Filed under: Blogroll, Cool Science, Higher Education, K-12, NASA, Science, Student Opportunities, Teacher Opportunities | Tags: STS-125, Twitter
Advance registration is required.
NASA will host a Tweetup with space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 crew July 21 at the agency’s headquarters building in Washington. The astronauts will discuss their recent servicing mission to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. This Tweetup is an opportunity to meet and speak with the STS-125 crew and the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. Plus, you’ll get to mingle with other space-exploration-minded Tweeps.
The event will include a one-hour “meet and greet” session, followed by a presentation and a question and answer period with the astronauts. Scott Altman commanded the STS-125 crew, which included Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. Massimino is known as @Astro_Mike to more than 500,000 people who followed the mission on Twitter.
Space is limited and advance registration is mandatory. Submissions will be accepted on this Web page beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on July 1. The Tweetup can accommodate 190 people, and the spots will be allocated based on the order of registration. Once capacity for the event is reached, submissions no longer will be accepted. Those who successfully register will be notified by email prior to the event. Registrations are limited to two people per entry. If you can’t make this Tweetup, don’t despair; NASA is planning others in the near future at various agency locations.
NASA Headquarters is a secure federal facility. On the date of the Tweetup, participants must bring valid government-issued photo identification (driver’s license or passport). Those without proper identification cannot be admitted.
Have a question? Need more information? Help is available by sending an email to HQ-twitter@mail.nasa.gov.
Head to the following website on July 1 at 10amEST to register for this tweepup event! http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate/tweetup.html
As a writer for the NASA Web site’s students’ and educators’ pages, Heather Smith has written quite a few stories about students and teachers flying experiments on NASA’s reduced-gravity aircraft. Now she’s getting a chance to fly with a team and experience microgravity herself.
From June 3-9, 2009, Heather will be at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Ellington Field in Houston with a student microgravity team from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After a few days of training, they’ll take part in a flight that includes 30 parabolic maneuvers — basically an up-and-down roller coaster pattern. As the plane climbs, they will feel the pull of about twice the gravity of Earth. The plane will then “nose over” the top of the parabola and descend toward Earth in a free fall. For about 18 to 25 seconds, they’ll feel what it’s like to float in space.
Students and teachers can follow along during Heather’s adventure by reading her Free Falling blog on the NASA blogs page. Regular updates and photos will be posted during the experience.
For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/going-weightless.html
Filed under: Blogroll, K-12, NASA, Professional Development, STEM, Science, Teacher Development | Tags: Videoconference
NASA’s Digital Learning Network presents a series of videoconferences to assist educators in staying current on NASA education resources and related products. During each event, product producers, authors and experts will demonstrate their materials designed to optimize awareness and understanding of science concepts. Instructional objectives, accessing the materials and primary contacts for the materials will also be discussed. During the videoconferences, participants will be able to submit questions to the presenter that will be addressed during the presentation.
The following topics will be covered:
Hubble Space Telescope: Sept. 24, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
With the completion of the recent shuttle mission to the International Space Station, the Mission to Hubble is next in line. Find out more about what is available to educators about this mission from Hubble’s home base at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Observing the Moon: Oct. 29, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
Almost 40 years ago, humans walked on the moon for the first time. Revisit this history and put students in the driver’s seat with Lunarnautics and Field Trip to the Moon. These featured products will help to inspire students as NASA plans to go back and explore Earth’s satellite.
Student Observation Network: Nov. 19, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
Discover answers to some of the questions that excite NASA scientists. Students will learn how to make their own observations and how to compare them with NASA data while discovering cutting-edge science. Join the adventure!
NASA Image Archive: Dec. 17, 2008, 4-5 p.m. EST
Explore the history of NASA through multimedia resources. Learn how to leverage these pieces of history to use in classroom presentations and student projects.
STS-119: Jan. 28, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
Space shuttle Discovery is set to launch in mid-February 2009, for the STS-119 mission. Learn how spacesuits have changed since the Mercury program. As technology has developed over time, so has the sophistication of these garments used to protect astronauts on spacewalks. Join NASA’s Johnson Space Center to learn about the history of the spacesuit, its transformations and the resources available to educate students about this important piece of astronaut couture!
Chemistry: What Is Your Cosmic Connection to the Elements?: Feb. 25, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
The elements that make up life itself reflect events that take place in the universe. Humankind’s very existence is linked to these elements and their cosmic origin. Join in for discussions of the big bang theory, stars, supernovae, cosmic rays and other topics as participants learn more about the cosmic origin of the elements.
Kepler Mission: March 25, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
The Kepler mission will seek evidence for Earth-size planets in orbit around sun-like stars. For the first time NASA will be able to search the galaxy for Earth-size or smaller planets. With this cutting-edge capability, Kepler may help to answer one of the most enduring questions humans have asked throughout history: Are there others like us in the universe?
Meteorology: An Educators Resource Guide for Inquiry-Based Learning: April 29, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
Meteorology is one of the oldest observational sciences in human history and perhaps the most relevant to a broad segment of society. Learn how the first early meteorologists used this knowledge for their success and survival. This educator guide covers weather patterns, climate and measurement tools.
NASA Explores Virtual Worlds: May 27, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
Virtual immersive environments are increasing in popularity in modern America. Explore the virtual world that NASA education is building in Second Life and learn how to become an active citizen of this world.
For more information about these videoconferences and to sign up online, visit http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/webcast/
Call for Applications: AEA/DU Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program
Deadline: August 1, 2008
The AEA/DU Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program is a partnership between The American Evaluation Association and Duquesne University School of Education in Pittsburgh, PA. We invite graduate students from groups traditionally under-represented in the field who are interested in evaluation to submit applications for the fourth cohort, beginning in September, 2008, and continuing through June, 2009.
The Internship program is a non-residential opportunity for pre-doctoral students to learn about evaluation through working with professional colleagues in their own region while coming together in person three to four times over the course of the year with a small cohort of students in the program to learn from each other and leaders in the field. The program builds upon a student’s existing graduate study program and provides a stipend of $8,000 plus travel support.
The purposes of the Internship Program are:
- to expand the pipeline of graduate evaluation students from under-represented groups
- to extend to evaluation student’s existing basic research capacities and substantive knowledge about their area of concentration
- to stimulate evaluation thinking concerning communities and persons of color and persons from other under-represented groups by providing professional development training opportunities for social and natural science graduate students
- to deepen the evaluation profession’s capacity to work in racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse settings
We seek graduate students of color, or from other under-represented groups in the field of evaluation, who are not already enrolled in an evaluation program, and who:
- Will be enrolled this fall in either year 2 of a Master’s or year 2 or 3 of a doctoral or a combined masters/doctoral program
- Have already been exposed to research methods and substantive issues in their field of expertise
- Can demonstrate the relevance of evaluation training in their current work through a short essay
- Have support from his/her academic advisor
Refer to the program’s website:
http://www.education.duq.edu/mastersCertification/diversity_inter_program.htm for more information about activities, information, and application materials.
Applications are due August 1, 2008.
Filed under: Blogroll, K-12, Oregon State University, STEM, Science | Tags: 4-H, Blogroll, Summer Camp
The Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp was a huge success this year, enabling 60 middle school students the opportunity to attend this summer science camp free of charge! The scholarships were funded by an $80,000 grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation and the Harris Foundation. The camp was a collaboration between a number of OSU groups including the OSU Extension Service 4-H Youth Development program, OSU Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) program, the science and math departments, and the College of Education.
Find out more about the activites of these young scientists at the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp blog. The blog includes photo and video from the camp.
