NASA “Science WOW!” Message — Nov. 29, 2017

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

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Science Always Starts With a Question …


This Week’s Question: What Is a Supermoon and Just How Super Is It?

The full Moon on Dec. 3 will be the first and only supermoon of 2017. It will be followed by two more in January and February 2018. Learn about supermoons and find resources to get students excited about exploring Earth’s only natural satellite.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2017/11/15/whats-a-supermoon-and-just-how-super-is-it/

For more Moon lessons from JPL Education, visit https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/tag/search/Earth%27s+Moon.

To learn more about the Moon, visit https://moon.nasa.gov/. Explore the lunar surface with Moon Trek. Check it out at https://moontrek.jpl.nasa.gov/.


Have You Seen This?


Are you interested in discovering new facts about our universe? Do you like looking at cool pictures of the cosmos? Check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day website! Each day, a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html


Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages



Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12



Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions


 

 


Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages


Help Nickname New Horizons’ Next Flyby Target
Audience: All Educators and Students
Entry Deadline: 3 p.m. EST on Dec. 1, 2017

On New Year’s Day 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft will fly past a small, frozen world at the outer edge of our solar system. Officially, the small world is known as “(486958) 2014 MU69.” NASA and the New Horizons team are asking for help in giving “MU69” a nickname.

Visit the site to submit ideas and to vote on names currently under consideration. Submissions and voting closes at 3 p.m. EST/noon PST on Dec. 1, 2017. NASA and the New Horizons team will announce the winning nickname in January.

For more information, visit http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20171106.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Laura Cantillo at laura.l.cantillo@nasa.gov.


Help NASA Find New Planetary Systems — Become a Disk Detective!
Audience: All Educators and Students
Project Timeframe: Now Through 2018

Help NASA find new disks, homes of extrasolar planets, by classifying images from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope and other observatories. In this citizen science project, you’ll view animated images of disk candidates and classify them, distinguishing good candidates from galaxies, asteroids and image artifacts. This project, suitable for elementary students through expert adults, will yield targets for the James Webb Space Telescope and publications in professional scientific literature.

This project is ongoing and expected to run through 2018. For more information and to start hunting for planets, visit http://www.diskdetective.org/.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Marc Kuchner at marc.j.kuchner@nasa.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.

Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: GLOBE Atmosphere
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Nov. 29, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Learn about clouds and contrails using the GLOBE program, an international science and education program that gives students and the public the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process. They are able to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/281778

Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: Mission Geography, K-5
Audience:
K-5, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Nov. 30, 2017, at 6 p.m. EST
Learn about NASA’s Mission Geography resources featuring Earth science lessons that integrate STEM, geography and the language arts with Earth observations, remote sensing and maps. Discover ways to use the unique perspective from space to investigate Earth and the processes that shape it, both natural and human-influenced. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/285829

**NEW** Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: Using Earth Observations to Talk About Snow and Ice
Audience:
5-9, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Dec. 4, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Explore the Earth Observatory and NASA Earth Observations websites and discuss resources related to the effects of changing snow and ice coverage on Earth. The activities in this webinar address the Next Generation Science Standards ESS2 and ESS3. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/273251

**NEW** Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: GLOBE Hydrology
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Dec. 5, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Learn about water and the hydrologic cycle using GLOBE, an international science and education program that gives students the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process. Discover ways to contribute to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/281780

**NEW** Earth Sense — Remote Sensing at NASA: Water Filtration
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Dec. 6, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Explore the space station’s Environmental Control and Life Support System that reclaims waste water from crew members’ urine, cabin condensation and waste. Learn about hands-on experiments and physical demonstrations that can be used in the classroom to create, build and test a water filtration device using common materials. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/281782

**NEW** NASA Food for Thought
Audience:
6-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Dec. 7, 2017, at 6 p.m. EST
Explore the NASA Food for Thought education guide that investigates space food and guides students to construct sample space food meals based on the nutritional needs of the astronauts on a journey to Mars. Explore a menu of inquiry activities and other resources to satisfy your STEM appetite. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/283687

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.


Mars Survival Kit: Lessons and Activities to Guide Your Exploration of Mars!
Audience: K-12 Educators

NASA is embarking on a journey to Mars! Are your students ready to join in the adventure? Spark excitement in your classroom with the Mars Survival Kit.

The Mars Survival Kit is a collection of educational activities for students in grades K-12. Each educational activity includes a brief description, as well as information about how the activities and lessons align to the Next Generation Science Standards.

Start your classroom’s journey to Mars at http://go.nasa.gov/1NnZ0Rg.

To learn more about NASA’s Journey to Mars, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars/index.html.



Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions


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.


2018 High-Altitude Student Platform Opportunity
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Application Deadline: Dec. 15, 2017

The Louisiana Space Consortium, or LaSPACE, is accepting applications from students at U.S. colleges and universities who want to send experiments to the edge of space. The annual project, supported by the NASA Balloon Program Office and LaSPACE, provides near-space access for 12 student experiments to be carried by a NASA high-altitude research balloon. The flights typically last 15 to 20 hours and reach an altitude of 23 miles. Experiments may include compact satellites or prototypes.

Applications are due Dec. 15, 2017. For more information, visit http://laspace.lsu.edu/hasp/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to guzik@phunds.phys.lsu.edu.


**NEW** 2018 Lunar and Planetary Institute’s Exploration Science Summer Intern Program
Audience: Graduate Students
Application Deadline: Jan. 19, 2018

Join the Lunar and Planetary Institute for a 10-week program for graduate students in geology, planetary science, planetary astronomy and related programs. Learn how to integrate scientific input with exploration activities in a way that mission architects and spacecraft engineers can use. Activities will support missions to the Moon that use the Orion crew vehicle, the Deep Space Gateway and robotic assets on the lunar surface.

Interns will receive stipends and travel expense reimbursement. Applications are due Jan. 19, 2018.

For more information, visit https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration_intern/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to explorationintern@lpi.usra.edu.


**NEW** Project Mars: International Art and Film Contest
Audience: College Students and Early Career Professionals
Entry Deadline: Aug. 31, 2018

NASA is leading human space exploration in the vicinity of the Moon and on to Mars. Project Mars invites college students and recent graduates with fewer than 5 years of experience in the film or graphic arts industry to learn about NASA’s deep space endeavors and create a visualization of what this expedition may look like.

Entries can be short films (two to five minutes in length) or posters (standard-size sheets, 27 by 41 inches). Winners will receive cash prizes.

For more information, visit http://projectmarscompetition.com/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to info@sciartexchange.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 Science WOW! newsletter?
Visit the Science WOW! blog for an archive of previous messages.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/educationsciencewow/