OSGC Educational Resources Blog

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland will host “Body Worlds 3″ beginning on June 7, 2007.

Experience the human body in all its elegance and complexity in this first-of-its-kind exhibition. From entire bodies in dramatic poses to side-by-side comparisons of healthy and diseased organs, Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS 3: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies is a stunning exhibition featuring over 200 authentic human specimens. See how your body’s systems relate to one another and work together to help you function and survive. View firsthand how lifestyle choices impact your health and how muscles and joints work together during athletic performance.

Visit the OMSI website for further information:
http://www.omsi.edu/visit/featured/bodyworlds/

The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) program is an excellent way for young people to experience the excitement of technical creativity and gain insights in the possibility of a a technical careers. Participating on an FLL team is a fun way to learn about mechanical design and computer programming as well as teamwork and other life skills. No previous technical or programming experience is required to join a team. The robots are programmed using a “flow chart” rather than a traditional programming language. Coaches sometimes have the help of a technical mentor to help teach the team members how to build and program a robot. Many teams combine the roles of coach and mentor in or two adults.

Teams are made up of young people from nine to fourteen years old. Teams can be organized at schools, at clubs or troops, or in neighborhoods. The main requirement is that an adult take the responsibility for registering a team and scheduling their meetings.

The Oregon Robotics Torunament and Outreach Program (ORTOP) Local tournaments are open to Oregon teams and teams that reside in a county that adjoins the Oregon state boundary, such as Clark County, Washington. Teams outside these areas are welcome to apply for participation at an Oregon tournament but should a tournament become full, teams from Oregon and adjoining counties will be given first priority.

The 2007 challenge posed to young robotics teams will be “Alternative Energy Resources - Meeting the Global Demand”. How do our personal energy choices to heat our homes, fuel our cars, charge our cell phones, power our computers, or even download music to our iPods impact the environment, economy, and life around the globe? Which resources should we use and why? Explore how energy production and consumption choices affect the planet and our quality of life today, tomorrow, and for future generations. Can FIRST LEGO League teams find the ultimate solution to this global Power Puzzle?

For more detailed information including the Oregon 2007 schedule for FIRST Robotics teams and how you can be involved, visit the ORTOP website:
http://www.ortop.org/index.htm
More information about the FIRST program worldwide is available here:
http://www.firstlegoleague.org/

When: Saturday, April 14, 2007 9am-1pm
Where: Lane Flight Technology Center - Eugene Airport Eugene, Oregon

This free three-part conference will focus on women in aviation and the future of the space industry. Guests include former WASPS, 99’s, and Rosie the Riveters as well as women involved in contemporary aviation. An open forum will provide opportunities for photos and one-on-one discussions with guests. Advance registration is not required.  For more information please visit:
http://www.lanecc.edu/flight

Make: is going to space! Have you ever wanted to go up into space? Well, you don’t have to win a golden ticket, be a millionaire, or an astronaut… you can send your own payload into space!

The video podcast details the creation of a small satellite project utilizing HAM raido, GPS, digital cameras, and weather balloons. View the video here:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/03/diy_space_make_video_podc.html

NASA and the U.S. Department of Education are working together through the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative to host a free regional workshop. The event will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on May 31-June 1, 2007.

The agenda for the event includes peer-discussion sessions and special sessions that will give teachers ideas for bringing the excitement of NASA projects into their classroom. Tours of JSC are also planned to give educators a first-hand look at some of the agency’s work. Visits to Mission Control, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility and other facilities are planned.

One of NASA’s key sessions will give teachers ideas on using the STS-118 shuttle mission to engage their students. This flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, scheduled for summer 2007, will be an important step in the ongoing assembly of the International Space Station. STS-118 will also be the first flight of a NASA Educator Astronaut, mission specialist Barbara Morgan. During the session, participants will learn about engineering design challenge activities that have been developed in conjunction with STS-118.

Registration for the workshop begins on April 8, 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative

The Hot Science - Cool Talks is presented by the Environmental Science Institute (ESI) and the Jackson School of Geosciences. The ESI’s Hot Science - Cool Talks provides a means for leading researchers from the University of Texas and other prominent universities to communicate their research to the public in general and the K-12 educational community in particular.

The Hot Science - Cool Talks presentations are much more than lectures. They are educational experiences with pre-lecture activities, participation by the audience in lively discussions following the lectures, and an Internet broadcast for those who cannot attend. An extensive archive of previous lectures, including powerpoint presentations and webcasts, is also available. here:
http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/lectures.html

Our planet is constantly changing. Look closely and you’ll see changes on the land, in the water and in the air. This spring, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies is holding an Earth Day photo contest, asking middle school students to capture the changes in their local environment.

Photos must be taken between Sunday, April 22, and Sunday, April 29. Participants then research and write an explanation of the change documented in the photograph. Entries must be received by May 9. For more information, go to:
http://www.strategies.org/education/index.aspx?sub=education&sub2=earthday&sub3=contest2007 

The Rice Space Institute now offers a Spanish language resources page with links to Spanish versions of NASA materials and other popular science resources including “Windows on the Universe” and the “Drexel University Math Forum”. For more information, visit:
http://www.tormentassolares.com/

Sally Ride Science STS-118 Educator Institute at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas

Sally Ride Science, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and NASA, is offering an Educator Institute on April 21, 2007, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This one-day professional development program for upper elementary and middle school science teachers will focus on the upcoming flight of Barbara Morgan, the first Educator Astronaut. The institute will include presentations about the STS-118 mission, hands-on workshops and a keynote address by a NASA astronaut.

Sally Ride Science STS-118 Educator Institute at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Sally Ride Science, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and NASA, is offering an Educator Institute on May 5, 2007, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. This one-day professional development program for upper elementary and middle school science teachers will focus on the upcoming flight of Barbara Morgan, the first Educator Astronaut. The institute will include presentations about the STS-118 mission, hands-on workshops and a keynote address by a NASA astronaut.

For more information about the Educator Institutes and to register online, visit:
http://www.sallyrideeducators.com/

NASA has a new education podcast series for high school and college students interested in participating in NASA learning opportunities.

NASA Student Opportunities is a weekly audio podcast that features interviews with students who have received NASA internships, fellowships or scholarships. Students share their experiences and offer suggestions for students who are interested in pursuing NASA learning opportunities.

The podcasts also provide information about upcoming learning opportunities and application deadlines.

For more information, and to learn how to subscribe to this free podcast and have it automatically delivered to your computer, visit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/education/ED_NSO.html.