Science Always Starts With a Question …
This Week’s Question: What Are Sunspots and Solar Flares?
The surface of the sun is a very busy place. NASA’s Space Place has a new article about sunspots and solar flares and how they can affect us here on Earth.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-activity/en/
Have You Seen This?
Looking for more information about the star of our solar system? Check out the Sun: In Depth page for basics about the sun, solar facts and more!
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/sun/indepth
Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages
- Be a Mosquito Habitat Mapper With ‘GLOBE Observer’ App
- NASA’s 2018 Drop Tower Challenge: Microgravity Expulsion From Water
- 2017 von Kármán Lecture — Mars 2020, or There and Back Again
- Fly Your Exoplanet on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12
- ESTEEM Virtual “Ask US” Event: International Observe the Moon Night Through a Native American Perspective
- **NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
- 2018-2019 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship
Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions
- 2018 RASC-AL Special Edition: Mars Ice Challenge Tech Demo and Engineering Design Competition
- 2018 BIG Idea Challenge
Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages
Be a Mosquito Habitat Mapper With ‘GLOBE Observer’ App
Audience: All Educators and Students
Project Dates: Now Through Nov. 10, 2017
Mosquitos are more than just a summertime nuisance — they spread diseases. Now citizen scientists can use the “GLOBE Observer” app, available for Apple and Android phones, to help those who are working to understand and reduce mosquito-borne diseases. The Mosquito Habitat Mapper helps users identify and eliminate mosquito breeding sites. This local, ground-based information will help NASA by supporting satellite-based research of environmental conditions that indicate possible outbreaks of mosquitoes.
To learn more, visit https://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-news/newsdetail/globe/nasa-citizen-science-app-tackles-mosquito-borne-disease.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to Holli Riebeek at Holli.riebeek@nasa.gov.
NASA’s 2018 Drop Tower Challenge: Microgravity Expulsion From Water
Audience: 9-12 Students
Proposal Deadline: Nov. 10, 2017
NASA challenges teams of high school students to design and build objects that sink in water in normal gravity but will be expelled as far as possible out of water during free fall in NASA’s 2.2 Second Drop Tower at Glenn Research Center. The expulsion must result from hydrophobic surface properties of the object.
Top-performing teams will be invited to present their results in a poster session at the 2018 meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research.
Proposals are due Nov. 10, 2017. For more information, visit https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education-outreach/expulsion/.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to Ed-DropTower@lists.nasa.gov.
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: Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, 2017, at 7 p.m. PST (10 p.m. EST)
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. PST (10 p.m. EST). 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:
Mars 2020, or There and Back Again
Event Date: Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, 2017, at 7 p.m. PST (10 p.m. EST)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2017&month=11
Four years from now, NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory will once again rove the Red Planet with Mars 2020. This time, mission objectives include exploration of extremely ancient habitats to enable collection of samples that could one day be returned to Earth. Join Ken Williford, the deputy project scientist for Mars 2020, for a discussion about the evolving scientific strategy for the mission.
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.
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
ESTEEM Virtual “Ask US” Event: International Observe the Moon Night Through a Native American Perspective
Audience: Members of Tribal and Indigenous Communities
Event Date: Nov. 8, 2017, 2 – 3 p.m. EST
On Oct. 28, 2017, events were held around the world to observe the moon. Native Americans have been observing the moon for thousands of years and have developed specific cultural connections related to the moon. Join the ESTEEM team as we explore the Native American perspective of the moon, preview materials, answer science questions, and allow for dialogue. Discover how to bring moon topics to the classroom through the eyes of Native Americans.
For more information, visit https://www.nasa.gov/education/esteem/virtual.
Questions about this webinar should be directed to Bonnie Murray at bonnie.murray@nasa.gov.
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** Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: My NASA Data
Audience: 4-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Nov. 13, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Get an overview of the My NASA Data website that features resources using authentic data on topics from climate system interactions to ocean ecology to forest fires. Use of the Live Access Server for data analysis also will be discussed. The activities shared in this webinar address the Next Generation Science Standards ESS2 and ESS3. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/273226
**NEW** Space Mathematics: Linking Math and Science
Audience: 5-8, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Nov. 14, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Space Mathematics is a two-part series designed to help educators make the critical linkage between mathematics and science in the classroom. In this session, “Part 1 — Linking Math and Science,” participants will survey some of the available NASA resources and discuss the use of science as a vehicle for mathematics instruction. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/273233
**NEW** Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: The Scoop on Soil
Audience: 4-10, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Nov. 15, 2017, at 5 p.m. EST
Participants will learn how to bring outdoor inquiry-based experiences to students with the GLOBE program. Learn how NASA’s SMAP mission collects data about soil moisture. Explore the Elementary GLOBE resources including teacher guides, protocols, activities, storybooks and related STEM activities designed for grades K-12. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/281907
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.
2018-2019 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship
Audience: K-12 STEM Educators
Application Deadline: Nov. 16, 2017, at 8 p.m. EST
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship is a paid fellowship for K-12 science, mathematics, engineering and technology teachers. Einstein Fellows spend a school year in the Washington, D.C., area serving in a federal agency or on Capitol Hill. Applicants must be U.S. citizens currently employed full time in a U.S. elementary or secondary school or school district. Applicants must have been teaching STEM full time for at least five of the last seven years.
For details, visit http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to sc.einstein@science.doe.gov.
Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions
2018 RASC-AL Special Edition: Mars Ice Challenge Tech Demo and Engineering Design Competition
Audience: Higher Education Students and Faculty
Project Plan Submission Deadline: Nov. 16, 2017
The 2018 RASC-AL Special Edition: Mars Ice Challenge is an engineering design and technology demonstration contest open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students at accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. This challenge gives teams the opportunity to design and build hardware that can extract water from simulated Martian subsurface ice.
Up to 10 teams will be chosen to demonstrate their system’s water extraction capabilities in June 2018 at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Project plans are due Nov. 16, 2017.
For more information, visit http://specialedition.rascal.nianet.org.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to rascal@nianet.org.
2018 BIG Idea Challenge
Audience: Higher Education Students and Faculty
Entry Deadline: Nov. 30, 2017
NASA’s 2018 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge is an engineering design contest open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. This competition seeks innovations in the design, installation and sustainable operation of a large solar power system on Mars. Top teams present their concepts via a design review at either NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia or NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio. The winning team will receive NASA internship offers.
Entries are due Nov. 30, 2017. For more information, visit http://BigIdea.nianet.org.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to BigIdea@nianet.org.
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/
Take Part in a Year of Education on Station
September 2017 – September 2018: Although on different crews, astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold — both former teachers — will work aboard the International Space Station. Visit NASA’s A Year of Education on Station website for out-of-this-world resources and opportunities for K-16 students and educators.
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/