OMSI’s Kendall Planetarium Astronomy Photo Contest – Deadline March 31, 2008

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, OMSI’s Kendall Planetarium is sponsoring an astronomy photo contest. Winning astronomy photos will be published in OMSI’s 2009 Kendall Planetarium astronomy calendar.

Eligibility: The OMSI Planetarium Astronomy Photo Contest is open to amateur photographers of any age.

Photo Criteria: All entries must be taken of a celestial event. Photographs that depict anything not adhering to current celestial events, or which are inappropriate, indecent, or obscene, as determined by OMSI, will be disqualified. All photographs must be original images taken by the entrant and cannot have been previously published.

Contest deadline: March 31 at 5:00 p.m
Complete contest details and entry form available at http://www.omsi.edu/misc/astrocontest/

21st Century Explorer – Today’s Knowledge for Tomorrow’s Explorer – March 27, 2008

NASA and NSTA are partnering to present a symposium for elementary educators of grades 3-5. Each participant will be exposed to the NASA 21st Century Explorer project.

Symposium participants will be introduced to the 12 hands-on scientific exploration activities that are part of the project and conduct one during the workshop. Each of these activities promotes higher-order thinking skills and expands the space exploration knowledge base of the bilingual educator, learner and family. The 12 educational packages also provide career connections. These connections introduce students to the subject matter experts who helped create each of the science concepts for the hands-on activities and provide a link to the specific researcher, scientist or engineer. Participants will also have an opportunity to participate in an assessment of the project by providing educator-based comments for improvement of the activities.

All participants will receive educational materials written in English and Spanish and information about resources at NASA. A drawing for prizes will be held at the end of the program. Graduate credit may be available at an additional cost to participants.

This symposium will take place on March 27, 2008, from 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. in Room 257A of the Boston Convention Center. NASA will provide a stipend of $60 to all participants attending this symposium upon its completion.

For more information about this symposium, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Explorers/symposium.aspx

Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom – March 28, 2008 at Boston Convention Center

NASA and NSTA are partnering to present a symposium for elementary, middle and high school educators of grades 4-12. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled to launch in October 2008, will carry the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter. LOLA will produce topographic maps of the moon.

In this symposium, participants will learn how to create a topographic map and use it to determine the path a robot will traverse through Lunar Land, a 150-centimeter-square mock-up of a surface with obstacles of various heights. This experience engages participants in an activity analogous to that which real lunar scientists might do. Along with other possibilities, the activity offers an opportunity to discuss lunar science, fundamentals of measurement (including measurement uncertainty), spatial resolution in the context of remote sensing, and graphical representation and analysis of data.

All participants will receive educational materials and information about resources at NASA. A drawing for prizes will take place at the end of the program. Graduate credit may be available at an additional cost to participants.

This symposium will take place on March 28, 2008, from 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. in Room 257A of the Boston Convention Center. NASA will provide a stipend of $60 to all participants attending this symposium upon its completion.

For more information about this symposium, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Mapping/symposium.aspx

NASA Quest Announces the HiRISE Image Targeting Challenge

Help NASA on the quest for signs of water on the Red Planet!

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera now orbiting Mars is helping NASA search for signs of water on Mars. Students are invited to help choose regions of Mars for HiRISE to image. The HiRISE team will pick several suggestions and image them with the camera in the coming months. The participants will represent the first people on Earth to see the resulting image and will have the chance to search for signs of water in the image.

Background information, teacher guides, student activity books and tutorials are available online to help students choose a region. Interested teachers and students are encouraged to register online to receive more information about how to participate.

Initial hypotheses are due March 23, 2008.

For more information, visit http://quest.nasa.gov/challenges/hirise/

Lunar and Planetary Institute 2008 Field-Based Workshop – Deadline April 7, 2008

“Floods and Flows: Exploring Mars Geology on Earth,” a NASA-sponsored workshop for educators, will be held July 13-19, 2008. Spend the week with planetary scientists visiting the site of ancient Glacial Lake Missoula and tracing its flood waters through Montana, Idaho and into Washington. From these field experiences and accompanying classroom activities, participants will build an understanding of surface processes on Earth, including water flow, volcanism, glaciation and sedimentation. Attendees will extend their understanding to interpret what the features on the surface of Mars suggest about the past environments and history of the Red Planet.

The experience will be divided between the field and lab, where participants work with classroom-tested, hands-on inquiry-based activities and resources that can be used to enhance Earth and space science teaching in the classroom. Participants receive lesson plans, supporting resources and presentations.

Applications are due April 7, 2008.

For more information about the workshop and to submit an application online, visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2008/floods20081st.shtml

U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellowship – Deadline April 7, 2008

Teachers with successful strategies for increasing student achievement are encouraged to apply for Teaching Ambassador Fellowship positions with the U.S. Department of Education for the 2008-2009 school year. Teachers will be chosen based upon their record of leadership, impact on student achievement, and potential for contribution to the field. All Fellows will complete a collaborative project to contribute to the field of education at the national level. They will be encouraged to work with their principals and with government liaisons throughout the year.

The program offers two tracks: Classroom and Washington Fellows

Classroom Fellows will serve their regular teaching contracts with their districts and will be paid to perform additional Fellowship duties for the Department of Education. As practicing classroom teachers, these Fellows will share an important perspective for — and will gain more knowledge about — education policy and program development. They will share their experiences with other Fellows and with the Department of Education at designated times throughout the year.

Washington Fellows will serve as full-time federal employees in Washington, D.C., from the summer of 2008 through June 2009. They will be placed in appropriate positions within the Department of Education to work on education program development and implementation. They will focus on using their previous classroom experience to contribute knowledge and insight to various Department of Education projects. They will spend the majority of their time working in Program Offices and collaborating with other Fellows. They will spend some time contributing their perspectives to policy discussions.

Applications for this program are due April 7, 2008.

For more information about this fellowship opportunity, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherfellowship/index.html