EDUCATION: NEWS & TIPS
NASA STEM Engagement News:https://www.nasa.gov/stem/news.html
JPL Education News:https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news
Attention Educators (Part 1)! The National Air and Space Museum in conducting a Teacher Innovator Institute this Summer. It’s a two-week, two-year program at little cost to you if accepted, July 7-18, 2025 and July 13-24, 2026. For more information, see: https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/professional-development/teacher-innovator-institute!
Attention Educators (Part 2)! Palomar Observatory has an immediate opening for a new Public Events Coordinator. Find out more about the position here: https://phf.tbe.taleo.net/phf03/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?rid=10110&org=CALTECH&cws=37!
Attention K-12 Students! NASA is running its “Power to Explore Student Essay Challenge for 2025,” and you can compete. NASA spacecraft in the outer Solar System are too far from the Sun to operate on solar power. Instead, NASA uses a “radioisotope thermal generator” for spacecraft power (find out more about RTGs here). Your task is to select any moon in the outer Solar System and make a case for its exploration, justifying the use of a Radioisotope Power System. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information on the contest, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/power-to-explore!
NEW! Make Your Own Paper Models of Spacecraft: You can download and print pdf files with instructions and templates to produce 3-D models of Chandra, Compton, Fermi, the HST, and even the JWST and more! Learning retention increases with making such things! See: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/universe-spacecraft-paper-models. These make great (grand)parent-child projects!
TEACHERS: The My NASA Data website has a LOT of mini-lessons to support your classroom instruction in the natural sciences! See: https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov!
Smithsonian Educational Programs for Early Learners!Smithsonian Magazine recently posted a piece about 13 innovative programs for early learners at downtown DC’s SI Units. There are a number of wonderful opportunities for helping visiting families inspire the children’s learning. I’m personally familiar with the National Air and Space Museum’s “Flights of Fancy Story Time’ (offered at both NASM sites, downtown and the Udvar-Hazy Center) and “Soar Together at Air and Space.” Check out the Magazine’s article here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-education/2024/05/07 ; it contains links to get more information about specific programs. [Congratulations to A and D!]
Student Built CubeSat Scores! Ireland’s first-ever satellite was built by students at the University of Dublin, and launched last December. EIRSAT-1 was designed, built, and tested under the guidance of ESA Education Division’s “Fly Your Satellite” program. EIRSAT-1 carries several instruments, including a gamma ray detector. On August 21, 2024, it detected two gamma ray bursts 80 seconds apart. Other spacecraft and ground-based assets confirmed the observation, and more detailed study determined the likely cause was a merger of two neutron stars over 3 billion light-years away. Now THAT’s a cool student project!
Celebrate the Heliophysics Big Year with Free Heliophysics and Math Webinars from NASA! Find out more at: https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/celebrate-the-heliophysics-big-year-with-free-heliophysics-and-math-webinars-from-nasa-heat.
Attention Teachers and Learners of all Ages! Check out the following information and resource!
RocketSTEM website for all sorts of astronomy and Space exploration information and educational materials: https://www.rocketstem.org!
The Astronomical League website is a good resource, especially for info relating to backyard astronomy: https://www.astroleague.org/outreach.
NASA’s Engagement Platform brings experts to classrooms and communities; see: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-engagement-platform-brings-experts-to-classrooms-communities.
NASA’s Universe of Learning: NASA’s Astrophysics missions are the theme for the Universe of Learning program, which “connects the public to the data, discoveries, and experts that span NASA’s Astrophysics missions. Our team is made up of scientists, engineers, and educators who have direct connections to these missions.” The program has projects and events “designed to inspire engagement and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Once learners get started, they often return to unlock more secrets of the universe – and perhaps even chart their own path to become a scientist or an engineer.” Find out more about this program here: https://www.universe-of-learning.org/about-us. Check it out with your students, (grand)children, and friends!
STEM Education as a Path to a Productive Career: Many career paths are open to the student who becomes proficient in STEM topics. Many paths lead to Academia, but that is not the only area in which to have a rewarding career. STEM also leads to business, military, advocacy, and other areas not intimately-related to STEM.
The American Geophysical Union publication, EOS, has an article about seventeen examples of how a STEM background allowed people to pursue their career dreams in a variety of fields.
This is really good info to share with a young person old enough to ponder their future!
For a summary, see here; for the article itself, see here.
The “NASA at Home” web pages have e-books, podcasts, virtual tours, and more: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/nasaathome/index.html. Also, check out ten NASA STEM learning activities you can do with you (grand)children!
NASA’s Radio JOVE Project: Build your own radio telescope, share your observations, and learn more about Jupiter – see: https://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov!
The Juno mission page is here; “Radio JOVE,” with a project and lesson plans is here.
Lowell Observatory Videos: Lowell Observatory, in Flagstaff, Arizona, has a library of interesting and informative videos for those interested in Astronomy, and even a set of Science Challenges for Kids. Check them out at: https://lowell.edu/discover/image-video-library.