Filed under: Astronomy, Cool Science, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, OMSI, STEM | Tags: Perseid Meteor Shower, Star Party
From our friends at the OMSI Planetarium…
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is getting ready for its largest star party of the year on August 12! Stargazers will be meeting at Rooster Rock State Park at 9 p.m. to watch and enjoy the wonder of the Perseid Meteor Shower.
August brings one of the year’s most famous and enjoyed meteor shower – the Perseid Meteor Shower. Hundreds of star lovers from across the Pacific Northwest are expected to attend OMSI’s biggest star show of the year. The event, sponsored by OMSI, the Rose City Astronomers, the Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers and Oregon Parks and Recreations will have telescopes set up for attendees to use. Jim Todd, OMSI’s planetarium manager, will be presenting informal talks about the meteor shower, constellations, and the summer sky.
The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs when the Earth enters the path of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle in its last trip past the Sun. Swift-Tuttle follows a highly eccentric orbit around the Sun with an orbital period of about 130 years. The comet last passed by the Earth in December 1992.
This strong annual shower can produce 20 to 60 meteors an hour, though because of the light pollution and other factors, “many are too faint to see with the naked eye,” Todd said. “Still, an observer in a dark subdivision can hope to see few meteors on the peak nights. This year the New Moon will not be a factor during the prime meteor-watching throughout the night. Under these conditions, you will see a Perseid or two each minute.”
Rooster Rock State Park is located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 at exit 25. The event is free, and there is a $3 per vehicle parking fee for public.
For a brief NASA article about the Perseid meteor shower, try the link below. NASA predicts this will be a spectacular show!
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm?list12656
Filed under: Educational Materials, Higher Education, Interactive Materials, K-12, Lesson Plans, NASA, STEM, Science | Tags: Science Projects
It’s Not Your Father’s Earth Science Class at NASA Langley!
( Press Release found at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/releases/2007/07-033.html )
HAMPTON, Va. — It’s a warm afternoon in a high school Earth science class, and the lesson for the day is about Earth’s troposphere. While scribbling down notes as fast as possible, the students ask themselves, “Who would ever need to use this information?”
The answer is NASA. It is now possible to add that “real world” element to teaching by incorporating data from NASA satellites and observations. On July 29, a week-long workshop led by scientists at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. will provide intense training for teachers from around the world who are interested in learning how to excite their students with lessons that use authentic NASA research.
This annual summer workshop is sponsored by MY NASA DATA, a project in which a team of scientists takes large volumes of data and generates understandable microsets to be used by the public. The microsets are primarily used by educators to bring a twenty-first century dimension to the teaching of Earth science.
“While only a small number of teachers can attend the workshop, we are very pleased to know that over 8,000 people worldwide are accessing the MY NASA DATA Web site each month,” said Dr. Lin Chambers, the NASA Langley atmospheric scientist who leads the project. “As a Hampton resident, I am proud to offer this educational experience in our own back yard.”
The workshop guides teachers through the exploration of a variety of NASA Earth science data, using it to create engaging lesson plans. Students use scientific inquiry and math skills as they access and display microsets of the Earth System.
“When students realize that scientists are truly using the same set of data, it brings relevance to the class and the lesson is no longer intangible,” explains Susan Moore, a member of the MY NASA DATA team.
The MY NASA DATA Web site collects all of the lessons that have been put together by previous workshop participants, as well as archived data microsets. Teachers can go online and search for the data that is relevant to their lectures and create their own captivating lesson plans.
“When the teachers get excited about the data, that energy is transferred to the students,” says Moore.
For more information about MY NASA DATA, please visit the official website at http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/
Filed under: Educational Materials, Educator Kit, Engineering, Interactive Materials, Robots, STEM, Science, Webcasts | Tags: NOVA, Videos
In the latest episode of NOVA’s scienceNOW, you can see a profile of Cynthia Breazeal, a daring engineer who designs robots to communicate and interact the way people do. Read more about Cynthia and her work here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3318/03.html
At NOVA’s scienceNOW Web site, you can watch the entire hour-long episode online. Also, examine the culprits of the Permian extinction, cast your vote for or against the 1918 flu revival, hear Cynthia Breazeal talk about her friendly robots, read ancient papyri, and much more.
Filed under: Higher Education, K-12, OMSI, Podcasts, STEM, Science, Webcasts
Sound Science is OMSI’s weekly podcast. A podcast is a radio show you download on the internet. Your computer can subscribe to the show, and automatically download new episodes. A new episode is posted every Friday. The podcasts cover many science topics and answer your questions! To listen to the latest podcast or ask a question for future shows, visit our website!
Filed under: Competitions, Cool Science, K-12, NASA, STEM, Student Opportunities | Tags: Rocketry
TARC is a model rocket competition for U.S. students currently enrolled in grades 7 through 12. An adult must supervise all teams. Minimum team size is three students and maximum is fifteen students. The winning teams will share a grand prize pool of over $60,000 in cash and scholarships. Registration for the 2008 Team America Rocketry Challenge opens Sept. 5, 2007. Visit the TARC website in September to register your team.
Filed under: Conference, Higher Education, NASA, Research, Student Opportunities, Workshop
University students and faculty have the opportunity to participate in a new NASA project for a student-built satellite to orbit the moon. A special roundtable session about the American Student Moon Orbiter, or ASMO, project will be held on Aug. 15, 2007, at the 21st Annual AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Conference on Small Satellites, at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.
The American Student Moon Orbiter project will invite American university students and their faculty advisors to design, build, register, launch and operate the ASMO small spacecraft and its scientific payload. The student-built spacecraft could be launched to orbit the moon in 2011 in tandem with a spacecraft being developed by European students under a companion program.
The ASMO Roundtable meeting will initiate a national conversation and idea exchange with the higher education community about optional operational scenarios for the ASMO project.
Registration is not required to participate in the ASMO Roundtable. However, interested participants must be pre-registered attendees of the 21st Annual Conference on Small Satellites. The ASMO Roundtable will be held Aug. 15 at the conference.
Facilitating the ASMO Roundtable will be ASMO project manager Dr. Yvonne Clearwater from NASA’s Ames Research Center and systems engineer Steve Oleson, from NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Anticipated appearances include special guests Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; professor Robert Twiggs, a world-renowned expert in small satellites from Stanford University; and Peter Klupar, chief of the Small Spacecraft Office, NASA’s Ames Research Center.
For more information, visit: http://www.smallsat.org/meetings#asmo
Filed under: Cool Science, Higher Education, Internships, NASA, Student Opportunities | Tags: History, Internship, Web Design
The NASA History Division is seeking undergraduate and graduate students for fall 2007 internships. The History Division maintains archival materials to answer research questions from NASA personnel, journalists, scholars, students at all levels, and others from around the world. The Division also edits and publishes several books and monographs each year and maintains a large number of Web sites on NASA history.
Students of all majors are welcome to apply. While detailed prior knowledge of the aeronautics and space fields is not necessary, a keen interest and some basic familiarity with these topics are needed. Strong research, writing, and editing skills are essential. Experience with computers, especially HTML formatting, is a plus.
Intern projects are flexible. Typical projects include handling a wide variety of information requests, editing historical manuscripts, doing research and writing biographical sketches, updating and creating Web pages, and identifying and captioning photos.
The deadline for fall applications is Aug. 15, 2007. For more information, visit: http://history.nasa.gov/interncall.htm
Filed under: Astronomy, Higher Education, K-12, OMSI, STEM, Science | Tags: Star Party
From our friends at the OMSI Kendall Planetarium in Portland, Oregon:
Because Earth’s moon will be in a perfect position for viewing on Saturday, July 21, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Rose City Astronomers and Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers have organized a Star Party at Rooster Rock State Park, located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 (east of Sandy River) at exit 25, starting at 8:30 pm. Parking is $3 per vehicle.Jim Todd, OMSI’s Kendall Planetarium manager, said that the angle of the sun will cause deep shadows to fall on the moon’s surface, making its highlands and craters more easily visible. Beginning and expert stargazers are invited to use a variety of telescopes owned by club members to view the moon and other objects in the sky.“For astronomers, this is the best opportunity to view the details of the moon’s surface with binoculars and telescopes,” Todd said. “Visitors will also be able to see a perfect image of a first quarter moon, Jupiter, Comet Linear, star clusters, nebulae and other celestial objects,” he added.
OMSI staff will present informal talks on the moon’s cycles, visible constellations such as the summer triangle, and the pre-summer night sky. It is suggested that interested visitors call (503) 797-4610 on July 21 after 4:00 p.m. for possible weather-related cancellations. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Kendall Planetarium, please visit http://www.omsi.edu/visit/planetarium/u>
Filed under: Funding, Higher Education, NASA, Request For Proposals, Research, STEM, Student Opportunities | Tags: Microgravity
NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Project provides a unique academic experience for undergraduate students to successfully propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced-gravity experiment. The overall experience includes scientific research, hands-on experimental design, test operations, and educational and public outreach activities.
The reduced-gravity aircraft generally flies 30 parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. This parabolic pattern provides about 30 seconds of hypergravity (about 1.8-g’s to 2-g’s) as the plane climbs to the top of the parabola. Once the plane starts to “nose over” the top of the parabola to descend toward Earth, the plane experiences about 25 seconds of microgravity.
Interested students should submit a letter of intent by Sept. 19, 2007. The letter of intent is optional, but serves as an introductory notice that a team plans to submit a proposal for the upcoming competition. Final proposals are due Oct. 31, 2007.
For more information, visit: http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/
Filed under: Competitions, Funding, Higher Education, Links to Other Resources, Scholarship, Scholarships, Student Opportunities | Tags: Awards
Students searching for additional education funding may find the following scholarship, grant, and internship links useful.
IES Abroad Scholarships and Grants
https://www.iesabroad.org/IES/Scholarships_and_Aid/financialAid.html
Actuarial Scholarships
http://www.beanactuary.org/college/scholarships.cfm
International Students Scholarships and Aid Help
http://www.iefa.org/
College Board Scholarship Search
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
Burger King Scholarship Program
http://www.sms.scholarshipamerica.org/bkscholars/
Siemens Foundation Awards
http://www.siemens-foundation.org/
LuLac National Education Service Centers Scholarship Funds
http://www.lnesc.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3AEDB506-F425-4E58-B9F6-44867E2FD943}
CollegeNet’s Scholarship Database
http://www.collegenet.com/mach25/app
Union Plus Education Planner and Scholarship Search
http://unionplus.educationplanner.com/education_planner/unionplus/default.asp?sponsor=2866
Black Excel Scholarship and Financial Aid Help
http://www.blackexcel.org
FAFSA On The Web (Your Key Aid Form & Info)
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Student Aid on the Web (Federal Site)
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
Back 2 College Aid and Resources For Re-Entry Students
http://www.back2college.com/
SIT Study Abroad Scholarships
http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/scholarships/index.html
University of Chicago Office of Multicultural Student Affairs Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities
http://omsa.uchicago.edu/opportunities/
INROADS internships
http://www.inroads.org/
ACT-SO NAACP Programs and Scholarships
http://www.naacp.org/youth/act-so/index.htm
Black Alliance for Educational Options Scholarships
http://www.baeo.org/programs?program_id=2
ScienceNet Scholarship Listings
http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/undergrad/scholarships.html
The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
http://www.pdsoros.org/
Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
