NASA Education Express Message — Sept. 1, 2016
New This Week!
Bring NASA’s Summer Discoveries Into the Classroom With Free Education Resources
Audience: All Educators
Free NASA Educator Professional Development Webinars
Audience: In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators
Next Event Date: Sept. 1, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — OSIRIS-REx L-1 Webcast
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 7, 2016, 1 – 2 p.m. EDT
NASA Swarmathon: Seeking College Teams for Virtual Robotics Competition!
Audience: Higher Education Faculty and Students at Minority Serving Universities and Minority Serving Community Colleges
Application Deadline: Sept. 30, 2016
Solar System Ambassadors Program Accepting Applications
Audience: All Educators
Application Period: Sept. 1-30, 2016
NASA’s Centennial Challenges: Space Robotics Challenge
Audience: All Interested U.S. Citizens, Including Higher Education Educators and Students
Registration Deadline: 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7, 2016
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Fellowship Year
Audience: K-12 STEM Educators
Application Deadline: Nov. 17, 2016, at 8 p.m. EST
2017 Space Exploration Educators Conference
Audience: K-12 Educators
Early Bird Registration Deadline: Dec. 30, 2016
Event Date: Feb. 9-11, 2017
What’s New at NASA’s Space Place Website?
Audience: K-6 Educators
PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…
Sign Up for NASA Education ‘Science WOW!’ Weekly Email Newsletter
Audience: All Educators and Students
National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Undergraduate Program
Audience: Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Various Projects — Notice of Intent Deadline: Sept. 6, 2016
Broadening Participation Research Centers — Preliminary Proposal Deadline: March 21, 2017
Free Tours of Facilities at NASA’s Glenn Research Center
Audience: All Educators and Students
Next Event Date: Sept. 10, 2016
Center for Astronomy Education Regional Teaching Exchanges and Workshops — Fall/Winter 2016-2017
Audience: Current and Future College Instructors of Astronomy
Next Event Date: Sept. 10, 2016
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
Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles and Blankets Available for Educational Use
Audience: Educational Institutions, Museums and Other Education Organizations
Free Education Webinar Series From the GOES-R Education Proving Ground
Audience: 6-12 Educators
Next Event Date: Sept. 17, 2016, at 11:30 a.m. EDT
2016 NASA Kennedy Space Center Community Day
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 17, 2016, 2-6 p.m. EDT
GLOBE El Niño Field Campaign and Webinar Series
Audience: K-12 Educators
Next Webinar Date: Sept. 19, 2016, at 8 p.m. EDT
2017 BIG Idea Challenge
Audience: Higher Education Students and Faculty
Notice of Intent Deadline: Sept. 30, 2016
Entry Deadline: Nov. 30, 2016
Call for Submissions — NASA Announcement for High Impact / Broad Implementation STEM Education Partnerships (EDUCATION01SP16)
Audience: Education Institutions and Organizations
Applications Accepted on a Rolling Basis Through Dec. 31, 2017
Searchable Portals for Federally Sponsored Opportunities for STEM Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Audience: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students and Higher Education Institutions
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/.
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/
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
NEW THIS WEEK!
Bring NASA’s Summer Discoveries Into the Classroom With Free Education Resources
This summer, while many of us were sleeping in and avoiding school work, lots of exciting things were happening in and around our solar system!
Check out resources from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will help you kick off the 2016 school year right by turning those stellar events into educational connections with NASA.
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is fire season. See how NASA satellites and airborne instruments are helping scientists better understand wildfires and their impact on our changing climate. Bring the story into the classroom with JPL’s latest Teachable Moment featuring lesson plans that use real NASA data. Or spruce up your classroom with a NASA Earth Science bulletin board kit.
On July 4, the Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter! Explore the mission with your students with free classroom activities, videos and an easy-to-build Juno model.
To learn more and download education materials to kick off your school year, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2016/8/23/what-nasa-did-over-your-summer-vacation/.
Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional Development
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: My NASA Data
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-12
Event Date: Sept. 1, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Participants will get an overview of resources from the My NASA Data website and discover ways to incorporate real NASA data into discussions about topics ranging from climate system interactions to ocean ecology to forest fires. Use of the Live Access Server for data analysis will also be discussed. This webinar addresses the Next Generation Science Standards ESS2 and ESS3. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/196653
Seeing Your Students at NASA: Propulsion Engineering
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 6-12
Event Date: Sept. 6, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Participants will get an overview of propulsion system engineering at NASA including a brief history, current research, and what it takes to work for NASA as a systems engineer in propulsion. This webinar addresses the Next Generation Science Standards PS2, PS3 and ETS1. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/196662
Seeing Your Students at NASA: So You Want to Be an Astronaut and Other NASA Careers
Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12
Event Date: Sept. 8, 2016, 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 unique, exciting missions that explore and build a better understanding of Earth and the universe beyond. NASA career education curriculum and resources will also be integrated into this online learning session. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/197933
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.
NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — OSIRIS-REx L-1 Webcast
As NASA prepares to launch the first U.S. asteroid sample return mission, the Digital Learning Network is hosting a live interactive video chat with special guests including a Launch Services Program engineer. Tune in to learn more about OSIRIS-REx, which will reach a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in 2023. The DLN Live event will stream on the DLiNfo Channelone day before launch. Tweet questions with #askDLN or email DLiNfochannel@gmail.com.
Please direct questions about this event to DLiNfochannel@gmail.com.
The one-hour event will be webcast on the NASA DLiNfo Channel on Sept. 7, 2016, at 1 p.m. EDT.
For more information and other DLN events, visit http://www.nasa.gov/dln.
NASA Swarmathon: Seeking College Teams for Virtual Robotics Competition!
The NASA Swarmathon is now accepting applications for the 2017 NASA Swarmathon Virtual Competition. Selected teams will receive a $500 stipend for their faculty member; training via live webinars, videos and guides; and access to technical forums to post questions and receive answers. The top scoring team will receive a $3,000 prize.
The Swarmathon Virtual Competition will challenge students to develop search algorithms for robotic swarms, and these algorithms will be tested by competition organizers in a virtual environment. Winners will be announced at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in April 2017.
Swarmathon participation will (1) improve students’ skills in robotics and computer science and (2) further advance technologies related to future NASA space exploration missions. Faculty members at Minority Serving Universities and Minority Serving Community Colleges are eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30, 2016.
For more information, visit http://nasaswarmathon.com/.
Please direct questions about the NASA Swarmathon Virtual Competition to Info@NASASwarmathon.com.
Solar System Ambassadors Program Accepting Applications
The NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassadors Program, a nationwide network of space enthusiast volunteers, will be accepting applications from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, 2016.
Highly motivated individuals will be given the opportunity to represent NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as volunteer SSAs to the public for a one-year, renewable term beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
While applications are being sought nationwide, interested parties from the following areas are especially encouraged to apply: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. SSA hopes to add 100 new volunteers to the program in 2017.
To learn more about the SSA Program and to apply online, visit https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/ssa/home.cfm. The Announcement of Opportunity and application form will be available on Sept. 1.
If you have questions about this opportunity, contact Kay Ferrari, SSA coordinator, by email at ambassad@jpl.nasa.gov.
NASA’s Centennial Challenges: Space Robotics Challenge
NASA, in partnership with Space Center Houston and NineSigma, has opened registration for a new competition — the Space Robotics Challenge. This event seeks to develop the capabilities of humanoid robots to help astronauts on the journey to Mars.
The Space Robotics Challenge is a $1 million prize competition designed to push the boundaries of robotic dexterity. Teams must program a virtual robot, modeled after NASA’s Robonaut 5, or R5 robot, to complete a series of tasks in a simulation that includes periods of latency to represent communications delay from Earth to Mars.
The competition will be held in a virtual environment. Each team’s R5 will be challenged with resolving the aftermath of a dust storm that has damaged a Martian habitat. This involves three objectives: aligning a communications dish, repairing a solar array and fixing a habitat leak.
Registration for the Space Robotics Challenge closes at 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7, 2016. A qualifying round will run from mid-September to mid-November. Finalists of that round will be announced in December and will engage in open practice from January to early June 2017. The final virtual competition will be held in June 2017, and winners will be announced at the end of June at Space Center Houston.
For more information about the Space Robotics Challenge, visit http://www.nasa.gov/spacebot.
Please direct questions about this competition to info@spaceroboticschallenge.com.
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Fellowship Year
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend 11 months working in a federal agency or U.S. congressional office to bring their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to efforts related to STEM education programs and policy.
To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens who are currently employed full time in a U.S. public or private elementary or secondary school or school district. Applicants must have been teaching full time in a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline.
Current sponsoring agencies included NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The DOE sponsors up to four placements in U.S. congressional offices.
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program is managed by the DOE Office of Science through its Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and partnering federal agencies.
Program applications are due Nov. 17, 2016, at 8 p.m. EST and must be submitted through an online application system.
Additional information about the program, including eligibility requirements, program benefits, application requirements and access to the online application system, may be found at http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/.
Please direct inquiries about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program to sc.einstein@science.doe.gov.
2017 Space Exploration Educators Conference
Make plans to attend the 23rd Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference to be held Feb. 9-11, 2017, at Space Center Houston. This conference is for all K-12 educators. Activities presented use space-related themes to teach across the curricula. The activities may be used for science, language arts, mathematics, history and more.
Attend sessions hosted by scientists and engineers working on exciting projects like the International Space Station and the exploration of Mars and other parts of our solar system. Hear from astronauts who will be “leading the charge” in exploration. Attend sessions presented by educators and receive ready-to-implement classroom ideas. Attendees can earn up to 24 hours of continuing professional education credit.
For more information, visit http://spacecenter.org/teacher-programs/teachers-seec/.
Please email any questions about the conference to seec@spacecenter.org.
What’s New at NASA’s Space Place Website?
Space Place is a NASA website for elementary students, their teachers, and their parents. Check it out at www.spaceplace.nasa.gov.
New Resources:
Galactic Explorer — A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust and billions of stars held together by gravity. Visit as many galaxies as possible in Galactic Explorer, our new NASA Space Place game!
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/galactic-explorer
Sun Comparison — Our sun is a bright, hot ball of hydrogen and helium at the center of our solar system. So hot, that it’s actually 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface and 27 million degrees Fahrenheit in the core! But how does our sun compare to other stars?
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sun-compare
Sunscreen Activity — The sun sends energy toward Earth in the form of ultraviolet, or UV, light. We can’t see UV light with our eyes, but we are affected by it. Make handprint art using UV light.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sunscreen-activity
NASA Space Place Calendar — Looking for some hands-on activities and fun facts to use in the classroom? Check out our 2016-2017 NASA Space Place Calendar! This calendar includes many noteworthy space dates and links to related content on our website.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/calendar
Rovers on Mars — Over the years, we’ve sent four rovers to study the cold, red planet we call Mars. We even plan to send another one in just a few years. Meet the team of rovers and discover what we’ve learned from each one.
Sojourner
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-sojourner
Spirit and Opportunity
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-spirit-opportunity
Curiosity
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-curiosity
Mars2020
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-2020
Back to School
Summer is almost over, and that means it’s time to head back to the classroom! Here are some helpful resources:
Math Activities
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/math-activities
Social Media
To keep up with the latest, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @nasaspaceplace.
Special Days to Celebrate
Find out about noteworthy days in NASA and space history that you can observe in your classroom.
Sept. 1 — Pioneer 11 made the first flyby of Saturn on this day in 1979.
Five spacecraft, including this one, have been to Saturn. Learn more about this beautiful planet.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-saturn
Sept. 18 — Voyager 1 took the first photo of Earth and the moon together in 1977.
Find out what this spacecraft is doing now.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/voyager-to-planets.
Sept. 23 — Neptune was discovered on this day in 1846.
Neptune is dark, cold and very windy. What else do we know about this planet?
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-neptune
Oct. 1 — Happy Birthday, NASA!
Today, NASA opened its doors for the first time. But did you know there are also other agencies in space?
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/other-agencies
Oct. 15 — Today, Uranus will be at its closest approach to Earth.
Fun Fact: Uranus actually has faint rings.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-uranus
Oct. 21 — Get ready for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower!
What causes a meteor shower?
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower
Share
Do you want some help spreading the word about NASA’s Space Place? We have a page with ready-to-use website descriptions, logos and links to all our social media. Check out http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/share.
Subscribe to Our Monthly E-newsletter!
Interested in keeping up with the latest and greatest news from NASA Space Place? Subscribe to the NASA Space Place Gazette. The NASA Space Place Gazette is for educators, parents and space enthusiasts of all ages. It includes special bulletins for noteworthy days and NASA events, such as a lunar eclipse, planet flyby or rover landing. It’s easy to subscribe — just click here.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/subscribe
Send Feedback
Please let us know your ideas about ways to use The Space Place in your teaching. Send them to info@spaceplace.nasa.gov.
PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…
Sign Up for NASA Education ‘Science WOW!’ Weekly Email Newsletter
Are you a science educator or interested in science education? Sign up for the NASA Education “Science WOW!” mailing list. Receive an email with NASA’s latest science education offerings delivered “Weekly on Wednesdays.”
Science starts with a question, and so does “Science WOW!” Each week’s message kicks off with a science question and a link to where you can find the answer. “Science WOW!” also highlights an awesome science education tool each week. These featured resources will include NASA apps, interactive games, 3-D printing templates and more!
Plus, “Science WOW!” delivers — right to your inbox — the latest science education opportunities offered by NASA. It’s a simple way to keep up with the latest professional development webinars, student contests, workshops, lectures and other activities.
To register your email address and be added to the list, visit https://www.nasa.gov/education/sciencewow/.
National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Undergraduate Program
The National Science Foundation is seeking proposals for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Undergraduate Program. HBCU-UP is committed to enhancing the quality of undergraduate STEM education and research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as a means to broaden participation in the nation’s STEM workforce. HBCU-UP realizes this purpose by providing awards to develop, implement, and study innovative models and approaches for making dramatic improvements in the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may participate successfully in graduate programs and/or careers in STEM disciplines.
HBCU-UP provides support for a variety of opportunities. These include:
Targeted Infusion Projects, Broadening Participation Research Projects, Implementation Projects, and Achieving Competitive Excellence Implementation Projects: These projects aim to support efforts that increase STEM participation at HBCUs. See the website for individual project descriptions. The deadline to submit a required notice of intent for these projects is Sept. 6, 2016. Full proposals are due Nov. 22, 2016.
Broadening Participation Research Centers: These centers represent the collective intelligence of HBCU STEM higher education and serve as the national hubs for the rigorous study and broad dissemination of the critical pedagogies and culturally sensitive interventions that contribute to the success of HBCUs in educating African-American STEM undergraduates. Centers are expected to conduct research on STEM education and broadening participation in STEM; perform outreach to HBCUs to build capacity for conducting this type of research; and work to transfer and disseminate promising participation-broadening research to enhance STEM education and research outcomes for African-American undergraduates across the country. The preliminary proposal deadline for this opportunity is March 21, 2017. Full proposals are due Nov. 22, 2017.
For more information on the overall Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Undergraduate Program, visit http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5481.
Please direct questions about these opportunities to Claudia Rankins at crankins@nsf.gov and Andrea Johnson at andjohns@nsf.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 and open house events will be held each month through October 2016. Tours are free for groups and individuals, but reservations are required to guarantee admission. Visitor parking is also free.
On the days of the tours, a 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 a stop at Glenn’s Gift Shop follows the tour.
Glenn’s 2016 Tour Schedule
Sept. 10, 2016 — Vibration Testing: Join us on a tour of Glenn’s Structural Dynamics Laboratory, where things get shaken to verify their survivability. Several experiments that currently are operating on the International Space Station were tested in this lab.
Sept. 17, 2016 — Historic District Tour: Join us on a free tour of Glenn’s newly established historic district. The tour will feature the Zero Gravity Research Facility, a National Historic Landmark that was built in the 1960s and is still used for research today.
Oct. 1, 2016 — Prepare for Impact: Come explore Glenn’s Ballistic Impact Facility. See the laboratory that helped to identify the cause of the space shuttle Columbia accident and to return NASA’s shuttle fleet to flight.
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.
Please direct questions about the tours to Sheila Reese at sheila.d.reese@nasa.gov.
Center for Astronomy Education Regional Teaching Exchanges and Workshops — Fall/Winter 2016-2017
NASA’s Center for Astronomy Education, or CAE, announces a series of regional teaching exchanges and workshops for astronomy and space science educators.
Teaching exchanges foster a sense of community among geographically linked current and future college instructors of astronomy. Regional experts from the broader CAE community are ready to provide the opportunity for you to meet your neighbors, expand your instructional repertoire and share your own expertise.
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.
Sept. 10, 2016 — Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York
CAE Northeast Regional Teaching Exchange
Sept. 24, 2016 — Seattle University in Seattle, Washington
CAE Northwest Regional Teaching Exchange
Sept. 24, 2016 — Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina
CAE Southeast Regional Teaching Exchange
Jan. 4, 2017 — Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas
CAE Tier I Teaching Excellence Workshop — New Methods for Teaching About Exoplanets
Jan. 5, 2017 — Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas
CAE Tier I Teaching Excellence Workshop — New Methods for Teaching in the Flipped Classroom
For more information and to register for the teaching exchanges, visit http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops/index.cfm.
Inquiries about this series of events should be directed to Gina Brissenden at gbrissenden@as.arizona.edu.
CAE is funded through NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Exoplanet Exploration Program.
NASA’s Digital Learning Network Event — Live From Juno: Exploring Jupiter
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 http://www.nasa.gov/dln.
Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles and Blankets Available for Educational Use
NASA invites U.S. educational institutions to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles, space shuttle thermal protective blankets, and other special items offered on a first-come, first-serve basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.
Nonprofit museums, libraries and planetariums (sponsored through their respective State Agency Surplus Property, or SASP, organization) are also eligible to make requests. Visit the link below for special instructions to request items. To find the contact information for the SASP representative for your area, visit http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/100851.
A nominal shipping fee 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.
Please direct questions about this opportunity to GSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov.
Free Education Webinar Series From the GOES-R Education Proving Ground
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.
2016 NASA Kennedy Space Center Community Day
NASA is hosting its annual NASA Kennedy Space Center Community Day at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Sept. 17, 2016, with free admission from 2-6 p.m. EDT.
The event, targeted for K-12 students and their families, will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, with the theme “Express to Mars.” Educational activities and demonstrations will highlight the future of America’s space program. Community Day will give visitors the opportunity to talk with real-life astronauts and engage in awesome experiments, cool demonstrations, and fun hands-on activities.
For more information, visit https://twitter.com/NASA_KETI and https://www.facebook.com/nasaketi.
Please direct questions about the event to KSC-KETI-program@mail.nasa.gov.
GLOBE El Niño Field Campaign and Webinar Series
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.
2017 BIG Idea Challenge
NASA’s Game Changing Development Program and the National Institute of Aerospace announce the 2017 Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing Idea Challenge. The BIG Idea Challenge invites teams and their faculty advisors to work together to design and analyze potential modular concepts and systems that provide the ability to construct large solar electric propulsion, or SEP, tugs in space that can transfer payloads for low Earth orbit to a lunar distant retrograde orbit. Concepts can employ new approaches for packaging modules in one or more launch vehicles that minimize launch loads; modular (distributed) solar arrays and ion engines; and robust robotic assembly (joining) of the modules that form the SEP tug.
Interested teams of three to five undergraduate and/or graduate students will submit proposals (eight to10 pages) describing their BIG Idea. Based on a review of the proposals, four teams will be selected to submit full technical papers and present their concepts to a panel of NASA judges at the 2017 BIG Idea Forum at NASA’s Langley Research Center on Feb. 15 and 16, 2017, in Hampton, Virginia.
The final four qualifying teams will receive a $6,000 stipend to facilitate participation in the BIG Idea Forum. The winning team will receive offers to participate in paid internships with the Game Changing Development team at Langley Research Center where they can work toward further developing their concept under the mentorship of NASA experts.
Interested teams are encouraged to submit a notice of intent by Sept 30, 2016, and teams must submit proposals by Nov. 30, 2016.
For full competition details, including design constraints and submission guidelines, please visit http://BigIdea.nianet.org.
If you have any questions about the competition, please contact BigIdea@nianet.org.
Call for Submissions — NASA Announcement for High Impact / Broad Implementation STEM Education Partnerships (EDUCATION01SP16)
The NASA Headquarters Office of Education, in cooperation with the agency’s four mission directorates, nine center education offices, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory education office, announces this competition to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Responses must be submitted electronically via the NASA data system NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com).
NASA Education seeks to partner with eligible domestic or international organizations on a no-exchange-of-funds basis to reach wider and more diverse audiences and to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. The announcement places a priority on collaboration involving the following: digital learning; engaging underrepresented groups in STEM; NASA-themed STEM challenges; and youth-serving organizations. NASA also is receptive to other creative ideas including, for example, investigations or application of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and design, or STEAMD; or activities culturally relevant to or focused on populations underrepresented in STEM careers, such as women, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. The announcement explains the criteria used to review responses and NASA’s partnership mechanism known as a no-exchange-of-funds or nonreimbursable Space Act Agreement.
NASA will accept responses on a rolling basis through Dec. 31. 2017.
For more information about this opportunity, visit NSPIRES at http://go.nasa.gov/1RZwWCi.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please direct your questions to the Points of Contact listed within the NASA announcement.
Searchable Portals for Federally Sponsored Opportunities for STEM Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Are you an undergraduate or graduate student seeking opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)? The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science — in collaboration with the participating agencies in the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) and the Science.gov Alliance — has launched a search portal for both students and universities to discover federally sponsored STEM education training and funding opportunities.
Student users can search the site for opportunities they can apply to directly, such as research internships and fellowships. Likewise, universities can search the site for federal funding opportunities to establish innovative training programs for undergraduates or graduate students.
Users can search the site through faceted searching capabilities for characteristics such as program type, STEM discipline, institution location, federal sponsor, and eligibility. Or they can search through the open text option.
For programs and opportunities for undergraduates, visit http://stemundergrads.science.gov/.
For graduate programs and opportunities, visit http://stemgradstudents.science.gov/.
