educator Professional Development webinars, visit http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/.

Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan at stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

NASA Education Workshop at Glenn Research Center — Modeling the Solar Eclipse
Audience: K-12 Educators
Workshop Date: July 25, 2017, 8:30 a.m. EDT

On Aug. 21, 2017, the United States will experience a solar eclipse. This event will provide an excellent opportunity to engage and educate diverse audiences, and NASA has the resources to help.

For full event details and registration information, visit https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=237940&.

Please direct questions about this workshop to Stephanie Brown-Houston at sdbrown-houston@nasa.gov.

Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Date: Aug. 21, 2017

Total Eclipse 2017 — Through the Eyes of NASA
http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

Eclipses and Transits
http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

**NEW** Now Accepting Applications for NASA Spring Internships
Audience: High School, Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Application Deadline: Oct. 17, 2017

Now is your chance to apply for exciting hands-on spring internship opportunities available at all NASA centers. High school, undergraduate and graduate students are needed to help NASA scientists and engineers with ongoing scientific and engineering research, technology development and spaceflight operations activities. Internship opportunities also exist in nontechnical areas such as communications, budget, procurement, education and human resources. NASA internships are stipend-paid and offer students mentor-directed, degree-related, NASA-relevant tasks. If you think you have what it takes to be a NASA intern, please visit https://intern.nasa.gov today to apply or to learn more about the numerous opportunities available.

The deadline for spring applications is Oct. 17, 2017!

Please submit inquiries about the NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships One Stop Shopping Initiative, or NIFS OSSI, via https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/.

Are you looking for NASA educational materials to support your STEM curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at http://www.nasa.gov/education/resources/.

NASA Education “Science WOW!” Message — July 5, 2017

Check out the latest edition of NASA Education’s “Science WOW!” — your source for NASA opportunities in science education delivered “Weekly On Wednesday.”

Science Always Starts With a Question …

This Week’s Question: What Is an Urban Heat Island?

As summer temperatures rise, some areas feel the heat more than others. Find out what an urban heat island is and what causes this hot phenomenon.

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/heat-islands/

Have You Seen This?

Become a Mosquito Habitat Mapper with the GLOBE Observer app. Download the app and help scientists reduce the threat of mosquito-borne diseases in your community.

https://observer.globe.gov/

Solar Eclipse Countdown!

Less Than Seven Weeks Until the Total Solar Eclipse!

Does a solar eclipse produce harmful rays? Can a solar eclipse happen at either of Earth’s poles? Does the moon turn completely black during a total solar eclipse? Find answers to these questions and explanations of other Eclipse Misconceptions!

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-misconceptions

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** 2017 von Kármán Lecture — Five Years of Exploring Gale Crater With the Curiosity Mars Rover
‘Predict the Corona’ Art Project

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources

Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

Free “NASA’s Journey to Mars” Planetarium/Dome Show

Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages

**NEW** 2017 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education
Next Lecture Date: July 13 and July 14, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)

The Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, named after the founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and presented by JPL’s Office of Communication and Education, shares the excitement of the space program’s missions, instruments and other technologies.

Next Lecture in the Series:

For more information about the Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, including a complete list of upcoming lectures, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures.php.

Questions about this series should be directed to http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/contact_JPL.php.

‘Predict the Corona’ Art Project
Audience: All Educators and Students
Eclipse Date: Aug. 21, 2017

Before the advent of photography, astronomers tried to sketch the fleeting shape of our sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona. This ghostly halo of light had been seen for centuries by naked-eye observers at the height of most total solar eclipses, but little was known about its shape and extent or how these changed with time.

Share your drawings with NASA via the NASA Solar Eclipse Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/groups/nasa-eclipse2017/) or via Instagram using #Eclipse2017Corona.

For more information about the project and to see what past coronas have looked like, visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/predict-corona-art-project.

Please submit questions about this opportunity to https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/contact-us.

Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12

**NEW** NASA Engineering Design Process 101: An Introduction to Classroom Application
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-12
Event Date: July 6, 2017, at 6 p.m. EDT
Explore the engineering design process and its application to real-world problem solving. Also explore NASA design challenges and other NASA STEM classroom resources. Engineering design is a common topic across each grade level in the Next Generation Science Standards and an important concept in understanding the world around us. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/254193

**NEW** Lunar Phases and Student Misconceptions
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 2-8
Event Date: July 11, 2017, at 8 p.m. EDT
To prepare for the total solar eclipse in August, explore the astronomy behind lunar and solar eclipses. Presenters will demonstrate activities that prepare classes to view the eclipse and will share lesson plans that explain the connection between the phases of the moon and the eclipse. And participants will learn how to clear up common spatial misconceptions students often have about eclipses. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/261973

For a full schedule of upcoming NASA Educator Professional Development webinars, visit http://www.txstate-epdc.net/events/.

Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan at stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

Get Ready for the 2017 Solar Eclipse With NASA Resources
Audience: K-12 Educators
Event Date: Aug. 21, 2017

Total Eclipse 2017 — Through the Eyes of NASA
http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov

Eclipses and Transits
http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse

Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

Free “NASA’s Journey to Mars” Planetarium/Dome Show
Audience: Informal Educators

Are you looking for ways to spark interest in pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation? Right now, NASA’s fleet of Mars robotic explorers is paving the way for human exploration of the solar system in the coming decades. Join NASA in preparing for a monumental journey of a lifetime — to Mars!

“NASA’s Journey to Mars” is a short planetarium presentation that can be used in the educational domes and planetariums, to inspire interest in STEM. To learn more, including how you can acquire the show for use in your area, visit https://www.nasa.gov/feature/journey-of-a-lifetime-mars-education-resources/.

Please direct questions about the “NASA’s Journey to Mars” planetarium/dome show to Elsie Weigel at elsie.weigel@nasa.gov.

Are you looking for NASA educational materials to support your STEM curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at http://www.nasa.gov/education/resources/.