NASA Education Express Message — July 9, 2015

This update is issued weekly by the NASA Education Office. To subscribe to this weekly update by email go to the NASA Education EXPRESS mailing list at http://www.nasa.gov/education/expressand follow the instructions.

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/

New STEM on Station Website Brings the Space Station Into the Classroom

NASA Education is celebrating the yearlong mission to the International Space Station with the launch of the new STEM on Station website!

The website features lesson plans, videos and up-to-the-minute education news. Learn more about the crew that is living and working on the space station for a whole year and what we hope to learn from their extended mission. Get to know the International Space Station, and find out what a typical day for an astronaut on board is like. 

The STEM on Station website also features Learning Launchers. These “Teacher Toolkits” focus on research and activities related to the space station. Each month will feature a One-Year Mission research theme or other topic related to the space station. Use lesson plans, videos and related resources to bring the International Space Station into your classroom. More topics will be featured, so check back often to learn about what’s coming next.

To check out the new website, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem_on_station/index.html.

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NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — Pluto Flyby: The Final Countdown

New Horizons, the fastest spacecraft ever launched, rocketed atop an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station more than nine years ago. Now days away from the Pluto Flyby, Chuck Tatro, Launch Site Integration branch chief for NASA’s Launch Services Program, joins NASA Education for a special live-streamed event from the Digital Learning Network. With Pluto on the horizon, join us for a look back at where the journey began and count down to the historic first close-up view of the dwarf planet. Submit questions via Twitter using #askDLN or via email toDLiNfochannel@gmail.com.

The 90-minute event will be webcast on the NASA DLiNfo Channel on July 9, 2015, at 1 p.m. EDT.

For more information and to view the webcast, visit http://dln.nasa.gov.

Please direct questions about this event to the Kennedy Space Center DLN at DLiNfochannel@gmail.com.

Visit NASA Education at Thursday Night on the Square Events in Palmdale, California

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s Office of Education and its partner the AERO Institute are taking part in the weekly summertime Thursday Night on the Square activities sponsored by the City of Palmdale, California.

Located adjacent to the AERO Institute buildings in the Palmdale Civic Center, Thursday Night on the Square is an eight-week series of outdoor festivals involving entertainment, arts and crafts, special presentations, and informal education activities. Each week focuses on a different theme. This year’s series began on June 25 and concludes Aug. 13.

The NASA Armstrong Aerospace Education Gallery will be open for the public, and visitors will have the opportunity to visit various exhibits on display in the Gallery. An educational presentation and hands-on activities will be conducted in the Educator Resource Center, also located at the AERO Institute. Teacher packs will be available to educators and handouts to the public to give them additional information on the hands-on activity and the presentation they viewed. 

For more information, visit http://www.aeroi.org/documents/2015%20TNOTS%20Flyer.pdf. 

If you have any questions about the events, please email the Sondra Geddes at sondra.l.geddes@nasa.gov.

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Call for Proposals — Early Stage Innovations NASA Research Announcement

NASA is seeking proposals from universities for early-stage technology development that will support the agency’s long-term plans for human exploration of Mars and scientific study of our solar system and beyond. The Early Stage Innovations NASA Research Announcement calls for innovative space technology proposals that could benefit NASA’s space program, other government agencies and the greater aerospace community.

The proposals may cover transformative space technologies in different fields, including planetary exploration capabilities, such as payload technologies for assistive free-flyers and robotic mobility technologies for the surfaces of icy moons. They also may cover material science, such as discrete cellular materials assembly, repair and reconfiguration, and computationally guided structural nanomaterials design.

Other topics could include optical communication for space using integrated photonics, atmospheric entry modeling development using data from the first flight test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in December 2014, and high-voltage power management and distribution electronics for space applications.

The agency expects to make approximately 12 awards this fall, with total award amounts of as much as $500,000. Research and development efforts will take place over two to three years.

Only accredited U.S. universities may submit proposals under this solicitation. The deadline for submitting final proposals is July 10, 2015.

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-universities-to-submit-innovative-early-stage-technology-proposals. 

Questions about the Early Stage Innovations NASA Research Announcement should be directed to Claudia Meyer at hq-esi-call@mail.nasa.gov.

Free Tours of Facilities at NASA’s Glenn Research Center

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is offering tours that take visitors behind the scenes and inside certain research facilities. Glenn scientists and engineers serve as guides. Tours will be offered each month through October 2015. Tours are free of charge for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis. Visitor parking is also available free of charge.

A tour bus departs from Glenn’s main gate every hour beginning at 10 a.m. The last tour departs at 1 p.m. Each tour lasts about 45 minutes and is followed by a stop at Glenn’s Gift Shop.

Glenn’s 2015 Tour Schedule

July 11, 2015 — Breeze by a Wind Tunnel: Tour the Abe Silverstein Supersonic Wind Tunnel. This facility has conducted supersonic propulsion testing on aircraft components such as inlets, nozzles and engines. It is ideally suited for launch vehicle tests and other fuel-burning applications.

Aug. 1, 2015 — See Things a Different Way: Check out Glenn’s Graphics and Visualization, or GVIS, and the Reconfigurable User-interface and Virtual Reality Exploration, or GRUVE, Laboratories. The GVIS Lab uses advanced computer input and output devices paired with a variety of natural user interface devices and 3-D displays. The GRUVE lab is used to analyze data obtained either by computer simulation or from research test facilities.

Sept. 12, 2015 — Go to the Extreme: Join us on a tour through Glenn’s Extreme Environments Rig, or GEER. As NASA ventures through the solar system and beyond, spacecraft will experience hostile environments of Venus and other planetary bodies. Temperatures can reach hundreds of degrees. Air pressure is crushing, and the toxic atmosphere is thick. GEER is designed to simulate those temperatures and pressure extremes and accurately reproduce the atmospheric compositions of bodies in the solar system. GEER is currently in its commissioning phase for operations simulating Venus’ surface temperature, pressure and chemistry.

Oct. 3, 2015 — Explore Locomotion on Planets: Come explore the Simulated Lunar Operations facility, which is home to a 60-foot-long, 20-foot-wide sandpit filled with simulated lunar soil and a lunar rover test bed. Other areas simulate Martian soil conditions. Research in this facility will help NASA develop the components of rovers capable of traveling long distances and investigating planetary surfaces during future human and robotic missions to keep NASA’s journey to Mars moving forward.

Tours are open to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. To guarantee admission, reservations are required. For more information on tours and how to make reservations, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/tours.html. 

Questions about the tours should be directed to Sheila Reese at sheila.d.reese@nasa.gov.

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Teacher Professional Development Programs at the NASTAR Center

The National AeroSpace Training and Research, or NASTAR, Center is hosting a series of teacher professional development programs throughout the month of July. Here’s your chance to experience acceleration in a centrifuge, pilot an airplane simulator, or explore the gas laws in an altitude chamber. Each one-day workshop is worth eight hours of continuing education.

One-day workshops are planned for multiple dates in July. To see a full list of workshop dates, visit http://www.nastarcenter.com/nastar-teacher-professional-development-program-dates-for-2015. 

For more information about the workshops and to download a registration packet, visit http://www.nastarcenter.com/education/teachers. 

The NASTAR Center is located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. The center is an Affiliate Member of the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. Funding from the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium supports these programs, so they are offered at no cost to teachers. 

Questions about this series of workshops should be directed to Greg Kennedy at gkennedy@nastarcenter.com.

Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development

NASA Educator Professional Development 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. Simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description to register.

Rockets 2 Racecars: May the Force Uplift You … Or Not!
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-9
Event Date: July 13, 2015, at 4 p.m. EDT
Get your students revved up about science, technology, engineering and mathematics with NASA’s Rockets 2 Racecars (R2R) STEM Education series. When you’re traveling at speeds of 200 miles an hour, it’s important to understand that faster moving air creates lower pressure! Air that travels around a curved surface speeds up, which creates an area of low pressure. Discover NASA-inspired hands-on activities about air pressure and air flow to help students understand Bernoulli’s principles.
Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/133117

Exploring Strange New Worlds Series — New Horizons
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-8
Event Date: July 14, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDT
Celebrate New Horizons’ arrival at Pluto after a nine-year journey through our solar system. What is Pluto? How is Pluto both different from and like other objects in our solar system? These are some of the questions to be investigated by NASA’s first robotic mission to Pluto, New Horizons. This webinar will help answer these questions by discussing the New Horizon mission, NASA STEM education curriculum and online resources. Join us to learn exciting ways to bring the fascination of Pluto into your classroom. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/133063

Hubble Math
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-12
Event Date: July 15, 2015, at Noon EDT
Participants will review resources focused on Hubble Space Telescope imagery, basic operations of the telescope and the science behind it. Resources introduced here will address operations and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, geometry, expressions and equations, and statistics and probability at multiple levels for grades 5-12. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/130157

Eating Math and Science With Servings of Space Food and Nutrition
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-12
Event Date: July 16, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDT
Eat your way through math and science. This webinar will explore NASA STEM curriculum designed to investigate space food and nutrition for astronauts. Participants will investigate NASA resources related to the caloric content and nutritional value of space foods and the nutritional needs of astronauts. Using these resources, learn how to construct sample space food menus as a way of better understanding space food and nutrition for human space exploration. Come explore a menu of inquiry activities and other resources integrating this exciting topic and satisfy your STEM appetite. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/133862

For a full schedule of upcoming NASA Educator Professional Development 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.

Celebrate ‘Pluto-Palooza’ at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are celebrating the New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto with “Pluto-Palooza”! Join in the festivities on July 14, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. 

The celebration will highlight Pluto and the New Horizons spacecraft, which will make its closest flyby of Pluto on the same day. Planned activities will include Spacey Story Time, Dwarf Planet vs. Planet activity, Make Your Own Dwarf Planet activity, a planetarium presentation, plus other hands-on NASA-unique workshops.

For more information, visit http://rocketcenter.com/07.14.15/new-horizons-pluto-palooza.

Please direct any questions about the event to Amy McDowell at amy.mcdowell@nasa.gov.

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NASA’s Mars Student Imaging Project Educator Training

Arizona State University’s Mars Education Program is hosting a training opportunity for educators interested in learning how to facilitate NASA’s Mars Student Imaging Project. Help your students learn about science by being the scientists and conducting research on another planet — Mars! The Mars Student Imaging Project is appropriate for grades 5-12, is designed specifically for the Next Generation Science Standards and embeds 21st Century Skills. 

Learn how you can facilitate this project in your classroom. You don’t need any background in planets or geology to participate. This is project-based learning, and your students will learn how science works by formulating research questions, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting their findings to NASA scientists. Students’ work will be driven by their own interests about Mars! 

An in-depth, virtual training session will take place July 14-16, 2015. This session is free, and participants will earn eight hours of professional development credit.

For more information and to register to attend, visit https://marsed.mars.asu.edu/msip/online-training-7-14-2015.

Please direct questions about the workshop to mars@asu.edu.

“Where Over the World Is Astronaut Scott Kelly?” Geography From Space Trivia Contest

During his year-long stay on the International Space Station, astronaut Scott Kelly wants to test your knowledge of the world through a geography trivia game on Twitter. Traveling more than 220 miles above Earth, and at 17,500 miles per hour, he circumnavigates the globe more than a dozen times a day. This gives Kelly the opportunity to see and photograph various geographical locations on Earth. In fact, part of his job while in space is to capture images of Earth for scientific observations. 

Follow @StationCDRKelly on Twitter. Each Wednesday, Kelly will tweet a picture and ask the public to identify the place depicted in the photo. The first person to identify the place correctly will win an autographed copy of the picture. Kelly plans to continue posting weekly contest photos until he returns from the space station in March 2016.

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/feature/where-over-the-world-is-astronaut-scott-kelly.

To learn more about the One-Year Mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew.

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3-D Printed Habitat Challenge — Design Competition

NASA and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, known as America Makes, are holding a new $2.25 million competition to design and build a 3-D printed habitat for deep space exploration, including the agency’s journey to Mars. The multi-phase 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge, part of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, is designed to advance the additive construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.

The first phase of the competition, a design competition, calls on participants to develop state-of-the-art architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3-D printing offers. The top 30 submissions will be judged, and a prize purse of $50,000 will be awarded at the 2015 World Maker Faire in New York.

The deadline to submit a registration packet for the design competition phase is July 15, 2015. 

The second phase of the competition is divided into two levels. The Structural Member Competition (Level 1) focuses on the fabrication technologies needed to manufacture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. The On-Site Habitat Competition (Level 2) challenges competitors to fabricate full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables. Both levels open for registration Sept. 26, and each carries a $1.1 million prize.

For more information, rules and to register for the 3-D-Printed Habitat Challenge, visit http://www.nasa.gov/3DPHab. 

Questions about the 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge should be directed to project manager John Wilczynski at john.wilczynski@ncdmm.org.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Call for Abstracts: 31st American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Conference

A call for abstracts has been released for the 31st annual American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, or ASGSR, Conference taking place Nov. 11-14, 2015, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Applicants must submit abstracts electronically no later than July 15, 2015, using the abstract submittal form and instructions posted on the ASGSR website. All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the conference organizing committee.

All accepted abstracts from students will be presented as posters or orally in competitions. The student poster competition will be judged by society members, and monetary awards will be given during the banquet scheduled for Nov. 14, 2015. Students must be present at the banquet to receive the monetary award. Student competition winners will be encouraged to submit an extended abstract or a communication article to the ASGSR journal “Gravitational and Space Research.” All students should coordinate with their advisors when submitting an abstract for the conference.

Student travel assistance of up to $500 is available on a limited basis. Students requesting consideration for travel assistance should check the box on the abstract submittal form.

For more information, visit https://www.asgsr.org/index.php/2015-call-for-abstracts. Please direct questions about this opportunity to Ms. Jobi Cook at admin@asgsr.org.

Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational Use

NASA invites eligible U.S. educational institutions and museums to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and other special items offered on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.

There will be a nominal shipping fee that must be paid online with a credit card. To make a request for special items online, visit http://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/Special_Item_Request_Procedure.pdf.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to GSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov.

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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, share 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 pm. 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 also streamed live for viewing online. Archives of past lectures are also available online.

The next lecture in the series is:

Discovery at Mars
Event Date: July 16 and July 17, 2015, at 7 pm. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2015&month=7 
July 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Mariner 4, the first spacecraft to successfully fly by the planet Mars. After a half-century of exploring the Red Planet, scientists continue to be surprised by findings there. Join Blaine Baggett, director of the Office of Communication and Education at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for an evening to celebrate the past, survey the present and ponder the future possibilities of discovery at Mars.

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 the http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/contact_JPL.php.

Cast Your Vote in the Ceres “Bright Spot” Mystery Poll

On March 6, 2015, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft began orbiting Ceres, the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Even before the spacecraft arrived at the dwarf planet, images revealed mysterious bright spots that captivated scientists and observers alike.

Can you guess what’s creating those unusual bright spots on Ceres? Until Dawn gets a closer look over the next few months, it’s anyone’s guess what those spots could be. 

To learn more and to cast your vote, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/dawn/world_ceres/. 

For more information about the Dawn mission, visit http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/. 

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New York Space Grant Community College Partnership Program Workshop

The New York Space Grant Community College Partnership Program is presenting a workshop for community college and technical school faculty from New York State to encourage student engagement in research activities. The workshop will take place July 20-24, 2015, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. 

Workshop attendees will gain insight into implementing a Methods of Scientific Research course. This innovative course has engaged dozens of research students at the City University of New York. The course has sharpened their skills in scientific, analogical and proportional reasoning; basic computer skills; and general research skills (e.g., data quality judgment, experimental design and data analysis, statistics). Ideally, it also immerses them in the research environment, building their sense of belonging. The MSR course, which is 100 percent hands-on, and courses like it have been shown to improve STEM retention, particularly for students from underrepresented groups.

Faculty participants will receive a $250 stipend and breakfast and lunch. Participants are eligible for travel support. Attendance at all sessions of the five-day workshop is required. 

For more information, visit http://astro.cornell.edu/spacegrant/CCPworkshop_July2015.pdf. 

Please email any questions about this program to Professor Tim Paglione at paglione@york.cuny.edu.

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Second Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum

NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, or SSERVI, is pleased to announce the second annual NASA Exploration Science Forum, to be held July 21-23, 2015, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

This year’s forum will feature scientific discussions of exploration targets of interest, including the moon, near-Earth asteroids and the moons of Mars. Science sessions will focus on recent mission results and in-depth analyses of science and exploration studies. The Forum will feature dedicated side events for young professionals including LunaGradCon and a workshop on science journalism.

Forum attendees will have the opportunity to experience the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal. The portal is an integrated suite of lunar and planetary mapping and modeling tools and products. This suite supports exploration and science activities, as well as community outreach. Users can navigate a tabletop touch screen to experience a 3-D surface flyover of the moon and other target bodies of interest.

Registration is free, and attendance by the entire exploration science community is encouraged.

For more information and to register to attend, visit http://nesf2015.arc.nasa.gov/.

Please direct questions about this workshop to Brian Day at Brian.H.Day@nasa.gov.

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Future Engineers: 3-D Space Container Challenge

NASA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Foundation are challenging K-12 students to create a model of a container for space using 3-D modeling software. Astronauts need containers of all kinds — from advanced containers for studying fruit flies to simple containers for collecting Mars rocks or storing an astronaut’s food. The ability to 3-D print containers in space — on demand — will let humans venture farther into space. That’s why we are challenging students to start designing for space now.

Design entries could be for a container designed for microgravity on the International Space Station or a container designed for future astronauts on Mars! Space is a big place, but your imagination is even bigger. Multiple prizes, based on age groups, are available.

Entries must be submitted by Aug. 2, 2015.

The Design a Space Tool Challenge is the second in a series of challenges where students in grades K-12 create and submit a digital 3-D model of a container that they think astronauts might need in space. Future Engineers is a multiyear education initiative that consists of 3-D space challenges and curriculum videos that parents and educators can use to get kids designing today. 

For more information about the challenge and to watch an introductory video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-challenges-students-to-design-3-d-space-containers.

If you have any questions about the 3-D Space Container Challenge, please email info@futureengineers.org.

NASA’s Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute STEAM Workshop in Orlando, Florida

The education/public outreach team from NASA’s Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute, or SSERVI, at Brown University/MIT and the University of Central Florida invite you to take part in a four-day workshop at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The event will take place Aug. 2-5, 2015. 

The SSERVI team is bringing together a variety of educators, artists and creative, science-savvy citizens to create accessible STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) content for both formal and informal education settings over the next four years. The activities and resources pulled together during this workshop will be collated, printed and distributed internationally as part of a NASA Educator’s Guide.

Ideally, participants will take part in all four years of the project and help to develop, integrate and test curricula. At this first formal education workshop, participants will become familiar with the science content, as well as work together to develop STEAM curricula based on national science, English language arts, art and mathematics standards.

Participants will receive a small stipend for participating, plus set compensation for travel, lodging and meals. See terms and conditions at the workshop website.

For more information and to register to attend, visit http://blogs.cofc.edu/lowcountryhall/sservi-steam-workshop/.

Please direct questions about this workshop to Cassandra Runyon at RunyonC@cofc.edu.

Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshops — Spring/Summer 2015

NASA’s Center for Astronomy Education, or CAE, announces a series of educator workshops for astronomy and space science educators.

These workshops provide participants with experiences needed to create effective and productive active-learning classroom environments. Workshop leaders model best practices in implementing many different classroom-tested instructional strategies. But more importantly, workshop participants will gain first-hand experience implementing these proven strategies. During many microteaching events, you will have the opportunity to role-play the parts of student and instructor. You will assess and critique each other’s implementation in real time as part of a supportive learning community. You will have the opportunity to use unfamiliar teaching techniques in collaboration with mentors before using them with your students. CAE is funded through NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Exoplanet Exploration Program.

August 4-6, 2015 — Honolulu Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
CAE Teaching Excellence Short-Courses on Active Learning in the STEM Classroom

August 15, 2015 — American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York
CAE Northeast Regional Teaching Exchange

For more information and to register for workshops online, visit http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops/index.cfm.

Inquiries about this series of workshops should be directed to Gina Brissenden at gbrissenden@as.arizona.edu.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Stewards Education Project is hosting a free climate-science workshop for formal and informal educators on Aug. 5, 2015, at the NOAA Science Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Participants will hear from and interact with climate science, education and communication experts.

The workshop will focus on an introduction to global climate models exploring the subject of climate change in the same way that research scientists do. Simulations and activities for modeling regional and/or topical impacts of climate change will be shared with a goal of connecting educators and their students/audiences to the best-available, science-based information and resources about climate change.

Attendance is limited and availability will be on a first come, first serve basis, so register early. Participation is free, but attendees are responsible for arranging their own transportation, lodging and meals unless otherwise indicated in workshop details.

All attendees will receive a certificate acknowledging their participation in the workshop as well as the number of professional development hours they have engaged in.

For more information and to register to attend, visit http://climate.gov/teaching/professional-development/climate-education-regional-workshop-silver-spring-md. 

For more information about NOAA’s Climate Stewards Project, visit http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/climate-stewards/. 

Questions about this workshop should be directed to Peg Steffen at Peg.Steffen@noaa.gov.

International Observe the Moon Night

On Sept. 19, 2015, the whole world has the chance to admire and celebrate our moon on International Observe the Moon Night. And you can join in the fun!

Check the map of registered observation events at http://observethemoonnight.org to see if an event is being held near you. If not, please consider registering and hosting one and inviting your community.

You don’t know where to start?
This link walks you through the process of planning an event of any size. See how to host an event in six easy steps: http://observethemoonnight.org/getInvolved/.

Do you need suggestions for hands-on activities?
Visit http://observethemoonnight.org/activities/ for ideas.

Are you worried about cloudy weather obscuring your view of the moon?
The “Moon as Art” collection, chosen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, team, gives the public the opportunity to see the moon as others have seen it for centuries — as an inspirational muse. But this time, also see the moon from the perspective of being in orbit with a series of eyes that see different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Learn more at http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/moonartgallery.html.

Additional beautiful, high-resolution images of the moon’s surface taken by LRO’s cameras are available at http://lroc.sese.asu.edu.

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Lora.V.Bleacher@nasa.gov.

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Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshops — Fall/Winter 2015-16

NASA’s Center for Astronomy Education, or CAE, announces a series of educator workshops for astronomy and space science educators.

These workshops provide participants with experiences needed to create effective and productive active-learning classroom environments. Workshop leaders model best practices in implementing many different classroom-tested instructional strategies. But more importantly, workshop participants will gain first-hand experience implementing these proven strategies. During many microteaching events, you will have the opportunity to role-play the parts of student and instructor. You will assess and critique each other’s implementation in real time as part of a supportive learning community. You will have the opportunity to use unfamiliar teaching techniques in collaboration with mentors before using them with your students. CAE is funded through NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sept. 26-27, 2015 — University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
CAE Tier I Teaching Excellence Workshop for Current and Future Astronomy and Space Science Instructors

Oct. 3, 2015 — Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina
CAE Southeast Regional Teaching Exchange

Oct. 17, 2015– Everett Community College in Everett, Washington
CAE Northwest Regional Teaching Exchange

November 2015 — American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland
New Faculty Workshop for Physics and Astronomy

Jan. 3-4, 2016– Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida
CAE Tier I Teaching Excellence Workshop for Current and Future Astronomy and Space Science Instructors

For more information and to register for workshops online, visit http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops/index.cfm.

Inquiries about this series of workshops should be directed to Gina Brissenden at gbrissenden@as.arizona.edu.