Status Report

NASA Education Express Message — July 14, 2016

By SpaceRef Editor
July 14, 2016
Filed under , ,

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: July 14, 2016, at 6 p.m. EDT

 

2016 Educator Professional Development Workshops at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Audience: 5-12 Educators

Next Workshop Date: July 20, 2016

 

Call for Proposals: NASA Space Technology Research Institutes

Audience: Accredited U.S. Universities

Preliminary Proposal Deadline: July 28, 2016

 

NASA Swarmathon: Seeking College Teams for Swarming Robotics Competition!

Audience: Higher Education Faculty and Students at Minority Serving Universities and Minority Serving Community Colleges

Application Deadline: Aug. 1, 2016

 

Celebrate World Space Week 2016

Audience: All Educators 

Event Date: Oct. 4-10, 2016

 

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PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…

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Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series

Audience: All Educators and Students

Event Dates: July 14, July 21 and August 12, 2016

 

2016 von Kármán Lecture Series — Attend in Person or View Online

Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education 

Next Lecture Date: July 14, 2016, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)

 

U.S. Department of Education Accepting Applications for Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-up and Validation Competitions

Application Deadline: July 15, 2016

 

Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles and Blankets Available for Educational Use

Audience: Educational Institutions, Museums and Other Education Organizations

 

Call for Proposals — Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program

Audience: Higher Education and Informal Education Institutions

Proposal Deadline: July 21, 2016

 

National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Undergraduate Program

Audience: Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Research Initiation Awards — Notice of Intent Deadline: July 26, 2016

Various Projects — Notice of Intent Deadline: Sept. 6, 2016

Broadening Participation Research Centers — Preliminary Proposal Deadline: March 21, 2017

 

Teacher Professional Development Programs at the NASTAR Center

Audience: K-12 Educators

Workshop Dates: Multiple dates through July 28, 2016

 

Call for Papers: NASA in the ‘Long’ Civil Rights Movement Symposium

Audience: Academics, Graduate Students and Independent Scholars

Abstract Submission Deadline: July 31, 2016

Symposium Dates: March 16-17, 2017

 

‘CineSpace’ Short Film Competition

Audience: All Educators and Students 

Entry Deadline: July 31, 2016

 

Future Engineers ‘Think Outside the Box’ Challenge

Audience: K-12 Educators and Students

Entry Deadline: Aug. 1, 2016

 

2016 Summer Professional Development Workshops at Wallops Educator Resource Center

Audience: K-12 Educators

Workshop Dates: Aug. 8-9, 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

 

New YouTube Kids Playlist — The Solar System and Beyond: Kids Edition

Audience: All Educators and Students

 

Searchable Portals for Federally Sponsored Opportunities for STEM Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Audience: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students and Higher Education Institutions

 

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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 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.

 

Engineering Your Summer — Technology Drives Exploration: NASA Engineering Design 101

Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12

Event Date: July 14, 2016, at 6 p.m. EDT

Explore the engineering design process and ways to apply it in the classroom using NASA design challenges and other NASA STEM resources that incorporate real-world problem-solving. Engineering design is a common topic across each grade level in the Next Generation Science Standards and an important concept in understanding the world around us. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/187398

 

Engineering Your Summer — Technology Drives Exploration: Assessing Student Work During an Engineering Design Challenge

Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-12

Event Date: July 18, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

This webinar will give an overview of assessment strategies and resources from NASA for classroom engineering design projects. Participants will discuss specific applications of these strategies. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/182887

 

Engineering Your Summer — Technology Drives Exploration: NASA BEST GPIM

Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12

Event Date: July 19, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. EDT

Explore the NASA Beginning Engineering Science and Technology, or BEST, curriculum. Learn about the Green Propellant Infusion Mission and how to use the engineering design process to build a satellite and test green propellant. Participants will learn about current research at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/189953

 

Climate Change Webinar 2: Educational Global Climate Modeling Project

Audience: Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12

Event Date: July 20, 2016, at 4 p.m. EDT

In Part 2 of this webinar series, participants will continue an overview of climate change models and research, as well as STEM resources from NASA to implement in the classroom. Register online to participate. https://www.etouches.com/181748

 

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

 

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2016 Educator Professional Development Workshops at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

 

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is hosting a series of one-day educator professional development workshops to connect educators with NASA research, technology and real-world STEM application. Workshops will include segments with NASA subject matter experts in science, engineering and technology. Participants will collaborate on ways to use the information in classroom settings and will learn how to access NASA’s work to spur cause-and-effect creative thinking among learners.

 

All workshops begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. EDT. Participants must be U.S. citizens. 

 

Earth Science: Matter and Its Interactions

Workshop Date: July 20, 2016

Gain insight from scientists and engineers on the phases of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Workshop activities will include information on planning and carrying out observations to answer questions related to matter and its interactions. Participants will also work with data addressing the states of matter and decide how to apply that information to develop activities and projects to use in the classroom.

 

Engineering Design Process

Workshop Date: July 26, 2016

Explore the engineering design process with a NASA engineer and scientist. Learn how possible solutions to a problem are limited by constraints such as available materials and resources. Discuss and reflect on ways to use the design process to tap into students’ problem-solving skills and creativity. See how easy it is to integrate the design process into hands-on activities.

 

Atmosphere Science: Ozone

Workshop Date: July 28, 2016

NASA’s goal in Earth science is to observe, understand and model the Earth system to discover how it is changing, to better predict change, and to understand the consequences for life on Earth. Participants will learn about the science and engineering practices affecting the environment that are related to land, ocean, air and even outer space.

 

Climate

Workshop Date: Aug. 3, 2016

Learn about Earth’s major systems: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. NASA scientists are studying Earth’s systems dynamics and will share their research on how these systems interact to affect Earth’s surface material and processes. Participants will then develop activities related to the scientists’ research on how the ocean variability can influence ecosystems, landforms, climate and weather.

 

Planetary Science: NASA in Motion

Workshop Date: Aug. 4, 2016

Learn about “Forces and Interactions” and take part in experience-based learning for educators about NASA’s work in the context of the gravitational forces of Earth. NASA scientists will be speaking to participants, who will then collaborate on ways to teach students to argue from evidence and use “cause and effect” thinking to identify and explain change related to gravitational forces.

 

Each workshop is limited to 50 participants. Early registration is encouraged. 

 

For complete workshop details and registration information, visit http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/2016workshops/.

 

If you have additional questions about the workshops, contact Kim West at (202) 861-1260, x5566.

 

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Call for Proposals: NASA Space Technology Research Institutes

 

With its addition of Space Technology Research Institutes — larger, multidisciplinary, university-led research efforts — NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is seeking proposals from universities to complement the individual research grants and projects already offered in its programs.

 

The STRI construct enables coordination of experts from a wide range of fields and organizations in a single distributed research structure. For research areas of overlapping interest, this approach could significantly increase partnerships between NASA, other government agencies, industry and academia. This cooperation could enable greater progress and benefit all involved.

 

STRIs will strengthen NASA’s ties to the academic community through long-term investment in research and technology development critical to the space agency’s future. The research institutes have the potential to increase the cadre of STMD researchers by involving experts and/or organizations that do not typically work closely with NASA. Their different perspectives and new approaches could lead to exciting new solutions and advances.

 

STRIs also will enhance the capabilities of U.S. universities and improve their contributions to meet the needs of NASA’s science and technology programs. These investments will also create and nurture the talent base of highly skilled engineers, scientists and technologists to improve the technological and economic competitiveness of the United States.

 

Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals to this solicitation. The proposal principal investigator or STRI director must be a tenured faculty member or untenured, tenure-track faculty member in an engineering or science department at the lead university.

 

The submission process will have two steps:

(1) Preliminary proposals are mandatory. (Submission of subsequent full proposals will be by invitation only.) Preliminary proposals are due July 28, 2016.

(2) Based on the review of preliminary proposals, invitations to submit full proposals are expected on Aug. 18.

 

The full solicitation schedule may be found in the Appendix. STMD expects to make up to two awards, each valued up to $15 million over the five-year period of performance.

 

For more information, visit http://go.nasa.gov/29kNnNB.

 

Questions about this opportunity should be directed to hq-stmd-stri@mail.nasa.gov.

 

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NASA Swarmathon: Seeking College Teams for Swarming Robotics Competition!

 

The NASA Swarmathon is now accepting applications for the 2017 NASA Swarmathon Physical Competition. Selected teams will receive $5,000 in robot kits, a $1,000 stipend for their faculty member, and the chance to compete against teams from across the nation. The top scoring team will receive a $5,000 prize.

 

The Swarmathon will challenge students to develop search algorithms for robotic swarms, and these algorithms will be tested in a competition 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 Aug. 1, 2016.

 

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

 

Please direct questions about the NASA Swarmathon to Info@NASASwarmathon.com.

 

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Celebrate World Space Week 2016

 

Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate the United Nations-declared World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2016. 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 70 nations. During World Space Week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed activities to excite students about science and technology. 

 

Participating is easy. Visit the World Space Week website to find educational resources to use in the classroom. Share your own lessons and events to get maximum recognition for your school. After your events, visit the website to share details and lessons learned.

 

To learn more about World Space Week, visit http://www.worldspaceweek.org.

 

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PREVIOUSLY PROMOTED OPPORTUNITIES…

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Astronomy and Night Sky Summer Series

 

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

 

Events are scheduled on Thursday, July 14, 2016; Thursday, July 21, 2016; and Friday, August 12, 2016 (Perseid Meteor Shower).

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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2016 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, shares the excitement of the space program’s missions, instruments and other technologies.

 

Lectures take place twice per month, on consecutive Thursdays and Fridays. The Thursday lectures take place in JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Auditorium, and Friday lectures take place at Pasadena City College’s Vosloh Forum. Both start at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT). Admission and parking are free for all lectures. No reservations are required, but seating is limited. The Thursday evening lectures are streamed live for viewing online. Archives of past lectures are also available online.

 

Next Lecture in the Series:

 

To Boldly Go … Well, You Know: NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt

Event Date: July 14 and July 15, 2016, at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT)

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2016&month=7

Launched in 2007, the Dawn mission completed a spectacular exploration of Vesta in 2011-12 and arrived in orbit around Ceres last year. These massive residents of the asteroid belt hold clues that are helping scientists understand the dawn of the solar system. Join Dr. Marc Rayman, mission director and chief engineer for the Dawn mission, for a discussion about Vesta, Ceres and the ion propulsion that is allowing Dawn to study them.

 

For more information about the Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series, including a complete list of upcoming lectures, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures.php.

 

Questions about this series should be directed to http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/contact_JPL.php.

 

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U.S. Department of Education Accepting Applications for Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-up and Validation Competitions

 

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking applications for the Investing in Innovation, or i3, Scale-up and Validation competitions. These grant competitions seek to provide competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement and attainment in order to expand the implementation of and investment in innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement or student growth, closing achievement gaps, decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates.

 

These grants will (1) allow eligible entities to expand and develop innovative practices that can serve as models of best practices; (2) allow eligible entities to work in partnership with the private sector and the philanthropic community; and (3) identify and document best practices that can be shared and taken to scale based on demonstrated success.

 

The deadline for submittal of applications for both the Scale-up and Validation competitions is July 15, 2016.

 

For more information about these grant opportunities, please visit http://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/innovation/investing-in-innovation-i3/fy-2016-competition/

 

Please direct questions about these opportunities to Kelly Terpak at i3@ed.gov.

 

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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.

 

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Call for Proposals — Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program

 

NASA is seeking proposals for a new program as part of the NASA Research Announcement “Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2016.” The Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program’s primary goal is to develop and implement capabilities to use contributions from the public to advance understanding of Earth as a system. The program will complement NASA’s observation of Earth from space, air, land and water by engaging the public in NASA’s mission. The program will advance the use of citizen science in scientific research about Earth by directly supporting citizen science activities, as well as by developing technology to further citizen science research.

 

Through this solicitation, two types of proposals are sought — citizen science research and low-cost sensor deployment for the collection of well-calibrated citizen science data.

 

Proposals are due July 21, 2016.

 

For more information, visit http://go.nasa.gov/1SUOO63

 

Questions concerning this program element may be directed to Kevin Murphy at kevin.j.murphy@nasa.gov.

 

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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:

 

Research Initiation Awards: These awards provide support for STEM faculty at HBCUs to pursue new research at the home institution, an NSF-funded research center, a research-intensive institution or a national laboratory. The deadline to submit a required notice of intent for a Research Initiation Award is July 26, 2016. Full proposals are due Oct. 4, 2016.

 

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.

 

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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 through July 28, 2016. To see a full list of workshop dates 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.

 

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Call for Papers: NASA in the ‘Long’ Civil Rights Movement Symposium

 

The History Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Department of History at the University of Alabama Huntsville invite academics, graduate students and independent scholars to submit proposals for papers to be presented at a two-day symposium, March 16-17, 2017. The symposium will take place at the University of Alabama Huntsville and will address the role/relationship of NASA to the “Long” Civil Rights Movement, particularly in, but not limited to, the Deep South (Huntsville, Florida, Houston, Mississippi and New Orleans).

 

The conceptual framework for the symposium is provided by Jacquelyn Dowd Hall’s 2005 essay in theJournal of American History, “The Long Civil Rights Movement and the Political Uses of the Past,” which called upon historians to produce new “modes of writing and speaking that emphasize individual agency … while also dramatizing the hidden history of politics and institutions.” Along these lines, the conference welcomes papers addressing the Civil Rights experience across NASA that not only explore the experience of African Americans, but also of women, immigrants and other politically/legally marginalized groups. The intention is to publish a subset of the papers as an anthology.

 

Those interested in presenting a paper at the symposium should send an abstract of no more than 400 words and a short biography or curriculum vita, including affiliation, to Brian Odom at brian.c.odom@nasa.gov or Dr. Stephen Waring at warings@uah.edu by July 31, 2016

 

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/call-for-papers-nasa-in-the-long-civil-rights-movement-symposium-university-of-alabama.html.

 

Please direct questions about this opportunity to Brian Odom at brian.c.odom@nasa.gov.

 

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‘CineSpace’ Short Film Competition

 

NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society once again will offer filmmakers around the world a chance to share their works inspired by — and using — actual NASA imagery through “CineSpace,” a short-film competition.

 

Films featuring NASA-captured imagery and video collected throughout the agency’s 50-year history will be judged on creativity, innovation and attention to detail. Works submitted to “CineSpace” will compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to be shown to audiences both on and off Earth. In addition to being screened at the “CineSpace” awards ceremony during the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, winners and finalists may be screened at other film festivals across the country, as well as on NASA TV and even on the International Space Station.

 

“CineSpace” is open to all filmmakers, both professional and aspiring. The competition will accept submissions of all genres, including narrative, documentary, comedy, drama, animation, experimental and others, of up to 10 minutes running time. Entries must use at least 10 percent publically available NASA imagery.

 

The submission period opens June 1, 2016, and closes July 31, 2016. Finalists and winners will be announced at a “CineSpace” event during the Houston Cinema Arts Festival in November. Entries will be competing for $26,000 in prizes with cash awards going to the top three submissions as well as the two films that best demonstrate the themes “Benefits of Space to Humanity” and “Future Space Exploration.”

 

For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/cinespace-short-film-competition-returns-for-2016

 

Please direct questions about this competition to cinespace@cinemartsociety.org.

 

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Future Engineers ‘Think Outside the Box’ Challenge

 

To celebrate the launch of the first-ever expandable habitat to the International Space Station (Bigelow Aerospace’s BEAM) and the launch of the first-ever commercial 3-D printer in space (Made In Space’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility), NASA and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers Foundation are challenging students to think outside the box with 3-D printing — literally. If you are a K-12 student in the United States, your challenge is to design a useful object that assembles, telescopes, hinges, accordions, grows, or expands to become larger than the printing bounds of the Advanced Manufacturing Facility 3-D printer in space (14cm length by 10cm width by 10cm height). The function of your assembled or expanded item can be anything you think would be useful for an astronaut living on the International Space Station. 

 

The ‘Out of the Box’ Challenge is the fourth in a series of challenges where students in grades K-12 will create and submit a digital 3-D model of an object 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 on the site that parents and educators can use to get kids designing today. 

 

Think big. Think outside of the box! And good luck! 

 

Entries must be submitted by Aug. 1, 2016.

 

For more information about the challenge and to watch the launch video, go to www.futureengineers.org/thinkoutsidethebox

 

Please email questions about this competition to info@futureengineers.org.

 

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2016 Summer Professional Development Workshops at Wallops Educator Resource Center

 

The Educator Resource Center at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is hosting a series of free summer professional development workshops for educators. Learn about these upcoming workshops: 

 

NASA’s BEST (3-8 Educators)

Workshop Date: Aug. 8-9, 2016

Learn about the NASA’s Beginning Engineering, Science and Technology program during this two-day workshop. NASA BEST brings the principles of engineering alive to younger audiences, and the content is great for supplementing curricula. 

 

Each workshop is limited to 20 participants. Early registration is encouraged. 

 

Contact Samuel Henry at samuel.s.henry@nasa.gov for complete workshop details and registration information.

 

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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.

 

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New YouTube Kids Playlist — The Solar System and Beyond: Kids Edition

 

Ready for liftoff? NASA has launched a new kids playlist of our videos that journey into the solar system and beyond on the YouTube Kids App. Learn something new about your celestial neighborhood! 

 

Explore this new playlist here: https://kids.youtube.com/.

 

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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/.

 

 

SpaceRef staff editor.