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Opportunity #1
For almost 20 years, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has inspired and engaged educators and students of all ages. U.S. formal (K-12, college) and informal educators -- both individuals and teams of up to four members -- are invited to submit their best examples of using Hubble in science, technology, engineering or mathematics education.
Entries will be accepted from May 2009 to January 2010, and may include any combination of text, graphics, video and photos. Selected entries will be recognized as "Top Stars."
Educators selected as Top Stars will have their entry featured on the Top Stars Web site and will receive the following recognition and awards:
* A high-quality photo print (48" x 24") of a Hubble image;
* Invitation to attend via teleconference a special briefing by a Hubble scientist or engineer; and
* Recognition as Top Stars on NASA Web sites.
The Top Stars contest is sponsored by NASA and is a project of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Arlington, Va.Entries will be reviewed by IGES, NASA scientists and educators, and Top Star selections will be made periodically through the contest period.
In addition, the top 10 Top Stars -- as selected by IGES staff, NASA scientists and educators -- will be recognized as "Gold Stars." These educators will receive an official letter of commendation from NASA, be featured in an article on Nasa.gov, be invited to present their entry to other educators nationwide over the NASA Digital Learning Network, and more.
The Top Stars Web site will begin accepting entries April 30, 2009. For more information, please visit http://topstars.strategies.org
Opportunity #2
K-12: Climate Change: EPA
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides comprehensive, in depth information about climate change. Learn about the science behind it, greenhouse gas emissions, health and environmental effects, regulatory initiatives, U.S. climate policy, economic analyses, and what you can do to reduce it at home, school, and elsewhere.
Opportunity #3
Gr K-5: Climate Change Kids Site
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/
At this site, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents a view of climate change for the younger student -- what it is, why it matters, and what kids can do about it. Games, animations and quizzes, and a climate change calculator are provided.
Opportunity #4
Gr K-5: Energy Star Kids
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=kids.kids_index
This site helps students see where energy comes from, how it is used, and what they can do in their own room to conserve it. Become an Energy Star School, and work to conserve energy and reduce our carbon footprint.
Opportunity #5
Gr K-8: EPA's SunWise Program
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/
The EPA site provides activities to teach children (K-8th grade) about the ozone layer, UV radiation, and how to be safe in the sun. Sign up to receive a free activity kit and access to other educational resources.
Opportunity #6
Gr K-9: Dare to Compare
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/index.asp?flash=true
So, how do you compare with students nationally and from around the world? This interactive site invites you to test your knowledge against students nationally and around the world. Pick a grade and subject: civics, economics, geography, history, math, or science. There are 4th and 8th grade level questions in science, pulled from the TIMSS study. All are multiple choice, and answers can be checked immediately.
Opportunity #7
K-12: Genetics: Tour the Basics
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/tour/
The University of Utah created this site with funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). The site uses animations to answer six questions: What is DNA? What are genes? What are chromosomes? What is a protein? What is heredity? What is a trait? Each question is answered through a virtual tour; the tours can be downloaded to run on your computer later without an Internet connection.
Opportunity #8
NASA CORE
This is an international clearinghouse for aerospace information and materials relating to many curriculum areas. We supply educators with videotapes, DVDs, CD-ROMs, activity kits and NASA memorabilia for minimal prices plus shipping. Established by NASA Headquarters and the Lorain County Joint Vocational School in 1988, CORE has been serving educators internationally for over 20 years. Please visit our website at http://nasa.gov/education/core to view our entire catalog online.
Opportunity #9
Challenges of Spacewalking Video Clips
Hear firsthand how astronauts have encountered their own challenges during EVAs (spacewalks). This six-part video series allows you, the viewer, to choose the correct “fix” for real problems astronauts faced while spacewalking. See if you have the right stuff to think quickly when things do not go as planned.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/home/challenges_spacewalking_index.html
Opportunity #10
Bending Under Pressure Activity Demonstration Video
While making spacewalks possible, pressure produces its own problems. An inflated spacesuit can be very difficult to bend. In essence, a spacesuit is a balloon with an astronaut inside. The rubber of the balloon keeps in oxygen that is delivered to the suit from pressurized oxygen tanks in the backpack. But, as pressure inside the balloon builds up, the balloon's walls become stiff, making normal bending motions impossible. Lack of flexibility defeats the purpose of the spacewalk -- mobility and the ability to do work in space. In this activity, students use balloons and rubber bands to demonstrate the pressure inside a spacesuit.
In addition to the lesson plan, a video of the lesson demonstration is now available online.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Bending_Under_Pressure.html
Opportunity #12
K-12: Science around the world
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/science_worldwide
Science benefits enormously from the diverse perspectives of its participants. This interactive side trip lets you explore the work of scientists around the globe from Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan's studies of dinosaur fossils in South Africa to Julio Navarro's investigations of galaxies in Canada.
Opportunity #13
K-12: Do you want to have you and your students stay current in science? Here are some websites to visit:
Science News
http://www.sciencenews.org/
Science News is published by Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization located in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the public engagement in scientific research and education. SSP educates and informs students, parents, teachers and the greater community about the evolving and influential world of science. Science News is published biweekly on Saturdays. Subscribers have access to the early digital edition of the current print magazine, and archived issues back to 2000. The website is updated weekdays with breaking science news and an e-mail headline service is available daily. Anyone can read articles published in the last 12 months for free at the URL above.
Science News for Kids is a web site devoted to science news for children of ages 9 to 14.
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/pages/about.asp
This site offers timely items of interest to kids, accompanied by suggestions for hands-on activities, books, articles, Web resources, and other useful materials.
There is an emphasis on making the Web site appealing by offering kids opportunities to comment on and grade the subject matter, get ideas for science projects, and try out mathematical puzzles. At the same time, the site provides teachers creative ways of using science news in their classrooms.
ScienceNOW
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/
Founded in 1880 on $10,000 of seed money from the American inventor Thomas Edison, Science has grown to become the world's leading outlet for scientific news, commentary, and cutting-edge research, with the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general-science journal. Through its print and online incarnations, Science reaches an estimated worldwide readership of more than one million. In content, too, the journal is truly international in scope; some 35 to 40 percent of the corresponding authors on its papers are based outside the United States. Its articles consistently rank among world's most cited research.
ScienceNOW articles are free for four weeks after publication. Read Science Shots (short stories), the Daily News Archive, the Top 10 articles, and all Free articles. Read about careers, and how technology is changing education. Every article you find on this site is accurate, represents good science, and will support what you are doing in the classroom.
Opportunity #14
The Why Files
http://whyfiles.org/
This site features an online science magazine. Since 1996, the site has covered the science behind the news, and has helped make science accessible and understandable in the context of current events. The Why Files was founded in 1996 as part of the National Institute for Science Education, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Since 1998, they have been supported through the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Each week they produce a new story, alternating longer features with shorter shorties. They also post a series of interactive science animations, the ever-popular “Cool Science Images,” and a series of Teacher Activity Pages linked to the national science teaching standards. Eager to explain the science behind the news, their home page reprises older stories that become relevant to the headlines. The site has a blog, archives, a section of cool science images, and links to virtual science activities for students.
Opportunity #15
Gr 5-12: Free Physical Science and Physics Lesson Plans from Arbor Scientific
http://www.arborsci.com/ArborLabs/ASLabs_Home.aspx
Arbor Scientific introduces a new free resource for physics and physical science teachers. Labs in this growing collection are designed to cover important key concepts, and may be downloaded and used in your classroom. Whether you're a teacher or home schooling parent, these labs are designed for you. All labs are classified as Hi-Tech (requires a computer and data loggers) or Lo-Tech, and for grades 5-8 or 9-12.
Each lab includes teacher's notes with a brief concept review, lab tips, applicable National Science Content Standards, and a list of equipment. The student pages are ready to reproduce and use right away. Topics include: motion, electricity & magnetism, light & color, sound, pressure & fluids, forces, electrostatics, energy work, wave, and measurement& analysis.
Do you have a great lab to share? You could receive a $50 gift certificate if your lab is accepted! If you would be interested in submitting a lab activity, please follow the link below and complete the form. All lab activities are reviewed by our panel of science specialists and authorship is acknowledged in the lab content.
Opportunity #16
Gr 6-12: Download a Free software program to analyze sounds
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/raven/RavenOverview.html
The Cornell Institute of Ornithology developed a software program to analyze bird calls. The program (called “Raven”) is for the acquisition, visualization, measurement, and analysis of sounds. Raven Lite is a free version of the software that lets users record, save, and visualize sounds as spectrograms and waveforms. Raven Lite is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists, and can be used for learning about sounds, as an aid in birdsong recognition and in musical instruction.
Opportunity #17
Fuel Curiosity in STEM
Igniting imaginations and fueling student curiosity in science, technology, engineering and math topics, the United States Department of Energy, the X PRIZE Foundation and Discovery Education have created Fuel Our Future Now, a new online knowledge center, inspired by the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, to engage students in the science of alternative fuels and energy-efficient engineering. Together, parents and students can explore a variety of grade-appropriate STEM topics through a number of exciting activities. K–2 children will be challenged to find out what makes cars go, while students in grades 3–5 will focus on building the skills needed to learn about force and motion and efficient energy transfer within a vehicle. Students in grades 6–8 will investigate fuel efficiency and develop a futuristic, energy-efficient vehicle, and high school students will be tasked with analyzing patterns in mass-transit issues. For more information, please visit:
http://www.fuelourfuturenow.com/
Opportunity #18
Great American Backyard Campout
http://www.nwf.org/BackyardCampout/about.cfm
The Great American Backyard Campout® provides an opportunity for everyone to relive -- or to experience for the first time -- how much fun it is to spend a night sleeping under the stars and enjoying the sounds of nature. Held on June 27th, the Great American Backyard Campout® is a national event that encourages individuals, youth, friends and families to camp out together for one night. Each year the number of campers has steadily grown. The locations and types of campsites vary from family campouts in the backyard to public campsites with 30 or more community members. In previous years, campers have ranged in age from 3 months to 99 years old and have come from all areas of the United States.
The Great American Backyard Campout® supports Great Outdoors Month (June), celebrating the diverse and valuable recreational opportunities across the nation -- especially those linked to America's public lands and waters, which cover more than a third of the nation's surface and attract billions of visitors annually.
Opportunity #19
Stipends Available for K-12 TeacherS TO ATTEND Astronomical Society of the Pacific's 120th Anniversary celebration
Abstracts due May 31; Sept. 12-16, San Francisco, Calif.
The 2009 ASP meeting will feature "Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to the Future." Hands-on workshops for formal and informal educators will be provided Sept. 12-13. The meeting proper will be held Sept. 14-16. Registration is now open and abstracts for presentations and sessions are due May 31.
Thanks to the generosity of the Spitzer Science Center, a limited number of $300 stipends will be available to K-12 educators who need additional support to attend. Instructions will be posted soon at: http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html
Opportunity #20
Teacher Workshop ON USING Earth Science Data in Grades 6-12 July 8-9, University of California, Santa Barbara
The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) is organizing a teacher workshop at the July 8-9 Federation for Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) meeting in Santa Barbara. Participating teachers will attend the ESIP introductory plenary for one morning followed by an afternoon and second full day of workshop sessions featuring hands-on computer activities that demonstrate ways that Earth Science tools and data can be used in science classrooms. The sessions will be led by ESIP members from NASA, NOAA, EPA, USGS and CIMSS
To apply and reserve a $200 participation stipend, please send a short e-mail to Margaret Mooney at margaret.mooney@ssec.wisc.edu
Opportunity #21
XXII Satellite Educators Conference
Aug. 13 - 15, 2009; Los Angeles, Calif.
This annual conference is for educators interested in discovering ways to use satellites and related technologies as a vehicle for helping students appreciate and understand the complex interrelationships among science, technology, individuals, societies and the environment while developing and applying inquiry and technology skills to study authentic questions and problems. The conference is sponsored by NASA, NOAA and aerospace corporations. For more information, visit: http://www.SatED.org
Opportunity #22
CLIMATE DISCOVERY ONLINE COURSES FOR EDUCATORS (June 18-August 9; Early registration by May 31) - The National Center for Atmospheric Research offers a series of seven-week online courses for middle and high school teachers that combine geoscience content, information about current climate research, hands-on activities and group discussion. The course fee is $225/course (register by May 31 and save $25). For more information: http://ecourses.ncar.ucar.edu
Opportunity #23
SUMMER SCIENCE WORKSHOPS FOR K-12 EDUCATORS (June-July 2009) - Penn State University is offering summer workshops for K-12 educators on topics including: Earth’s history, renewable energy technologies, calculator-controlled robots, lunar exploration, extreme cosmic messengers and black holes. Participants earn 2 graduate credits and PA ACT 48 hours; free lodging, meals and partial travel support; and can apply for tuition subsidies. For more information: http://teachscience.psu.edu
Opportunity #24
NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY FEATURE ARTICLE: SEA ICE
Polar sea ice grows and shrinks dramatically each year, driven by seasonal cycles. Habitat for wildlife and harbinger of changing climate, sea ice offers scientists important clues about the state of our planet. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/SeaIce/
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