[Gomaeen] Educational Resources: September 2007 NASA Earth and Space Science Education E-News
Tami Wells
NASA Earth and Space Science Education E-News
September 2007
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/education/edreports/index.html
This monthly broadcast includes upcoming educational programs, events,
opportunities and the latest resources from NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
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subject.
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Questions or comments? Email them to esenew...@strategies.org.
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UPCOMING PROGRAMS/EVENTS
(1) NASA Town Hall Meeting Planned for September ASP Conference (Sept. 6)
(2) MS PHD Professional Development Program (Application deadline: Sept. 10)
(3) NASA Exploring Space Challenges (Registration now open)
(4) "To the Moon" Online Graduate Course for Educators (Sept. 24-Nov. 19)
(5) Great World Wide Star Count (Oct. 1-15)
(6) SOFIA Vision to 2020: Scientific and Technological Opportunities
(Abstract deadline: Sept. 30)
(7) International Space University's 2008 Symposium (Abstracts due: Oct. 5)
(8) Earth Science Week 2007: the Pulse of Earth Science
(9) Remembering the Space Age: 50th Anniversary Conference (Register by Oct.
5)
(10) POLAR-PALOOZA National Tour - October & November Events
(11) NASA Sponsors 2008 Odyssey of the Mind Problem
(12) Farewell to NASA SMD Einstein Fellow Liz Burck
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
(13) AMNH Science Bulletins - Gamma-Ray Bursts: Flashes in the Sky
(14) Educator Astronaut and NEEMO Aquanaut Podcast
(15) Web Page, Video Gives Educators an In-Depth Look at Hurricanes (16)
NASA Earth Science Explorers Series: The Thrills and Chills of Ice
(17) Earth Observatory - Science Blog: Expedition to Siberia
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SCIENCE NEWS
(18) Hurtling Toward Mars
(19) Scientists Verify Predictive Model for Winter Weather
(20) NASA Eyes Current Sea Surface Temperatures for Hurricanes
(21) Record Low Arctic Sea Ice Extent Forecasted for 2007
(22) Basil Orbits Earth
(23) A Star with a Comet's Tail
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CALENDAR
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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UPCOMING PROGRAMS/EVENTS
(1) NASA TOWN HALL MEETING PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER ASP CONFERENCE
The 2007 Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) conference will be held
September 5-7, in Chicago and is being co-hosted with the Adler Planetarium.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will hold a Town Hall meeting at
the conference, from 5:00-6:00 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 6.
The session, open to all conference participants, will be an informal
meeting where NASA SMD Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) representatives
will give the latest updates and information on the SMD E/PO portfolio and
answer questions from the community.
For more information about the ASP conference, go to:
http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html.
(2) MS PHD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Application deadline: Sept. 10, 2007
Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System
Science Professional Development Program (MS PHD'S PDP)R provides
professional development experiences to facilitate the advancement of
undergraduate and graduate underrepresented minority students who are
committed to achieving outstanding Earth system science careers.
Applications are now being accepted. Participants will engage in a series
of science exposure, professional development and virtual community building
activities that include participation in two professional society meetings,
web-based discussions and workshops, and a capstone event hosted by the
National Academies, NSF, NASA, NOAA and EPA.
Phase I of the Professional Development Program will be held December
8th-14th in San Francisco, CA, in conjunction with the 2007 Fall American
Geophysical Union meeting.
Mentor and student participant applications are available at
http://www.msphds.usf.edu.
(3) NASA EXPLORING SPACE CHALLENGES
Registration Now Open
Turn your students into hurricane CSIs or lunar explorers with this year's
NASA Exploring Space Challenges! The NASA ESC encourages students to be
creative, apply design skills, conduct scientific research and utilize
technology. Three student Challenges and one teacher Challenge are now open
for registration. Visit http://esc.nasa.gov for more information or email
nasa...@nasa.gov.
The teacher competition invites teachers - working alone or in groups - to
design a Challenge around a polar theme. Judges will select the best
Challenge(s) per each grade category (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). The winning
teacher Challenge(s) will be used as a NASA ESC during the 2008-2009 school
year, in celebration of the 2007-2009 International Polar Year.
In order to participate you have to register, and registration deadlines for
the different challenges are coming up soon:
--Hurricanes (Grade Category: 6-8): Register by Sept. 30, 2007
--Habitat Moon (Grade Category: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12): Register by Sept. 2, 2007
--Moon Math (Grade Category: 5-8): Register by Sept. 30
--Teacher Challenge - International Polar Year (Teachers of grades K-2, 3-5,
6-8, and 9-12): Dec. 30, 2007
(4) "TO THE MOON" ONLINE GRADUATE COURSE
Sept. 24 - Nov. 19, 2007
During the next 14 months four new spacecraft will be placed in orbit around
the Moon. These spacecraft come from four different countries: Japan, India,
China and the USA. The excitement and continuing news about this new age of
Moon exploration will create enhanced learning opportunities for science
education. Will you be ready? "To the Moon" is an 8-week graduate level
two-credit course to bring knowledge of these missions and the Moon together
with relevant best practices in science education and public outreach (EPO).
The new course is offered entirely online and thus is conveniently available
to teachers, faculty, interested scientists, planetarium and science center
workers, NASA outreach staff, graduate students, after-school educators, the
media and anyone else who wants to use the excitement of Moon exploration to
enhance learning by students and the public. The course is team-taught and
led by lunar scientist and educator Dr Charles Wood from the NASA-Sponsored
Classroom of the Future at Wheeling Jesuit University. For more information
and to enroll visit https://moon-edu.wikispaces.com/.
(5) Great World Wide Star Count
Oct. 1-15, 2007
Students and adults are invited to count the stars in the evening sky from
Oct. 1-15, 2007, and report their results online. This inaugural "Windows
After Dark" event (part of the Windows to the Universe project) is designed
to raise awareness about light pollution and encourage learning in
astronomy. All the information needed to participate will be available on
the Star Count Website. At the conclusion of the event, the submitted data
will be analyzed and a map will be generated highlighting the results. Mark
your calendars and plan on joining thousands of other students, families,
and citizen scientists counting stars this October! For more information,
go to: http://www.starcount.org or contact starcou...@ucar.edu.
(6) SOFIA VISION TO 2020: SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES
Dec. 6-8, 2007, Pasadena, Calif.
Abstract deadline: Sept. 30, 2007
The Stratospheric Observatory for Far Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) will
provide new scientific and technological opportunities in the next decade.
As the science and the instruments of astrophysics change, SOFIA will remain
a unique suborbital platform to provide fast and reliable access for
implementation of the new observation programs and instrumentation.
The focus of the workshop is the vision for SOFIA in the 2010 - 2020
timeframe and the implications for future instruments and associated
technologies. The workshop's conclusions will be summarized in a written
report.
Oral and poster presentations will be given focusing on both science and
technology in all areas relevant to SOFIA future, including: astrophysics
instrumentations, solar system imaging and polarimetry, extra-solar planets,
star formation, interstellar medium, and galaxy formation and evolution.
The registration and abstract submission will be available at:
http://www.sofia-vision.caltech.edu/.
(7) INTERNATIONAL SPACE UNIVERSITY'S 2008 SYMPOSIUM
Abstracts Due Oct. 5, 2007
The 2008 International Space University's 2008 conference, "Space Solutions
to Earth's Global Challenges," will be held Feb. 20-22, 2008 at the ISU
Central Campus in Strasbourg, France. Abstracts are due Oct. 5, 2007.
Information about the symposium, including the Call for Papers, will be kept
up-to-date on the ISU website, under "Programs: Symposium," at
http://www.isunet.edu.
(8) EARTH SCIENCE WEEK 2007: THE PULSE OF EARTH SCIENCE
Celebrate Earth Science Week from Oct. 14-20, 2007. This year's theme will
focus on the status of Earth science in education and society. The theme
will also emphasize geoscience research, such as that associated with the
International Polar Year and the International Year of Planet Earth. Through
these major initiatives, Earth Science Week will help spread understanding
of the impact the Earth sciences have on humanity.
NASA is a sponsor of Earth Science Week and has contributed educational
materials to the 2007 Toolkits. To order a kit or learn more about Earth
Science Week and related educational events and contests, visit:
http://www.earthsciweek.org/.
(9) POLAR-PALOOZA NATIONAL TOUR: OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER EVENTS
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and NASA, POLAR-PALOOZA brings
the poles to life through stories told by scientists who travel to and study
the icy ends of the Earth. POLAR-PALOOZA scientists share their research
experiences via online video reports, podcasts, and in-person visits to
science centers and museums. The project's Web site
(http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/) features video clips from
research expeditions, scientist biographies, "amazing but true" facts about
the poles, classroom activities, blogs, links to webcams, and sound clips of
penguins, seals, waves and breaking ice.
POLAR-PALOOZA, the national tour, features high-energy public presentations
entitled "Stories from a Changing Planet," tales of adventure and science
told by a charismatic "cast" of characters, using HD video and authentic
props - such as a piece of ice core 2,000 years old, or a caribou parka, to
bring polar research to life; 3-day visits to each site; special programs
for schools; workshops for K-12 educators and museum volunteers; briefings
for local news media and business leaders; and camp-ins for Girl Scouts and
Boys and Girls Clubs.
To see what cities and sites will be on the national tour, go to:
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php. Following are events
planned for October and November 2007:
18-21 Oct. - San Diego, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Birch Aquarium
(Scripps), and the San Diego Museum of Natural History
22-24 Oct. - Albuquerque, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
26-28 Oct. - San Francisco, Chabot Space & Science Center and Lawrence Hall
of Science
8-10 Nov. - Tampa, Fla., Museum of Science and Industry
11-13 Nov. - Atlanta, Fernbank Science Center, DeKalb County Schools,
15-17 Nov. - Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University, Museum of Natural
Science
(10) REMEMBERING THE SPACE AGE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
Registration deadline: Oct. 5, 2007
Fifty years ago, the launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to
orbit Earth, marked the beginning of the Space Age. To celebrate this
anniversary, the NASA History Division and the National Air and Space Museum
History Division are sponsoring a conference to be held Oct. 22-23, 2007.
The conference, titled "Remembering the Space Age," will take place at the
American Association for the Advancement of Science Auditorium in
Washington, D.C. The conference is free, but registration is required.
On-site registration will be permitted, but pre-registration is encouraged.
For more information about the conference, including a conference agenda,
visit: http://www.tisconferences.com/aaas/
(11) NASA SPONSORS 2008 ODYSSEY OF THE MIND PROBLEM
For the past seven years NASA has sponsored an Odyssey of the Mind long-term
problem, reaching an estimated 2.5 million students, teachers, parents, and
coaches. The 2007 NASA problem was the most popular student choice; it was
selected by about 40% of participating teams.
In 2008, NASA will sponsor Problem 5: "The Eccentrics!" The NASA problem
challenges teams to create and present a humorous performance about three
eccentric characters that demonstrate odd behavior, peculiar mannerisms, and
unconventional dress. The performance will include a team-created "problem"
within or involving an Earth system -- the atmosphere, biosphere,
cryosphere, geosphere, or hydrosphere. The Eccentric Characters, which seem
to be misfits, will solve the problem. As a reward, a celebration is held in
their honor and they end up launching a new fad.
For more information, go to:
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/materials/2008problems.php.
To read a story about the 2007 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, go to:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/9-12/features/F_Around_the_World_O
dyssey.html.
(12) Farewell to NASA SMD Einstein Fellow Liz Burck
Liz Burton Burck has recently completed her fellowship at NASA Headquarters.
As part of the Einstein Fellowship Program, she spent the last 11 months
working with Ming Ying Wei in the Earth Science Division of the Science
Mission Directorate.
The Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship allows educators to share
their extensive knowledge and experience as classroom teachers with policy
makers and program managers in area agencies.
Although she finished her fellowship, Liz is not leaving the Einstein
program. She was hired as the new Einstein Program Manager by the Triangle
Coalition, the agency that administers the fellowship program. Using her 27
years of classroom experience along with her recent experience as an
Einstein fellow, she will work with the new class of teachers who begin
their fellowships on September 4.
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
(13) AMNH Science Bulletins - Gamma-Ray Bursts: Flashes in the Sky
Gamma-ray bursts-flashes of intense radiation in space that are often just
seconds long-were accidentally discovered in the 1960's by satellites built
to monitor nuclear bomb explosions. They've been one of the leading
astrophysical mysteries ever since. This Astro Bulletin introduces the
scientists and instruments working to unravel the origins of gamma-ray
bursts. It highlights Swift, NASA's burst-detecting satellite, and PAIRITEL,
one of a fleet of ground-based telescopes that point toward a gamma-ray
burst in response to Swift's alert to capture the afterglow before it fades.
Astrophysicists at Penn State and other institutions are analyzing these
afterglows to understand what causes the most powerful explosions known.
Watch the story here:
http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org/?sid=a.f.grb.20070703&src=b
Science Bulletins, a production of the American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH), is a video program that brings the latest developments in
astrophysics, Earth science, and other fields through documentary feature
stories about scientists in the field and regular brief research updates
using scientific visualizations and imagery. Visit:
http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org
(14) WEB PAGE, VIDEO GIVES EDUCATORS AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT HURRICANES
Educators will have the opportunity to bring a hurricane expert into their
classroom with the release of a new NASA Web page and video. For more
information, please see
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2007/2007081425515.html.
(15) EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT AND NEEMO AQUANAUT PODCAST
The NASA Student Opportunities Podcast goes underwater to interview Educator
Astronaut Ricky Arnold. On Aug. 6, 2007, Arnold and the NASA Extreme
Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO, 13 crew began a 10-day undersea
mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aquarius
Underwater Laboratory.
The crew is testing lunar exploration concepts and long-duration spaceflight
medical objectives. The mission comes at an exciting time -- while Arnold is
on Aquarius, mission specialist Barbara Morgan is making the first
spaceflight of an Educator Astronaut on the STS-118 shuttle mission. Both
missions carry with them plant growth chambers used for research related to
NASA's Engineering Design Challenge.
To hear Arnold discuss lunar exploration, NASA's Engineering Design
Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber and student involvement with the space
agency, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nso.
(16) NASA EARTH EXPLORERS SERIES: THE CHILLS AND THRILLS OF ICE
Few people know cold and ice like NASA scientist Robert Bindschadler does.
In more than a dozen research trips to Antarctica, he has slept in tents
through blizzards and bitter cold, and avoided falling into hidden cracks in
ice. What's more, he enjoys it. Read more about Bindschadler and his
exploration of ice in the latest Earth Explorers Series article at
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/education/earth_explorers/.
Anyone can be a scientist, no matter the challenges that may stand in the
way. That's the message NASA communicates through its Earth Explorers and
Space Science Explorers series, both of which appear on the NASA Web site.
In an effort to show that a science career is a worthy and attainable goal,
both series profile real-life scientists, young and old, with a variety of
backgrounds and interests. Most articles are presented in three different
versions according to reading level -- one for grades 9-12 and up, one for
grades 5-8, and one for grades K-4.
Earth Explorers
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/education/earth_explorers
Space Science Explorers
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/education/space_explorers
(17) EARTH OBSERVATORY: SCIENCE BLOG: EXPEDITION TO SIBERIA
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/SiberiaBlog/
As Earth's average temperature rises, and most rapidly in the high
latitudes, what is happening to the great northern forests of Siberia? Join
scientists from NASA and Russia's Academy of Science on an expedition down
the Kochechum River in north-central Siberia as they go in search of
answers. You can follow the expedition each day in the Earth Observatory's
first-ever science blog.
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SCIENCE NEWS
For the latest NASA Earth and space science news, visit the Science Mission
Directorate website (http://science.hq.nasa.gov/), the NASA Earth
Observatory (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov) or Science@NASA
(http://science.nasa.gov). Science@NASA stories are also available as
podcasts, as well as translated into Spanish at their sister site,
Ciencia@NASA, http://ciencia.nasa.gov/. NASA science is also regularly
featured on Earth & Sky radio shows available at http://www.earthsky.org/.
(18) HURTLING TOWARDS MARS
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/21aug_hurtlingtomars.htm
August 21-- Earth and Mars are rapidly converging. Relative speed: 22,000
mph. Contrary to rumor, Mars is not about to swell to the size of a full
Moon, but there is something eerie and Martian to look for in the night sky
next week.
(19) SCIENTISTS VERIFY PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR WINTER WEATHER
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2007/2007082025542.htm
l
August 20-- Scientists have verified the accuracy of a model that uses
October snow cover in Siberia to predict upcoming winter temperatures and
snowfall for the high- and mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
(20) NASA EYES CURRENT SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES FOR HURRICANES
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2007/sst_hurr.html
August 16-- Sea surface temperatures are one of the key ingredients for
tropical cyclone formation and they were warming up.
(21) RECORD LOW ARCTIC SEA ICE EXTENT FORECASTED FOR 2007
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2007/2007081625541.htm
l
August 16-- Researchers are now forecasting a 92 percent chance that the
2007 September minimum extent of sea ice across the Arctic region will set
an all-time record low.
(22) BASIL ORBITS EARTH
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/16aug_basil.htm
When she blasted off onboard the space shuttle last week,
teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan carried millions of basil seeds to
the ISS. Soon she'll return millions more "space seeds" for students on
Earth to study.
(23) A STAR WITH A COMET'S TAIL
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/15aug_mira.htm
August 15-- Astronomers have discovered something they've never seen before:
a star with a tail like a comet.
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CALENDAR
2 Sept. 2007
NASA Exploring Space Challenges: registration deadline for the Habitat Moon
Challenge, http://esc.nasa.gov
5-7 Sept. 2007
Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Annual Conference, Chicago, Ill.,
http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html. NASA will hold a Town Hall
meeting from 5:00-6:00 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 6.
10 Sept. 2007
Deadline for students and mentors to apply for MS PHD's Professional
Development Program, http://www.msphds.usf.edu/.
17 Sept. 2007
The Solar System and Beyond Webcast,
http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln/content/catalog/details/?cid=77.
24 Sept.-19 Nov. 2007
"To the Moon" online graduate course, https://moon-edu.wikispaces.com/.
30 Sept. 2007
NASA Exploring Space Challenges: registration deadline for Hurricanes and
Moon Math Challenges, http://esc.nasa.gov.
5 Oct. 2007
Abstracts due for 2008 International Space University (ISU) International
Symposium, http://www.isunet.edu.
14-20, Oct. 2007
2007 Earth Science Week, "The Pulse of Earth Science,"
http://www.earthsciweek.org/.
17 Oct. 2007
Public lecture series at Library of Congress: "Observing, Fighting, and
Mitigating Damage from Fires." Compton Tucker, Hydrospheric and Biospheric
Sciences Laboratory, NASA GSFC (LOC, Dining Room A, sixth floor,
Washington, DC), http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/.
18-21 Oct. 2007
San Diego: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour,
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Birch Aquarium (Scripps), and the San Diego
Museum of Natural History,
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
19 Oct. 2007
Earth Science Week IPY Videoconference, http://www.earthsciweek.org.
22-23 Oct. 2007
Remembering the Space Age: 50th Anniversary Conference,
http://www.tisconferences.com/aaas/.
22-24 Oct. 2007
Albuquerque, N.M.: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour, New
Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science,
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
26-28 Oct. 2007
San Francisco: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour,
Chabot Space & Science Center and the Lawrence Hall of Science,
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
8-10 Nov. 2007
Tampa, Fla.: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour, Museum of
Science and Industry, http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
11-13 Nov. 2007
Atlanta: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour, Fernbank
Science Center, DeKalb County Schools,
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
15-17 Nov. 2007
Baton Rouge, La.: POLAR-PALOOZA "Stories from a Changing Planet" Tour,
Louisiana State University, Museum of Natural Science,
http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp04.php.
6-8 Dec. 2007
Sofia Vision to 2020: Scientific and Technological Opportunities Workshop,
Pasadena, Calif., http://www.sofia-vision.caltech.edu/.
8-14 Dec. 2007
2007 Fall American Geophysical Union meeting, San Francisco, Calif.,
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm07/
30 Dec. 2007
NASA Exploring Space Challenges: registration deadline for the teacher
Challenge - designing a challenge related to polar science,
http://esc.nasa.gov.
31 Jan. 2008
NASA Explorer School Application Deadline,
http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/menuitem.3a9dc5f6e0302a44825
8f708c41a5ea0/.
20-22 Feb. 2008
2008 International Space University (ISU) International Symposium,
Strasbourg, France, http://www.isunet.edu.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NASA Science Mission Directorate:
Liz Burck, Larry Cooper, Doris Daou, and Ming-Ying Wei.
Editor: Theresa Schwerin, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
(IGES), theresa_...@strategies.org.
Writer: Anne McCauley, IGES, mailto:anne_m...@strategies.org.
Contributions from: Steven Brody, ISU; Marcianna Delaney, UMBC Goddard Earth
Sciences and Technology Center; Steve Graham, NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center; Geoffrey Haines-Stiles, Passport to Knowledge; Judy Martin,
Classroom of the Future; Ashanti J. Pyrtle, MS PHD; Bancha Srikacha,
American Museum of Natural History; and Dan Stillman, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies.
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