Tag: Lectures and Webcasts

2016 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education
Next Lecture Date: Aug. 11, 2016, 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:

The Rosetta Mission: Comet C-G Up Close
Event Date: Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, 2016, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2016&month=8
After 10 years of flight, the Rosetta spacecraft caught up with a comet and dropped a lander on its surface. The mother spacecraft has been orbiting the comet, and in September 2016 it will touch down onto the comet to end the mission. Join experts from the Rosetta team for a discussion about the upcoming landing and what we have learned from Rosetta about comets and the formation of 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.

Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series
Audience: All Educators and Students
Next Event Date: Aug. 12, 2016

Join NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for the Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series, and discover the night sky from Assateague Island!

The final event in the series is scheduled on Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 (Perseid Meteor Shower).

The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT with an hourlong auditorium presentation, followed by stargazing with telescopes and binoculars (weather permitting).

This event is free and open to the public; however, refuge entrance fees still apply. Attendees are encouraged to bring binoculars and insect repellant.

For more information and directions to the event, visit https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2016_astronomy_summer_series_flyer.pdf.

Please direct questions about this event to Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov.

NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — Live From Juno: Exploring Jupiter
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 12, 2016, 1 p.m. EDT

After five years of travel, Juno is in orbit actively exploring the largest planet in our solar system. Join NASA’s Digital Learning Network for a live webcast showcasing what we have learned in the first two months since Juno’s arrival at Jupiter and what we expect to learn throughout the course of this mission. The program will be live from two NASA centers, feature special guests and include questions from the online audience.

The event will be webcast on the NASA DLiNfo Channel on Sept. 12, 2016, at 1 p.m. EDT.

Ask questions via Twitter using #askDLN, via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NASADLN, or via email to DLiNfochannel@gmail.com.

For more information, visit https://www.nasa.gov/dln.

TimPix Project: Access NASA Data to Analyze Astronaut Radiation Exposure in Space
Audience: Educators and Students, Ages 14 to 18
Entry Deadline: Dec. 3, 2016

Imagine what it would be like to live in space. What kind of shelter would you live in? What kind of protection would you have from the elements? How long could you stay there?

On Earth, humans are protected from radiation by the atmosphere and Earth’s magnetic field. Astronauts on the space station are above the atmosphere and receive a higher dose of radiation than when they are on the ground. The harmful effects of radiation that come from the sun and other sources outside the solar system pose danger to humans living and working in space.

Radiation is one of the top concerns for humans living in deep space for long durations. A NASA group called RadWorks is using radiation detectors the size of USB thumb drives to collect data inside the International Space Station. Together with the University of Houston and the Institute for Research in Schools, RadWorks is sharing the data with high school students who are helping to analyze the radiation that astronaut Tim Peake is exposed to during his time aboard the International Space Station.

NASA is making this same data available to teachers and students through the TimPix project administered by the Institute for Research in Schools, with funding from the European Space Agency and the United Kingdom Space Agency. During European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake’s time aboard the station, data is taken many times a minute while in orbit. A variety of data sets are currently available, and others are being added as the mission progresses. Aimed at high school physics classes, the TimPix project allows students ages 14-18 to access and analyze radiation data during Peake’s mission. They are able to take part in authentic research occurring aboard the station. What type of radiation is present? What impact do different altitudes or locations around the world have on the number and types of particles detected? What happens during a solar flare? Join us in helping NASA answer these questions!

For more information about NASA’s Radworks project, visit http://techport.nasa.gov/view/10581.

For more information or to register for the TimPix project, email timpix@researchinschools.org.

NASA’s Centennial Challenges: Vascular Tissue Challenge
Audience: All Interested U.S. Citizens, Including Higher Education Educators and Students
Deadline: No Later Than Sept. 30, 2019

NASA, in partnership with the nonprofit Methuselah Foundation’s New Organ Alliance, is seeking ways to advance the field of bioengineering through a new prize competition. The Vascular Tissue Challenge offers a $500,000 prize to be divided among the first three teams that successfully create thick, metabolically functional, human vascularized organ tissue in a controlled laboratory environment.

Competitors must produce vascularized tissue that is more than .39 inches (1 centimeter) in thickness and maintains more than 85 percent survival of the required cells throughout a 30-day trial period. To win an award, teams must demonstrate three successful trials with at least a 75 percent success rate. In addition to the laboratory trials, teams must submit a proposal that details how they would further advance some aspect of their research through a microgravity experiment that could be conducted in the U.S. National Laboratory on the International Space Station.

The first registered team(s) to meet the required guidelines and complete their trials by Sept. 30, 2019, will win the awards.

The Vascular Tissue Challenge prize purse is provided by NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program, part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Centennial Challenges, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is NASA’s citizen-inventor prize program. It invites the nation to help advance the technologies that will enable us to go to Mars and beyond, as well as improve life on Earth. The New Organ Alliance is administering the competition on behalf of NASA. The alliance is a nonprofit organization focused on regenerative medicine research and development to benefit human disease research and tissue engineering.

For information about the Methuselah Foundation’s New Organ Alliance, official challenge documents, rules and schedule of events, visit https://neworgan.org/vtc-prize.php.

For more information about the Vascular Tissue Challenge, visit https://www.nasa.gov/vtchallenge.

NASA Invites You to #SpotHubble
Audience: All Educators and Students

Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has sent back mind-blowing images that not only changed our understanding of our universe, but also changed where we see glimpses of our universe in everyday life.

Hubble is more than a science spacecraft; it’s a cultural phenomenon! Take a moment to think about where you’ve seen the Hubble Space Telescope or Hubble images in your daily life. Maybe you own a textbook with a picture of the telescope on the cover, or you walk by a mural inspired by Hubble images every day on your way to work. Perhaps you’ve even created art based on Hubble images. NASA wants to see the Hubble impact in your life! Share your photos with NASA on Instagram, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

Images may be submitted on the following social media platforms:

— Flickr: Submit your photos to the Spot Hubble Flickr Group.
— Instagram: Use the Instagram app to upload your photo, and in the description include #SpotHubble and #NASAGoddard.
— Twitter: Share your image on Twitter and include #SpotHubble in the tweet.
— Facebook: Share your image on Facebook and include #SpotHubble in the post.

Your #SpotHubble image may be shared on NASA Hubble social media accounts!

To learn more, visit https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/2016/spothubble.

Help NASA Study Mars — Planet Four: Terrains
Audience: All Educators and Students

Help NASA study exotic landscape features near the south pole of Mars! In this citizen science project, you will view images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Context Camera. Your input will help scientists identify possible areas for even more detailed examination with the orbiter’s High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. HiRISE can reveal more detail than any other camera ever put into orbit around Mars.

Some of Mars resembles deserts on Earth, but seasonal freezing and thawing of carbon-dioxide ice (known on Earth as “dry ice”) at the Martian poles create some unusual landscape features. There’s a lot of territory to cover, so scientists need your help identifying what and where these features are.

For more information and to learn how to participate, visit the “Planet Four: Terrains” website at https://www.zooniverse.org/#/projects/mschwamb/planet-four-terrains.

To learn more about NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its mission at the Red Planet, visit http://mars.nasa.gov/mro/.

Please direct questions about this opportunity to Michelle Viotti at michelle.a.viotti@jpl.nasa.gov.

‘ISS: Science on Orbit’ Exhibit at U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Audience: All Educators and Students

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s “ISS: Science on Orbit” exhibit provides visitors with a true sense of what it is like to live and work in space. This exhibit, funded by a NASA grant, begins with a model of NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center, where scientists and engineers on Earth manage the complex, international science experiments that astronauts conduct on the International Space Station.

Two mockups of space station modules contain 20 full-scale replica racks that illustrate the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems, the astronauts’ food, and a sleeping berth, among other necessary aspects of life and work aboard the station. A connecting node contains a full-scale replica of the Cupola Observation Module, which provides space station crew members with a view of Earth and space.

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

Questions about the exhibit can be directed to Dr. Kay Taylor at kay.taylor@spacecamp.com.

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.

Real NASA Data for Real Learning: Discovering New Planets
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 6-12
Event Date: Aug. 11, 2016, at 6 p.m. EDT
Use real NASA data to explore how the Kepler Space Telescope searches for planets orbiting stars beyond our sun. Investigate how to use Kepler Telescope data and Kepler’s Third Law to construct graphs and interpret data that determines if a planet, orbiting a star in another solar system, is Earth-like and a candidate to support “life.” Other related NASA STEM missions and resources will also be explored. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/191056

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

Please direct questions about this series of webinars to Steve Culivan at stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

Free Education Webinar From the GOES-R Education Proving Ground — GOES-R: Countdown to Launch!
Audience: 6-12 Educators
Event Date: Sept. 17, 2016, at 11:30 a.m. EDT

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R series is the next generation of geostationary Earth-observing systems. The GOES-R series satellites will provide continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere. The satellites will collect lightning data and monitor space weather to provide critical atmospheric, hydrologic, oceanic, climatic, solar and space data. The first satellite in the GOES-R series is scheduled to launch in October 2016.

To help educators prepare for the new satellite imagery and data that will be available during the GOES-R era, the GOES-R Education Proving Ground will host a series of education webcasts leading up to launch.

The webinars will take place on the following Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

Sept. 17, 2016: Countdown to Launch!

For more information, including log-in instructions for the webinars, visit http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/education/goesr/.

Please direct questions about this series of webinars to Margaret Mooney at Margaret.Mooney@ssec.wisc.edu.

GLOBE El Niño Field Campaign and Webinar — Using El Niño GLOBE Data for Scientific Research
Audience: K-12 Educators
Next Webinar Date: Sept. 19, 2016, at 8 p.m. EDT

El Niño and La Niña are important phenomena that can impact the climate by causing global flooding and droughts as well as changes in seasonal weather. These interactions around the world are called teleconnections. Because of the importance of this issue, a GLOBE ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Campaign has been formulated to engage students in determining where and how much El Niño affects local places and to put students in contact with their local environment.

To learn more about the campaign and how to participate, visit http://www.globe.gov/web/el-nino/el-nino-campaign.

To help educators prepare for the El Niño Campaign, GLOBE is hosting a series of free education webinars to discuss the mechanics of the campaign, give updates on data collection, and give participants the opportunity to learn science content from experts.

The final hourlong webinar in the series will take place on the following date at 8 p.m. EDT.

Sept. 19, 2016: El Niño Student Campaign Refresher and Update

For more information, including log-in instructions for the webinars and recordings of previous webinars in the series, visit http://www.globe.gov/web/el-nino/el-nino-campaign/webinars.

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

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 https://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars/index.html.

Free ‘NASA’s Journey to Mars’ Planetarium/Dome Show
Audience: Formal and Informal Educators

Are you looking for ways to prepare your students for STEM-related career opportunities? Do you want to spark their 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. Have your students 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 of your school district, as well as local 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.

Science Opportunities for Higher Education and Informal Institutions

Free ‘NASA’s Journey to Mars’ Planetarium/Dome Show
Audience: Formal and Informal Educators

Are you looking for ways to prepare your students for STEM-related career opportunities? Do you want to spark their 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. Have your students 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 of your school district, as well as local 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.