Science Always Starts With a Question …
This Week’s Question: How Long Is a Year on Mars?
How long does the Red Planet take to make a trip around the Sun? Is a Mars year longer or shorter than an Earth year? Find the answers to these questions and more with the Mars in a Minute video series!
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/tag/search/Mars+in+a+Minute
Have You Seen This?
Do you want to snap a selfie with a NASA spacecraft? The new Spacecraft AR App lets you get up close and personal with NASA’s robotic missions. Download the app to put virtual 3-D models of NASA’s robotic space explorers into any environment with a flat surface.
https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8321/new-ar-mobile-app-features-3-d-nasa-spacecraft/
Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages
- NASA GLOBE Clouds: Spring Cloud Observations Data Challenge
- Citizen Science Project: Cosmoquest’s Image Detective
Science Opportunities for Educators of Grades K-12
- **NEW** Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
- Summer Institute — Liftoff 2018: Reach New Heights, Reveal the Unknown, Benefit All Humankind
- Earth Day Workshop: Investigating Our Earth From Above and Below
- **NEW** Free Education Workshops From NASA Stennis Space Center Office of Education
Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions
- NASA Stennis Community College and Education Faculty Fellowship Program
- Free ‘Sun, Earth, Universe’ Exhibition Available for Eligible Institutions
Opportunities for Future Scientists of All Ages
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.
Citizen Science Project: Cosmoquest’s Image Detective
Audience: All Educators and Students
CosmoQuest’s Image Detective, a NASA-funded citizen science project, invites the public to identify Earth features in photographs taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Citizen scientists are asked to help identify geographic features (natural or human-made) in astronaut photographs and then determine the location on Earth where the photo is centered.
Your efforts can enhance NASA’s database of images taken by astronauts from the space station. To learn more, visit http://cosmoquest.org/ImageDetective.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to info@cosmoquest.org.
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.
Technology Drives Exploration: Careers
Audience: K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: March 28, 2018, at 6 p.m. EDT
Working at NASA is not just being an astronaut. Explore the many NASA STEM careers needed to successfully accomplish the exciting missions that explore and build a better understanding of Earth and the universe beyond. NASA career education lessons and resources will be integrated into this online learning session. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/321424
Technology Drives Exploration: STEM Interactive Technology
Audience: 4-10, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: March 29, 2018, at 5 p.m. EDT
Learn to use the NASA Space Place website to investigate the sun, Earth, solar system, universe, technology and science through interactive technology. Use ebooks, games, media and activities to understand STEM content. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/317469
**NEW** Earth Right Now: Understanding the A-Train
Audience: 6-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: April 2, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Get an overview of the A-Train — a series of Earth-observing satellites — and related education resources. Discussion will include modifications of activities and accommodations. The activities discussed in this webinar address the Next Generation Science Standards ESS2 and ESS3. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/316191
**NEW** Earth Right Now: Sally Ride EarthKAM
Audience: K-12, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: April 3, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Learn about Sally Ride EarthKAM, a program that lets students request images of specific locations on Earth taken from a camera on the space station. The image collection is in a searchable archive with classroom activities to engage students in Earth and space science, geography, social studies, mathematics, communications, and art. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/319066
**NEW** Earth Right Now: Meteorology Educator Guide — Weather and Climate
Audience: 5-9, Informal and Pre-service Educators
Event Date: April 4, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Participants will be introduced to the educator’s guide Meteorology: An Educator’s Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for grades 5-9. Discussion will focus on the hands-on activities and low-cost equipment builds included in the guide. The activities address Next Generation Science Standards MS-ESS2.D and HS-ESS2.D. Register online to participate. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/316199
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.
Summer Institute — Liftoff 2018: Reach New Heights, Reveal the Unknown, Benefit All Humankind
Audience: Educators of Grades 4-12
Application Deadline: March 30, 2018
Institute Dates: June 24-29, 2018
The 2018 LiftOff Summer Institute is a weeklong training event sponsored by NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium and held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The theme is “Reach New Heights, Reveal the Unknown, Benefit All Humankind.” The event will celebrate all that NASA has contributed and the engineering behind its accomplishments.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens currently employed as classroom teachers of grades 4-12, with at least one year teaching experience prior to the institute.
For more information and to register to attend, visit http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/liftoff/.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to Margaret Baguio at baguio@tsgc.utexas.edu.
Earth Day Workshop: Investigating Our Earth From Above and Below
Audience: Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: April 14, 2018, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. PDT
Join NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on April 14, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST for an educator workshop to explore activities to celebrate Earth Day in the classroom. The workshop will take place at the Chino Basin Water Conservation District in Montclair, California.
Participants will investigate the water cycle in Southern California and demonstrate curriculum resources that help students explore rainfall patterns, aquifers and satellite data. Learn how engineering feats have allowed scientists to measure water from space. Bring your kids or grandkids to participate in youth education programs during the workshop!
For more information and to register to attend, visit https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/events/2018/4/14/earth-day-educator-workshop-investigating-our-earth-from-above-and-below/.
Please direct questions about this workshop to Brandon Rodriguez at Brandon.Rodriguez@jpl.nasa.gov.
Free Education Workshops From NASA Stennis Space Center Office of Education
Audience: In-Service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal STEM Educators
The NASA Stennis Space Center Office of Education is presenting a series of free workshops open to all educators. All workshops will take place at the Infinity Science Center in Pearlington, Mississippi. (map) Registration is required to participate. Each workshop is limited to 30 participants. To register, simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description.
**NEW** Understanding Our Earth Through STEM
Audience: Educators of Grades 4-8
Registration Deadline: May 27, 2018 (maximum of 30 participants)
Event Date: May 31, 2018, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. CDT
Take part in an “Earth-based” workshop that integrates STEM with Earth observations, remote sensing, maps and natural resources. Explore and investigate planet Earth with the unique perspective from space. NASA missions, curriculum and online resources will be shared for a better understanding of Earth and the processes that shape it.
https://www.eiseverywhere.com/298607
For a full schedule of upcoming educator workshops, visit https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/education/educators/workshops.html.
Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to April McIntosh at april.l.mcintosh@nasa.gov.
Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions
NASA Stennis Community College and Education Faculty Fellowship Program
Audience: Full-time Faculty at Accredited Higher Education Institutions in Mississippi and Louisiana
Application Deadline: April 27, 2018, at 5 p.m. CDT
Fellowship Dates: June 4 – Aug. 10, 2018
The NASA Stennis Community College and Education Faculty Fellowship Program provides opportunities for STEM faculty to do research for 10 weeks during the summer at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens working full time at a two-year or four-year accredited university or college in Mississippi or Louisiana. The program provides a weekly stipend. Qualified faculty from minority-serving institutions are particularly encouraged to apply.
Applications are due April 27, 2018, at 5 p.m. CDT. For more information, visit https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2018_nasa_stennis_community_college_and_education_summer_faculty_fellowship_program_announcement.pdf.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to mitch.krell@nasa.gov.
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.
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/