NASA “Science WOW!” Message – Feb. 21, 2018

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

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Science Always Starts With a Question …


This Week’s Question: What Is a Nor’easter?

You may have heard the term “nor’easter” in movies and on television, but what exactly does it mean? Find out how these storms get their name, where they form, what types of weather they bring, and what makes them different from hurricanes.

https://scijinks.gov/noreaster/


Have You Seen This?


Wonder what Pyeongchang, South Korea, looks like from space? Get a glimpse in this “View of the Winter Olympics From Above” compiled from data from Earth-observing missions.

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/a-view-of-the-winter-olympics-from-above

Curious about how an image like this is captured? Learn how Landsat works at https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/how-landsat-works/.


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


**NEW** 2018 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education
Next Lecture Date: Feb. 22 and 23, 2018, 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. 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:

Looking Deep: The InSight Mission to Mars
Event Date: Feb. 22 and 23, 2018, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2018&month=2
The InSight mission, scheduled to launch in May 2018, will be the first NASA mission to observe the deep interior of Mars. Join technologist Troy Lee Hudson for a discussion about Earth’s next trip to Mars. Learn how the Red Planet’s interior will teach us about the history and evolution of the other rocky planets in the solar system.

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.


**NEW** GOLD Science Communications Webinar — Unprecedented Imaging of Earth’s Space Environment From Geostationary Orbit
Audience: All Students and Educators
Event Date: Feb. 28, 2018, 4 p.m. EST

NASA’s Global Scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission launched on Jan. 25, 2018, and is making its way into a geostationary orbit. Join GOLD Principal Investigator, Richard Eastes, to learn how the GOLD instrument — an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph — will capture unprecedented images of Earth and provide valuable insight into how the near-space environment responds to inputs from the Sun above and the lower atmosphere below.

For more information, visit http://gold.cs.ucf.edu/multimedia/gold-webinars/.

Please direct questions about this webinar to tom.mason@lasp.colorado.edu.


International Space Station Research Design Challenge: Capillary Effects on Liquids Exploratory Research Experiments
Audience: Students in Grades 8-12
Design Submission Deadlines: March 1, 2018

NASA and Portland State University in Oregon are challenging students in grades 8-12 to design microgravity experiments investigating capillary action, similar to those conducted on the space station. Teams or individuals create their own experiment using computer-aided design with a provided template and submit short proposals presenting the experiments. Selected experiments will be tested in the university’s 2.1-second drop tower, and video results will be available for analysis and reporting.

Design ideas are due March 1, 2018. For more information, visit http://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/CELERE/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to celere@lists.nasa.gov.


2018 NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth and Space Science Internship
Audience: Current High School Sophomores and Juniors
Application Deadline: March 1, 2018

NASA, the Texas Space Grant Consortium, and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research have joined forces to encourage high school students’ interest in STEM careers. The SEES project allows students to work remotely prior to their onsite internship in Austin, Texas, July 14-28, 2018. Participants will learn how to interpret NASA satellite data while working with scientists and engineers in their chosen area of work. Housing, transportation and meals will be provided.

For more information, visit http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/sees-internship/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to Margaret Baguio at baguio@tsgc.utexas.edu.


**NEW** NASA GLOBE Clouds: Spring Cloud Observations Data Challenge
Audience: All Educators and Students
Challenge Dates: March 15-April 15, 2018

The NASA GLOBE Clouds team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, invites educators, students, and the public to enter up to 10 cloud observations per day from March 15-April 15, 2018. Observations can be logged using the GLOBE Program’s data entry options or the GLOBE Observer app. Participants with the most observations will be congratulated by a NASA scientist with a video posted on the NASA GLOBE Clouds website.

To learn more, visit https://www.globe.gov/web/marile.colonrobles/home/blog/-/blogs/37565448.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to marile.colonrobles@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.

ISS YES: Water Is Necessary for Life
Audience:
4-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Feb. 21, 2018, at 5 p.m. EST
Learn how to design and build a water filtration device using commonly available materials and following the design process used by the engineers who developed the space station’s water recovery system. Students build, test and measure the performance of their filtration device; analyze the data; and then work toward an improved design. Register online to participate.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/314342

ISS YES: Teaching on the ISS
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Feb. 22, 2018, at 6 p.m. EST
The Year of Education on Station coordinates educational outreach activities and resources that feature U.S. crew members aboard the space station, including two educators-turned-astronauts. YES takes advantage of the unique capability of the space station to stimulate the interest of students from kindergarteners to post-graduates. Register online to participate.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/308578

**NEW** NASA Aeronautics: Speed of Sound
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Feb. 26, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Learn about motions and forces, transfer of energy and technological design, including how NASA reduces or eliminates aircraft noise. Explore the physics of sound, including how certain variables can affect the speed of sound. Learn about hands-on experiments and physical demonstrations to connect this research in the classroom. Register online to participate.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/304106

**NEW** ISS YES: Space Food and Nutrition
Audience:
K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Feb. 27, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Learn about food and nutrition aboard the International Space Station and how these impact our planning for the Journey to Mars. Register online to participate.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/315800

**NEW** ISS YES: Mass Versus Weight
Audience:
6-8, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: Feb. 28, 2018, at 6 p.m. EST
Mass and weight are two very different things and are often confused. Explore mass and weight using NASA lessons that integrate education video filmed by astronauts on the International Space Station. Newton’s Laws of Motion, NASA STEM online resources and inquiry activities will also be discussed. Register online to participate.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/308584

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.


GLOBE Student Research Campaign — Water in Our Environment
Audience: K-12 Educators
Campaign Dates: Now Through June 30, 2018

Water continuously circulates through one of Earth’s most powerful systems: the water cycle. Join GLOBE for its latest campaign that uses a set of guiding investigative questions to enable students to meaningfully explore water in their local environment and collaborate to consider the influence of water on a global scale. The project is flexible, allowing teachers to choose between many options to involve their students.

Visit the site for details about the project and upcoming informational webinars.

https://www.globe.gov/web/el-nino/el-nino-campaign/water-in-our-environment-student-research-campaign

Please direct questions about this opportunity to http://www.globe.gov/support/contact.


Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions


NASA Marshall Faculty Fellowship Program
Audience: Higher Education Researchers Who Are U.S. Citizens
Application Deadline: Feb. 22, 2018
Fellowship Dates: June 4 – Aug. 10, 2018

The NASA Marshall Faculty Fellowship Program provides opportunities for STEM faculty to do research for 10 weeks during the summer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Applicants must be U.S. citizens working full time at an accredited university or college in the U.S. The program provides stipends and covers limited travel expenses. Qualified male and female faculty from majority- and minority-serving universities and colleges, including underserved groups and persons with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due Feb. 22, 2018. For information, visit https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/MSFC-Faculty-Fellowship.html.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to frank.six@nasa.gov.


Call for Abstracts: 69th International Astronautical Congress
Audience: Full-time U.S. Graduate Students Attending U.S. Universities
Submission Deadline: Feb. 27, 2018

NASA is seeking abstracts from full-time graduate students interested in presenting at the 69th International Astronautical Congress taking place Oct. 1-5, 2018, in Bremen, Germany. Abstracts must be original, unpublished papers that have not been submitted in any other forum. Abstracts must be 400 words or less, written in English and related to NASA’s ongoing vision for space exploration.

Abstracts are due Feb. 27, 2018. For more information, visit https://iac.nasaprs.com/iac/home/index.cfm.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to abstract@nasaprs.com.


Now Accepting Applications for NASA Summer Internships
Audience: High School, Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Application Deadline: March 1, 2018

Now is your chance to apply for exciting hands-on internship opportunities available this summer 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. Internships 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 summer applications is March 1, 2018!

Please submit inquiries about NASA Internships and Fellowships via https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/.


**NEW** Free ‘Sun, Earth, Universe’ Exhibition Available for Eligible Institutions
Audience: Informal Science Education Institutions in the U.S. within the NISE Network (NISENet)
Application Deadline: May 1, 2018

In collaboration with NASA, NISENet is accepting applications from eligible institutions to receive a free “Sun, Earth, Universe” exhibition. This engaging and interactive museum exhibition about Earth and space science has been curated with science experts and designed for family audiences. Visit the site for eligibility details.

The exhibition is designed for NISENet partners located within the United States and U.S. territories. Applicants must be informal science education institutions such as science museums and science centers, children’s museums, natural history museums and nature centers, public planetariums and observatories, and NASA visitor centers.

To learn more, visit https://science.nasa.gov/news-articles/Free-Science-Exhibits-Available-for-Eligible-Institutions.

Please note that K-12 schools, afterschool programs, libraries, parks, summer camps and astronomy clubs are not eligible to exhibit. If your institution is not eligible, consider downloading a digital version of the “Explore Science: Earth & Space Toolkit” to engage audiences in hands-on Earth and space science activities with connections to science, technology and society. Digital toolkits are available for free download at: http://www.nisenet.org/earthspacekit.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to exhibits@nisenet.org.


**NEW** Seeking Volunteer Reviewers in Earth and Space Science
Audience: Subject Matter Experts in Earth and Space Science

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is seeking subject matter experts to serve as mail-in and/or panel reviewers of proposals to ROSES (Research Opportunities in Earth and Space Science) and other SMD solicitations. Multiple reviewing opportunities are available. Visit the links below to find volunteer review forms and to indicate the topics in which you consider yourself to be a subject matter expert. If your skills match the needs for that review, you may be contacted to discuss scheduling.

We are currently seeking reviewers for the following:

Reviewers are needed on a regular basis as opportunities periodically open. To see a full list of current reviewing opportunities, visit http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to Max Bernstein at max.bernstein@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/

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/