Plutopalooza Scheduled for Thursday Night on the Square 7/16/15

Join Dr. Dana Backman, NASA's SOFIA Outreach Director, at "Plutopalooza" on Thursday, 16 July 2015, at Poncitlan Square in Palmdale.  Solar system-themed hands-on activities and a special presentation will be made on "SOFIA:  Chasing Pluto's Shadow."  Presentations are at 6:00pm and 6:45pm.  Poncitlan Square is located at the City of Palmdale Civic Center.  For further information about TNOTS, visit:  Thursday Night On the Square .  For additional information about NASA/AERO Institute programs, go to:  AERO Institute Palmdale .

NASA Hubble Telescope Event Planned for 4/23/15

To commemorate this quarter century of success in engineering, science and culture, NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Office of Education will host an educator workshop to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Since its launch, Hubble has allowed astronomers to observe the universe in stunning clarity, revealed properties of space and time, and shed light on many of the great mysteries of the universe making conjectures certainties. Learn about NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft that also explores the universe with an onboard infrared telescope. Educators will interact with subject matter experts and make connections between Hubble and SOFIA as well as enjoy a tour of the SOFIA aircraft at Hangar 703 in Palmdale.

 When:  Thursday, April 23, 2015, 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm, Pacific

Eligibility: US Citizens who are K-12 Educators (Formal, Informal, Pre-service)

Location: NASA Armstrong Hangar 703, 2825 East Ave P, Palmdale, CA 93550

Registration: 1) Apply at aeroi.org/ercForm/index.html ; 2) Submit Personal Information for Visitor Request and Hangar Access:  -Full Name; -Email address; -Country of Citizenship; -Date of Birth; -Place of Birth (City, State); -Driver's license number and state of issue’ -Last six digits only of your social security number.

Questions: Call Barbie Buckner at 661-276-2966 or email barbie.buckner@nasa.gov

 There is no charge for the workshop. Free NASA educational materials will be provided. Space is limited, and will be filled on a first-come, first served basis.

Lunar and Meteorite Disk Certification Offered at AERO Institute 2/21/15

Thanks to Sondra Geddes for this info:

Please join the NASA Armstrong Educator Resource Center in bringing the Apollo legacy 

to your classroom by attending the Lunar Meteorite Sample Certification workshop. 

Learn hands-on activities that can be used in your classroom and give your students 

access to view and explore some small portions of these “extraterrestrial” materials. 

 
NASA has actual lunar samples from the historic Apollo missions available to lend to 

K-12 formal educators upon successful completion of the Lunar Meteorite Disk Certification

Workshop. 

 NOTE: To be eligible for certification, educators must be currently employed at an accredited school as a formal K-12 classroom teacher or as a pre-service teacher enrolled at a teaching institution. 

 WHEN: Saturday, February 21, 2015, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm PST 

 Location: NASA Armstrong Educator Resource Center at the AERO Institute, 38256 Sierra Hwy., Palmdale, CA 93550 

 Register Online: http://aeroi.org/ercForm/index.html

 Questions? Call Sondra Geddes at 661-276-2359 or email at sondra.l.geddes@nasa.gov

 There is no charge for the workshop. Free NASA educational materials will be provided. Seats are 

very limited, and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

NASA Educator Workshop on Pressure Suits On Tap for 5/14/14

NASA Armstrong is offering a free workshop on astronauts' pressure suits on Wednesday, 14 May 2014, from 4:00-5:30pm PST, to K-12 formal and informal educators at the AERO Institute, 38256 Sierra Highway, Palmdale.  The workshop, featuring NASA Life Support subject matter experts, will explain how the suits deal with pressure issues at high altitude, and will provide resources and explanations of how to implement real-world projects in classrooms, aligned with CCSS. and NGSS. 

Spaces in the workshop are limited.  To register, please contact Sondra Geddes at sondra.l.geddes@nasa.gov or call 661.276.2359 .

"Basics of Telescopes and NASA Missions" Webinar 4/9/14

Thanks to Sondra Geddes of NASA for this announcment:


Audience: Grades 5-12 in-service, pre-service, informal and home school educators.

Join this webinar and learn about basic principles of telescope design and how NASA missions use the same design principles. Examine how NASA works within technological constraints, just as your students are expected to do with Next Generation Science Standards or Common Core State Standards activities.

This webinar is appropriate for grades 5-12 science teachers.  The focus will be on basic principles rather than a mathematical treatment of lenses and mirrors. Let’s have some fun and see how there really is a clear link between that $350 Dobsonian telescope you can buy and the incredible science going on at NASA. Wrap-up the webinar with a quick look at the “citizen science” movement and see how you and your students can be part of genuine astronomical research projects.

The free webinar (hosted by Dr. Richard Chapleau) will be held from 3:30pm-4:30pm PST.  To register, go to Basics of Telescopes and NASA Missions Webinar .

Columbia Memorial Space Center "Spring Break Workshops" On Tap 4/17-4/19/14

The City of Downey and the Columbia Memorial Space Center are providing spring break workshops for students in 3rd through 8th grades at a cost of $22 per person ($18 for members).  Columbia Memorial Space Center .  Located at 12400 Columbia Way in Downey, the workshops will be:

• Robotics, 17 April 2014, 10:00am-noon PST
• Rocketry, 18 April 2014, 10:00am-noon PST
• Space Science, 19 April 2014, 10:00am-noon PST

For further details, call (562) 231-1200, or e-mail info@downeyspacecenter.org .

2014 Cassini Scientist for A Day Essay Contest Submissions Due by 4/17/14

Teachers of students in grades 5-12 are invited to submit student essays of not longer than 500 words to NASA's 2014 "Cassini Scientist for A Day" competition.  In commemoration of the Cassini spacecraft's 10-year anniversary, NASA is seeking essays on one of three topics:  1) Saturn's F ring; 2) Saturn's moon, Titan; or 3) the north polar region of Saturn, answering the questions: why should Cassini take this photo; and what questions will be answered through the photo.

For information on submission rules, eligibility, and prizes (including a possible visit with  Cassini scientists), visit 2014 Cassini Scientist for A Day Essay Contest

Public Review Period for Next Generation Science Standards Open Until 1/29/13

The second public review period for the Next Generation Science Standards is now open until 29 January 2013.  California is one of the partner states for this effort.  To view the standards and comment, visit http://www.nextgenscience.org/ .