Newton’s Laws of Motion: Lunar Nautics Web Seminar – March 19, 2012

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences for educators, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute Web seminar on March 19, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. This Web seminar features three lessons for grades 5-8, focusing on a real-world understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion and addresses common misconceptions associated with the laws. The featured lessons are Rocket Staging: Balloon Staging, Lunar Landing: Swinging Tray and Lunar Base Supply Egg Drop.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar20.aspx.

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

Angry Birds in Space – Download on March 22, 2012

Download Angry Birds Space on March 22, 2012 or watch astronaut Don Pettit play a real life version of the game on the ISS!

For nearly three years, millions of gamers have used physics in the battle between birds and pigs in the video game Angry Birds. In cooperation with NASA, Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, creator of the Angry Birds franchise, announced its newest game, “Angry Birds Space,” on Thursday, March 8, 2012. NASA and Rovio are working together to teach people about physics and space exploration through the internationally successful puzzle game.

Game developers have incorporated concepts of human space exploration into the new game. From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, players use physics as they explore the various levels of the game set both on planets and in microgravity.

Aboard the International Space Station, Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA created a video using Angry Birds Space to explain how physics works in space, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity by catapulting an Angry Bird through the space station. The video was shown this week to an audience at the South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals, an annual convention of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies in Austin, Texas. It is also available on NASA’s website at http://www.nasa.gov.

For more information on microgravity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/microgravity.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

For more information about Angry Birds Space, visit http://www.angrybirds.com/space.

Forces and Motion – The Great Boomerang Challenge Web Seminar – Feb 2, 2012

Engineering Design: Forces and Motion — The Great Boomerang Challenge Web Seminar

As part of a series of electronic professional development experiences, the NASA Explorer Schools project and the National Science Teachers Association are hosting a 90-minute professional development Web seminar for educators on Feb. 2, 2012, at 8:15 p.m. EST. Learn how NASA aerodynamics research can be applied to boomerang design to increase performance. During the session, participants will be introduced to the Boomerang Design Challenge and learn how to incorporate this activity into science classes. The seminar also includes information about two unique extensions. In the first, students access a free computer simulation illustrating the airflow around an airfoil to determine the correct flow equation, and a second extension uses an interactive simulation to determine the airflow around various shapes of airfoils.

For more information and to register online, visit http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NES2/webseminar24.aspx.

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

2012 NASA/Johns Hopkins APL Internships Accepting Applications – Deadline January 17, 2012

NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are now accepting applications for the 2012 NASA/Johns Hopkins APL Internships. Interested students can review the details at the APL website at http://www.APLapp.com.

Since 2004, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has offered summer projects to students interested in working on NASA missions or space-related research opportunities at APL. Students participating in the NASA/APL Internship Program will work at APL, and will make critical contributions to current and future missions or grants during their assignments in the Space Department. The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a not-for-profit center for engineering, research and development. APL is a division of one of the world’s premier research universities, Johns Hopkins. The 399-acre campus, 20 miles north of Washington, DC, is home to 4,100 men and women who work on more than 400 programs that protect our homeland and advance the nation’s vision in research and space science.

Learn more about the program at http://www.jhuapl.edu/ourwork/default.asp or http://civspace.jhuapl.edu/index.php.

The Deadline for applications is January 17, 2012. 

Eligibility – Students participating in the NASA/APL Internship Program must:
• have a demonstrated interest in the space program
• be a sophomore, junior, senior, or first or second year graduate student in Fall 2012
• be in high academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or greater)
• be a U.S. citizen

2011 NASA / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Internships – Deadline Feb 7, 2011

2011 NASA / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Internships
http://www.APLapp.com

Since 2004, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has offered summer projects to students interested in working on NASA missions or space-related research opportunities at APL. Students participating in the NASA/APL Internship Program will work at APL, and will contribute to current and future missions during their assignments in the Space Department. APL’s Civilian Space Business Area makes critical contributions to the missions of its major sponsor, NASA, to meet the challenges of space science. They conduct research and space exploration; develop and apply space science, engineering, and technology–including the production of one-of-a-kind spacecraft, instruments, and subsystems; and focus primarily on the science discipline of space physics and planetary science. The Laboratory has built instruments and spacecraft to destinations such as Pluto, Mercury, the Sun and our moon. Continuing these challenges, APL is supporting NASA as it implements initiatives to explore the reaches of our solar system. The 399-acre campus, 20 miles north of Washington, DC, is home to 4,100 men and women who work on more than 400 programs that protect our homeland and advance the nation’s vision in research and space science. http://civspace.jhuapl.edu

Program Description
The Johns Hopkins University APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY (APL) is offering summer projects for students interested in working on NASA missions or space-related research opportunities at APL

Students participating in the 2010 NASA/APL Internship Program will work at APL, and will make critical contributions to current and future missions during their assignments in the Space Department. The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a not-for-profit center for engineering, research and development. APL is a division of one of the world’s premier research universities, Johns Hopkins. The 399-acre campus, 20 miles north of Washington, DC, is home to 4,100 men and women who work on more than 400 programs that protect our homeland and advance the nation’s vision in research and space science. http://www.jhuapl.edu/aboutapl/organization/SD.asp

APL’s Civilian Space Business Area makes critical contributions to the missions of its major sponsor, NASA, to meet the challenges of space science. They conduct research and space exploration; develop and apply space science, engineering, and technology–including the production of one-of-a-kind spacecraft, instruments, and subsystems; and focus primarily on the science discipline of space physics and planetary science. The Laboratory has built instruments and spacecraft to destinations such as Pluto, Mercury, the Sun and our moon. Continuing these challenges, APL is supporting NASA as it implements initiatives to explore the reaches of our solar system.

Their purpose is to advance the knowledge and use of space for the benefit of humankind and to support national objectives by providing leadership in developing innovative, cost-effective, end-to-end space missions. APL has designed, developed and launched 64 spacecraft and over 150 space instruments, and are developing new space concepts, technology, and implementation strategies while also helping to heighten interest in scientist and engineering careers through space educational programs.

Students will receive a $4K stipend, and housing will be provided. Talks by key mission engineers and scientists, along with tours of APL and NASA/Goddard will be provided throughout the summer. Students must be U.S. citizens, and have successfully passed a background check of criminal, social security and driving record. The investigation will be facilitated by the Visitor Control Office at APL.

Eligibility
Students participating in the NASA/APL Internship Program must:
• have a demonstrated interest in the space program
• be a sophomore, junior, senior, or first or second year graduate student in Fall 2011
• be in high academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or greater)
• be a U.S. citizen

Applications are available online at: http://www.APLapp.com
Application Deadline: February 7, 2011

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Internships – Deadline March 31, 2010

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab offers science and engineering internships each summer. The program provides practical work experience and an introduction to APL. Students spend the summer working with APL scientists and engineers, conducting research, developing leadership skills, and growing professionally.

Eligibility:

• Engineering and science majors (predominantly EE and CS). APL typically (but not exclusively) hires rising juniors and seniors.
• US citizenship and a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (at the date of application)
• Interns my not work in the same department as a relative employee at APL
• For most positions, applicants selected will be subject to a Government security investigation and must meet the eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include US citizenship.

Applications must be received by March 31, 2010.  Please visit the APL website for details: http://www.jhuapl.edu/employment/summer/

MS PHD’s Program for Minority Students in Earth System Science – Deadline Sept 8, 2009

The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science, or MS PHD’S, initiative was developed by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased participation in Earth system science. Each year, the initiative engages 30 minority undergraduate and graduate students in a series of activities.

The project starts with orientation and a broad Earth system science and engineering exposure during MS PHD’S community-building activities at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

Participants will engage in additional professional development activities at one of the MS PHD’S organizational partners’ meetings. These activities could include attending meetings of the American Meteorological Society, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists, and the Oceanography Society, among others. Each participant will attend the meeting that most closely aligns with his or her specific academic and professional interests.

The final phase will occur at the National Academies in Washington, D.C., where participants will visit government agencies and engage in dialogs with professional society and foundation representatives. Each student will also receive a scholarship award of up to $1,000 and participate in a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

The deadline for submitting the online application is Sept. 8, 2009.

For more information about the MS PHD’S initiative and how to apply, visit http://www.msphds.org/

NASA Education Invites Students to Drop Everything (Grades 6-9) – Deadline Nov 2, 2009

NASA’s Dropping In a Microgravity Environment, or DIME, allows students in high school and in middle school to design and build an experiment that will be operated in a NASA research drop tower. This will put the students’ experiment in microgravity, just as if it were in space.

New for school year 2009-10 will be a two-part DIME with separate competitions for high school teams and teams of students in grades 6-9.   Four teams in the high school DIME competition will be invited to visit NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and operate their experiment in the drop tower. Four additional teams will send their experiment to Glenn for the drop tower staff to operate it. Teams comprised of students in grades 6-9 will compete for the opportunity to build an experiment to be operated in the same drop tower by NASA drop tower staff.

Proposals are due on Nov. 2, 2009. Competition selections will be announced in mid-December and drop tower operations will be conducted in April 2010.   The DIME competition is funded by NASA’s Teaching From Space program.

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