NASA Students on Facebook: New Page

The NASA Students on Facebook site has moved to a new page within Facebook. To receive daily updates on Facebook, please visit the page and hit the Like button located toward the top of the page. The student Facebook page highlights opportunities open to students in grades 9-12 and above, and broadcasts information regarding feature articles, podcasts, videos and more that might be of interest to high school and college groups.

If you have the old site bookmarked, that link will no longer contain updated information. Please make sure to change your bookmark to the new address.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/NASA-Students-at-wwwnasagov/176813089042984?v=wall

2012 NASA Space Settlement Design Contest – Deadline March 15, 2012

Design a space settlement! Space settlements are permanent communities in orbit, as opposed to being on the moon or other planets. Designing a space settlement involves physics, mathematics, space science, environmental science and many other disciplines.

The NASA Space Settlement Design Contest is for 11-18-year-old students from anywhere in the world. Individuals or teams may enter. Grades 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12 are judged separately, except for the grand prize. All participants will receive a certificate.

Submissions must be received by March 15, 2012.

For more information about the NASA Space Settlement Design Contest, visit http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Contest/

If you have any questions about the contest, please e-mail Al Globus at aglobus@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

2011 DIME and WING Competitions – Proposal Deadline Nov 1, 2011

NASA announces two opportunities for students to design and build an experiment to be conducted in a NASA research drop tower. The Dropping In a Microgravity Environment, or DIME, competition is for students in grades 9-12. Students in grades 5-8 are encouraged to participate in the “What If No Gravity?”, or WING, competition.

Four teams in the high school DIME competition will be invited to visit NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and operate their experiments in the drop tower. Four additional teams will send their experiments to Glenn for the drop tower staff to operate them.

The winning WING teams will have their experiments operated in the same drop tower by the NASA drop tower staff.

Proposals for both competitions are due on Nov. 1, 2011. Competition selections will be on Dec. 1, 2011, and drop tower operations will be conducted in March 2012.

The DIME & WING competitions are funded by NASA’s Teaching From Space project.

For more information about this opportunity, visit http://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html

If you have questions about this opportunity, please e-mail your inquiries to the DIME team at dime@lists.nasa.gov.

NASA Undergraduate Student Research Project (USRP) Spring Session – Application Deadline Oct 30, 2011

NASA’s Undergraduate Student Research Project is accepting applications for 15-week spring 2012 internships. These internships offer students the opportunity to work alongside NASA scientists and engineers at NASA’s field centers, laboratories and test facilities.

Applicants must be upcoming sophomores, juniors or seniors with a minimum 3.0 grade point average with a major or concentration in engineering, mathematics, computer science, or physical or life sciences. Participants work on practical problems to provide solutions that will be applied in aerospace or on future NASA missions. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

The application deadline for the spring 2012 session is Oct. 31, 2011.

For more information and to apply online, visit http://usrp.usra.edu/

Earth Science Week Contests Announced for 2011

Take part in the following contests to celebrate Earth Science Week. This year’s celebration takes place Oct. 9-15, 2011.

Earth Science Week 2011 Photography Contest – Open to All Ages
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/photography/index.html

The American Geological Institute is sponsoring a photography contest to celebrate Earth Science Week 2011. Photographs should focus on the topic “A World of Change in My Community.” The contest is open to any resident of the United States. Participants should submit pictures that show how their areas are influenced by environmental changes. Entries may be submitted electronically or by mail. Only one entry will be accepted per person. Entries are due Oct. 14, 2011.

Earth Science Week 2011 Visual Arts Contest – Open to Students in Grades K-5
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/visualarts/index.html

The American Geological Institute is sponsoring a visual arts contest to celebrate Earth Science Week 2011. Artwork should focus on the topic “Picturing Our Ever-Changing Earth.” The contest is open to students in grades K-5 who are residents of the United States. Participants should submit an original two-dimensional visual arts project that shows ways in which Earth’s air, water, land and living things change over time. Entries are due Oct. 14, 2011, and must be submitted by mail.

Earth Science Week 2011 Essay Contest – Open to Students in Grades 6-9
http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/essay/index.html

The American Geological Institute is sponsoring an essay contest to celebrate Earth Science Week 2011. Essays should focus on the theme “How Change Shapes Our Planet.” The contest is open to students in grades 6-9 who are residents of the United States. Participants should submit an original essay no more than 300 words in length, typed and formatted to fit on one page. Entries may be submitted electronically or by mail. The deadline for submitting entries is Oct. 14, 2011.

If you have any questions about any of these contests, please e-mail the Earth Science Week staff at info@earthsciweek.org.

Presenters Needed for 2012 Space Exploration Educators Conference

The 18th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference, or SEEC, is taking place Feb. 2-4, 2012, at Space Center Houston. The goal of SEEC is to encourage K-12 educators to use space to teach all subjects in their classrooms. Over 700 educators gather for this event each year.

Conference organizers are looking for 170 interactive sessions that present exciting classroom activities. All sessions must have a hands-on component; lecture sessions will not be accepted. Proposals will be accepted between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9, 2011.

For more information, visit http://spacecenter.org/TeachersSEEC.html

Because It Flew – Education Activities and Space Shuttle Art Competition

“Because It Flew” is a free educational program that introduces students in grades 4-12 (ages 9-17) to the impact of the Space Shuttle Program on our planet and people. This engaging and informative project commemorates the 30-year history of the shuttle program.

“Because It Flew” consists of two elements: optional educational activities and the NASA Space Shuttle Art Competition.

Four activities engage and introduce students to the history of NASA’s space shuttle missions. Completion of these activities is not a requirement for submitting an entry into the art competition, but they may be used to guide students through the process of creating an entry. The activities can be adapted easily to both formal and informal educational settings. Activities are aligned with national standards and support efforts to integrate science, technology, engineering and math with language arts.

The NASA Space Shuttle Art Competitions invites students to create original artwork that symbolizes the impact of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program on our planet and people. Students must also write a 250-word essay explaining their artistic entries. An expert panel of artists will review submissions. The top six entries in two age brackets (9-13 and 14-17) will receive cash prizes, a private tutoring session with an accomplished USA Today graphic artist and a certificate of accomplishment. Entries in the competition are due Aug. 5, 2011.

“Because It Flew” is a joint education initiative of NASA, the National Institute of Aerospace and USA TODAY Education.

For more information, visit http://www.usatodayeducate.com/becauseitflew

MESSENGER: Staying Cool – My Angle on Cooling and Effects of Distance and Inclination Webinar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences, the NASA Explorer Schools project is hosting a 90-minute webinar on Aug. 4, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Learn how the MESSENGER mission to Mercury takes advantage of passive cooling methods to keep the spacecraft comfortable in a high-temperature environment. Participants will also see how to use the Staying Cool activities, culminating in a design challenge, to lead students through an examination of different solutions to the problem of how to deal with too much sunlight and energy.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES/webseminar12.aspx.

To learn more about the NASA Explorer Schools project, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov