NASA Education Express Message — Aug. 20, 2015
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New This Week!
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Free NASA Educator Professional Development Webinars
Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators
Next Event Date: Aug. 20, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Louisiana Tech University Online Course — Steps to STEM: NASA Education Resources for STEM Engagement
Audience: Educators of Grades 4-9
Application Deadline: Sept. 4, 2015
Call for Proposals — NASA Research Announcement for Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System: Appendix A
Audience: Graduate Students and Established Researchers
Proposal Deadline: Sept. 30, 2015
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PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…
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Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational Use
Audience: Educational Institutions, Museums and Other Education Organizations
Available While Supplies Last
Free NASA Educator Professional Development Webinar for Informal Educators
Audience: Informal Educators
Event Date: Aug. 25, 2015, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT
“Where Over the World Is Astronaut Scott Kelly?” Geography From Space Trivia Contest
Audience: All Educators and Students
Deadline: Ongoing Through March 2016
#WhySpaceMatters Photography Competition
Audience: All Educators and Students
Next Deadline: Sept. 10, 2015
2015 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
Audience: All Educators and 9-Higher Education Students
Next Lecture Date: Sept. 10, 2015, at 7 pm. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
Cast Your Vote in the Ceres “Bright Spot” Mystery Poll
Audience: All Educators and Students
Free Tours of Facilities at NASA’s Glenn Research Center
Audience: All Educators and Students
Next Event Date: Sept. 12, 2015
Family Day Events at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Audience: All Educators and Students
Next Event Date: Sept. 12, 2015, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. EDT
MAVEN Workshops — ‘Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!’
Audience: Elementary Educators
Colorado Springs Workshop Date: Sept. 12, 2015
Portland Workshop Date: Sept. 19, 2015
Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Geosciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates Professional Development Program
Audience: Higher Education Students
Application Deadline: Sept. 14, 2015
Second Annual NASA HBCUs/MSIs Partnerships Meeting
Audience: Representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions
Event Date: Sept. 16, 2015
International Observe the Moon Night
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 19, 2015
Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshops — Fall/Winter 2015-16
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Next Event Date: September 26-27, 2015
Celebrate World Space Week 2015
Audience: All Educators
Event Date: Oct. 4-10, 2015
Earth Science Week 2015 Contests
Audience: All Educators and Students
Entry Deadline: Oct. 16, 2015
NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowships
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Next Application Deadline: November 1, 2015
2016 RASC-AL Aerospace Concepts Design Competition
Audience: Higher Education Students
Notice of Intent Requested by Nov. 9, 2015
Abstract Submission Deadline: Jan. 17, 2016
Help NASA Study Mars — Planet Four: Terrains
Audience: All Educators and Students
Project Timeframe: Ongoing Through Mid-2016
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Don’t miss out on upcoming NASA education opportunities.
For a full list of events, opportunities and more, visit the Educator and Student 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/.
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NEW THIS WEEK!
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Free NASA Educator Professional Development Webinars
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. Simply click on the link provided beneath the webinar description to register.
Engineering Enables Science Series – What’s This Drought Stuff About?
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-8
Event Date: Aug. 20, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
This webinar will feature NASA’s “Water Filtration Design Challenge.” This challenge takes a new look at the water cycle, Earth images, and weather patterns and is a great way to foster discussion about where your local water source is found. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/134192
Engineering Enables Science Series: Marsbound
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-10
Event Date: Aug. 25, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDT
Explore NASA’s mission to the Red Planet! Look at data used to develop or refine theories about how air, water and impact events provide clues about Mars to the missions exploring it. Participants will learn about inquiry-based activities that deepen our understanding of the behavior of Earth’s geologic features and how they compare to those on Mars. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/137562
Weather and Climate: Exploring a Storm of STEM in Your Classroom
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-8
Event Date: Aug. 26, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDT
Learn about our understanding and forecasting of weather and how weather and climate differ. NASA missions, STEM resources, curriculum and integration of the Next Generation Science Standards will guide us through a “storm” of classroom activities. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/135889
Engineering Enables Science Series: Integration of NASA’s BEST Curriculum
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 6-8
Event Date: Aug. 27, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Discover NASA’s Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology, or BEST, curriculum for grades 6-8. The webinar session will focus on the engineering design process, and participants will see what it’s like to investigate the moon remotely. The webinar content aligns to Next Generation Science Standards. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/137758
Mission to Mars Series: Destination Mars — Looking for Life
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-9
Event Date: Sept. 2, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDT
Is there life beyond Earth? If so, how can we verify its existence? The webinar will feature a NASA STEM activity that tasks students with using a developed definition of “life” to determine whether there is anything alive in three different simulated Mars soil samples. Participants will experiment, record observations and draw pictures as they collect data from the samples to determine if life may exist in any of the samples. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/138129
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.
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Louisiana Tech University Online Course — Steps to STEM: NASA Education Resources for STEM Engagement
Louisiana Tech University is teaming up with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to offer a 10-week course for educators interested in putting a space-themed twist on learning. The course is a self-paced, online professional development experience focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education resources available from NASA. These resources have application methods for grades 4-9 with the goal of advancing high-quality STEM education using NASA’s unique capabilities.
Applications are due Sept. 4, 2015.
For more information and to enroll in the course, visit http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/opeo.php.
Please direct requests for a course syllabus and additional information to Amy McDowell at amy.mcdowell@nasa.gov.
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Call for Proposals — NASA Research Announcement for Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System: Appendix A
NASA is seeking ground-based research proposals from graduate students to use NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics system to develop new analyses and scientific insights. The PSI system is designed to be a resource for researchers to data mine information generated from completed physical sciences experiments performed on the International Space Station or from related ground-based studies.
This solicitation appendix focuses on the following five research areas: combustion science, complex fluids, fluid physics, fundamental physics and materials science.
For graduate students (students working towards an advanced degree), this NASA Research Announcement is soliciting proposals that advance fundamental research in one of the physical sciences disciplines identified above and also assist in the awarding of an advanced degree to the graduate student. This call is open to students who meet the following eligibility requirements:
— The student is pursuing an advanced degree directly related to a physical sciences discipline — only technical degrees are permitted (not degrees in policy or management).
— The student is a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident alien of the U.S., or on a student visa at an accredited U.S. university at the time of application submission.
— The student is enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program at an accredited U.S. university at the time of application submission, or, if the student is an undergraduate starting their graduate studies, he or she has been accepted to a master’s or doctoral degree program at an accredited U.S. university at the time of application submission and will start during the next academic year.
— The student has an academic graduate advisor who will submit the application for the graduate student. The student must perform the proposed research under the guidance of the assigned graduate advisor.
The agency expects to make approximately 10-15 awards in early 2016, The award for each proposal selected from this Appendix will be $50,000 – $75,000 per year, for a total maximum award amount up to $150,000 for a two-year period. Research and development efforts will take place over two years.
The deadline for submitting proposals is Sept. 30, 2015.
For information concerning this NASA Research Announcement solicitation, visit http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={88074AD3-2C25-81A8-6EED-D87C6C7459D1}&path=open.
For more information about the Physical Science Informatics System, visit http://psi.nasa.gov/home.aspx.
Please direct questions about this NASA Research Announcement to Dr. Francis Chiaramonte at francis.p.chiaramonte@nasa.gov.
Additional technical information about the Physical Science Informatics System for this NASA Research Announcement is available from:
Name: Teresa Miller
Title: Physical Sciences Informatics System – Technical POC
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Email: teresa.y.miller@nasa.gov
Phone: 256-544-7815
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PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…
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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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Free NASA Educator Professional Development Webinar for Informal Educators
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is presenting a free webinar open to all informal educators.
Encouraging Your Child in STEM Using NASA Resources
Event Date: Aug. 25, 2015, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT
Discover how NASA can help encourage an interest in STEM topics for children in informal learning settings and at home.
To register, please email Amanda Harvey at amanda.c.harvey@nasa.gov with your name and the date and time of the program you would like to join. Spaces are limited.
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“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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#WhySpaceMatters Photography Competition
NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, or UNOOSA, have launched a global photography competition to highlight how the vantage point of space helps us better understand our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future by aiding sustainable development on Earth.
To highlight the role of space-based science and technologies and their applications on Earth, NASA and UNOOSA are inviting the public to submit photos depicting why space matters to us all in our daily lives. To participate, post a picture and description on Instagram using the hashtag #whyspacematters and tagging @UNOOSA.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who is three months into a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station, will announce the winning photo each month by posting it from his Instagram account @StationCDRKelly.
For more information about the competition, visit http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/contests/whyspacematters/index.html.
For more information about the International Space Station and the One-Year Mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew.
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2015 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online
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:
The Birth of Planets Around the Sun and Other Stars
Event Date: Sept. 10 and Sept. 11, 2015, at 7 pm. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2015&month=9
With thousands of planets now known around other stars, it’s natural to wonder why so many planetary systems are quite different from our own. Join Dr. Neal Turner for a discussion about new images shedding light on the diversity of planet systems and a few of the 3-D computer models astronomers are using to try to learn how planets are born into such diversity.
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.
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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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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
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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Family Day Events at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum’s Family Day event series celebrates the diverse ethnic and cultural communities that have contributed to aviation and space exploration. Events will commemorate historic and current contributions through presentations and activities for the entire family. The events are free and open to the public.
Women in Aviation and Space
Sept. 12, 2015, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. EDT
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, District of Columbia
From the days of the earliest pilots to today’s space program, women have made significant contributions in aviation and space. During this event, visitors will have the opportunity celebrate these incredible contributions by meeting female role models and learning about the women who inspired them.
http://airandspace.si.edu/events/detail.cfm?id=17545
Hispanic Heritage Month: Innovators in Aviation and Space
Oct. 3, 2015, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. EDT
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, District of Columbia
Celebrate the contributions of Latinos to aviation and space exploration during this Hispanic Heritage Month Family Day event. Meet Hispanic scientists and engineers — including a NASA astronaut — and participate in bilingual activities.
http://airandspace.si.edu/events/detail.cfm?id=17546
Please direct questions about this series of events to the Visitor Service line at 202-633-2214.
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MAVEN Workshops — ‘Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!’
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission began orbiting Mars on Sept. 21, 2014. MAVEN will explore the planet′s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the solar wind. The mission will provide invaluable insights into the history of Mars′ atmosphere, climate, liquid water and planetary habitability.
Join the MAVEN education team for a one-day workshop on the MAVEN mission and the accompanying elementary program, “Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!” This program features six standards-based lessons that combine science, literacy and art to help students understand planetary habitability and the MAVEN mission. The workshop will introduce participants to these lessons and concepts. The workshop will have a session devoted to Spanish-speaking English Language Learner and English as a Second Language students. Attendees will receive free classroom materials.
This workshop will be offered twice this fall! The first will take place at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sept. 12, 2015. The second will be held at the World Forestry Center Museum in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 19, 2015.
Registration is $15 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Participants may bring one guest for no additional charge. Space is limited, so interested educators are encouraged to apply early.
For more information about the workshops and to apply online, visit http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/education-outreach/for-educators/red-planet/.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to epomail@lasp.colorado.edu.
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Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Geosciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates Professional Development Program
The Institute for Broadening Participation is accepting applications for the Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Geosciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates (MS PHD’S-GEO REU) Professional Development Program.
The MS PHD’S-GEO REU program is designed specifically for underrepresented minority undergraduates who have participated in a recent National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, or NSF REU, program in one of the following disciplines: Earth sciences, ocean sciences, polar sciences, or atmospheric and geospace sciences. Consideration also will be given to applicants who have completed REUs in other STEM fields (e.g., environmental engineering, ecology, computational mathematics, etc.) and who demonstrate strong interest in the geosciences and articulate potential benefits received as participants in this program.
For Phase I of the program, participants will attend the December 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. During the AGU Fall Meeting, participants will engage in virtual and on-site professional development, and participate in networking, community building and mentoring activities. Financial support to attend the AGU Fall Meeting will be provided.
During Phase II of the program, participants engage in additional virtual and face-to-face activities designed to provide insight and information into geosciences professions and opportunities; promote ongoing engagement with geoscience professionals; and facilitate additional mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities at discipline-specific conferences and meetings.
Applications are due Sept. 14, 2015. For more information and to fill out an application, visit http://www.msphds.org/GEOREU.aspx.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to pdp@msphds.org.
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Second Annual NASA HBCUs/MSIs Partnerships Meeting
The NASA Headquarters Office of Small Business Programs is hosting the Second Annual NASA Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institutions Partnerships Meeting. The event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT at the Davidson Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
This event is targeting NASA’s immediate and future subcontracting opportunities for HBCUs and MSIs. This is an opportunity to network with representatives from NASA and its prime contractors including Aerojet Rocketdyne, Ch2M Hill, Jacobs, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK, SAIC, Teledyne Brown Engineering, The Boeing Company, United Launch Alliance and Wyle.
Registration is free, and attendance by the entire HBCU/MSI community is encouraged. The one-day event is part of an overall NASA initiative designed to increase prime and subcontract opportunities with HBCU/MSIs.
For more information and to register to attend, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-nasa-historically-black-colleges-universities-hbcusminority-serving-institutions-msis-tickets-17209164073.
Please direct questions about this event to MSFC-SmallBusiness@mail.nasa.gov.
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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.
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Celebrate World Space Week 2015
Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2015. This international event commemorates the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957.
World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 60 nations. During World Space Week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed activities.
To learn more about World Space Week, search for events in your area, and find educational materials, visit http://www.worldspaceweek.org.
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Earth Science Week 2015 Contests
The American Geosciences Institute is sponsoring a series of contests to celebrate Earth Science Week 2015. This year’s celebration takes place Oct. 11-17, 2015.
Earth Science Week 2015 Photography Contest — Open to All Ages
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/photography/index.html
Geoscientists study our planet’s geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (living things). These spheres — or Earth systems — continually affect and influence one another. With a camera, you can capture evidence of the dynamic impact of change processes in your home, neighborhood, school, workplace or local public spaces. In a photo, show at least one Earth system affecting another Earth system in your community.
Earth Science Week 2015 Visual Arts Contest — Open to Students in Grades K-5
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/visualarts/index.html
Earth science is the study of Earth systems — land, water, air and living things. Scientists pay special attention to the ways these things affect each other, such as the way wind shapes the landscape or falling rain nourishes plants. Use artwork to show how land, water, air and living things interact in the world around you.
Earth Science Week 2015 Essay Contest — Open to Students in Grades 6-9
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/essay/index.html
Since the earliest hand-drawn maps and diagrams, “visualization” has been an important way of explaining and understanding the interactions of land, water, air and living things. Earth scientists today use more sophisticated technology to monitor and represent these Earth systems — the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. In an original essay no more than 300 words in length, explain one way that geoscientists’ use of cutting-edge visualization is advancing Earth science today.
The entry deadline for all three contests is Oct. 16, 2015. Visit the contest websites for full details.
If you have any questions about these contests, please email the Earth Science Week staff at info@earthsciweek.org.
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NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowships
The NASA Postdoctoral Program, or NPP, supports NASA’s goal to expand scientific understanding of the Earth and the universe in which we live.
Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP fellows complete one- to three-year fellowships that offer scientists and engineers unique opportunities to conduct research in fields of science relevant to NASA.
These opportunities advance NASA’s missions in earth science, heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary science, astrobiology, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration and operations, and space technology. Opportunities are available at NASA centers and other NASA-approved sites.
As a result, NPP fellows contribute to national priorities for scientific exploration, confirm NASA’s leadership in fundamental research and complement the efforts of NASA’s partners in the national science community.
U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a research scholar may apply. Applicants must have completed a doctorate or equivalent degree before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing degree requirements. Applicants who earned the Ph.D. more than five years before the deadline date are categorized as senior fellows; all applicants, no matter their category, must apply and become eligible for an NPP award via the same process.
Interested applicants may apply by one of three annual application deadlines: March 1, July 1 and November 1.
For more information and application procedures, go to http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to nasapostdoc@orau.org.
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2016 RASC-AL Aerospace Concepts Design Competition
NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace announce the 2016 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage Aerospace Concepts competition. RASC-AL is a design project competition for university-level engineering students and faculty.
The 2016 RASC-AL competition challenges participants to design projects based on real NASA problems by responding to one of four themes:
— Crew-Tended Co-Orbiting ISS (International Space Station) Facility
— Lunar Ice-Trap ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) Mining, Processing and Storage Facility
— Crewed Mars Moons Mission
— Earth-Independent 1G Space Station
NASA could potentially implement concepts derived from the design projects.
Interested teams are encouraged to submit a notice of intent by Nov. 9, 2015, and teams must submit an abstract for their proposed project by Jan. 17, 2016.
For the first time, the 2016 RASC-AL Competition will include a two-tiered down-select process. The RASC-AL Steering Committee of NASA and industry experts will evaluate the abstract proposals and select as many as 20 undergraduate or graduate teams to move to the next phase of the competition. Based on evaluation of three-page midproject papers submitted by these teams in mid-March, the field will be narrowed once again to 14-16 teams who will be selected for the final round of the competition. These teams will present their concepts to the panel of judges (the RASC-AL Steering Committee) at the RASC-AL Forum in June 2016 in Florida.
The RASC-AL competition is open to full-time undergraduate or graduate students majoring in engineering or science at an accredited college or university. University design teams must include one faculty or industry advisor with a university affiliation and two or more undergraduate or graduate students. A group of universities also may collaborate on a design project entry. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged.
For more information about this competition, visit http://rascal.nianet.org.
If you have questions about this competition, please contact the RASC-AL team at rascal@nianet.org.
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Help NASA Study Mars — Planet Four: Terrains
Help NASA study exotic landscape features near the south pole of Mars! In this citizen science project, you’ll 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 creates 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 Whitney Clavin at whitney.clavin@jpl.nasa.gov.
