ASTRO-Tucson Resources
Resources for Space Science Education
These resources have been compiled by the Ohio Aerospace Institute, a NASA Education and Outreach Broker.
SpaceLink: A major NASA online resource for educators. The Library is the heart of NASA Spacelink and the official home to the NASA Education Division’s electronic publications and NASA Television’s education schedule. The Library is also your guide to NASA’s Internet resources with hundreds of subject-oriented pages and the capability to search all of NASA web pages.
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA QUEST: Harness the power of the Internet to bring NASA experts and programs to your classroom. Using interactive video and audio engage in over the net tours of NASA facilities, meet NASA engineers and scientists, and participate in national conferences!
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/NASA Television: NASA Television Education programs air weekdays at 2-3 p.m. (Eastern Standard or Daylight Time), with replays at 5-6 p.m., 8-9 p.m., 11 p.m.-12 a.m., and 2-3 a.m. the next morning. The programming schedule can be accessed through SPACELINK. Satellite transmission receiver required.
NASA Aerospace Specialists: The NASA Aerospace Education Services Program is a nationwide, free program for teachers, students, and the general public. It is designed to increase awareness and understanding of scientific research and technological development and their place in the world in which we live.
The AESP is staffed with professional educators knowledgeable in aeronautics and the space sciences. They communicate NASA’s activities past, present, and future in different formats suited to a variety of audiences. Programs should be requested through the NASA centers. To request a presentation from one of NASA’s Aerospace Education Specialists, send a request on school or organizational letterhead to the NASA center serving your region. The lecture demonstration program for schools, due to demand, may have a waiting list.
http://www.okstate.edu/aesp/AESP.htmlNASA CORE: NASA’s Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE) is a national distribution center for NASA’s audiovisual educational materials. For a minimal fee, NASA CORE will provide educators unable to visit one of the NASA Educator Resource Centers (see below) with materials through its mail order service.
Educational materials available from NASA CORE include: videotape programs, slide and filmstrip programs, computer software, laserdiscs, CD-ROMs and instructional activities that can be used by educators of all disciplines. These materials are designed to increase awareness and understanding of NASA’s scientific research and technology, and provide a historical account of NASA’s accomplishments. An Online catalog of materials.is at http://spacelink.nasa.gov/CORE/
NASA Educator Resource Centers: NASA Teacher Resource Centers are located at thirteen NASA Field Centers and in selected museums, libraries and universities throughout the United States. Resource materials may be previewed. Some free materials and others may be copied at minimal charge. Sites near you may be found at http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/nasa/accessnasa/TRCN.html
NASA Educational Workshop Programs (NEW): 1-2 week programs NASA Educational Workshops (NEW) model the integration of the national standards in science, mathematics, and technology. Educators will be provided with with an opportunity to observe NASA’s state-of-the-art research and development through direct interaction with NASA scientists, engineers, technicians, and educational specialists at a NASA Field Center. Translation activities will be incorporated into the workshop to help teachers adapt their new content knowledge, experience, and materials into their specific educational situations.
Selected participants will spend two weeks in the summer at one of NASA’s Centers. Travel, housing, and meal expenses are provided by NASA. Graduate credit is available. The two-week workshops occur during mid-June through mid-August. Participants will be notified by April 15th of their NASA Center assignments and workshop dates.
http://www.nsta.org/programs/new.htmGLOBE: Workshops in support of Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. Students and teachers from over 5500 schools in more than 70 countries are working with research scientists to learn more about our planet. GLOBE students make environmental observations at or near their schools and report their data through the Internet. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students to enrich their science education. Global images based on GLOBE student data are displayed on the World Wide Web, enabling students and other visitors to visualize the student environmental observations.
http://globe.fsl.noaa.gov/fsl/welcome.html
http://globe.fsl.noaa.gov/fsl/workshop/registration.pl?lang=en&nav=1Math Counts: The objectives of MATH-COUNTS are (1) to bring about improvement in mathematics curricula and instruction in 7th and 8th grades; (2) to elevate the prestige associated with achievement in mathematics among 7th and 8th grade students; and (3) to increase awareness among parents, educators, and the general pubic of the importance of mathematics.
MATHCOUNTS is an annual mathematics competition for 7th and 8th grade students that brings a number of organizations together in a cooperative effort to promote and reward excellence in mathematics. The program is administered by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation and supported by the National Society of Professional Engineers, the CNA Insurance Companies, NASA, the Cray Research Foundation, the General Motors Foundation, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, sponsors from industry and other organizations support the program with an interest in promoting math achievement.
http://thechalkboard.com/MC/NASA Student Involvement Program: The NASA Student Involvement Program (NSIP) is a national program of five competitions that links students directly with NASA diverse and exciting mission of research, exploration, and discovery. Students submit entries that sharpen their inquiry, problem solving, and creative writing skills. This program provides connections to national standards, state frameworks, and local school curriculum. NSIP is more than a competition, providing an inquiry-based approach to science, math, technology and geography education.
New in 1999 is the Flight Opportunity competition for high school students. Winners’ experiments will be flown on the Space Shuttle or a sub-orbital rocket. Students are also invited to participate in:
- Earth Systems in My Neighborhood (grades 3-4)
- Watching Earth Change (grades 5-8, 9-12)
- Design A Mission to Mars (grades 5-8, 9-12)
- Aeronautics and Space Science Journalism
(grades 3-4, 5-8, 9-12). (grades 3-5)
NASA Space Grant Consortia: The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (also known as Space Grant) contributes to the nation’s science enterprise by funding research, supporting education, and public service projects through a national network of 52 university-based Space Grant consortia. These consortia administer programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The consortia’s 703 affiliates include 493 academic institutions and 62 businesses. Other partners include state and local government agencies, other federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Space Grant celebrates its tenth year of service in 1999. Since its inception, Space Grant has awarded over 12,000 U.S. citizens with tuition assistance in science, engineering, and related fields of study.
http://calspace.ucsd.edu/spacegrant/SpacePlace: Over 100 museums and libraries across the country participate in the NASA Space to display visual and content tie-ins to the award-winning NASA web site (http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov). Quarterly These Space Place partners receive and display the latest NASA posters, other materials and hands-on educational activities and contests. They also customize these displays for their communities by including local space-related events, materials of interest from newspapers and magazines, and even kids’ artwork.
The SpacePlace program was developed to provide access to NASA educational materials into areas that have not previously had significant access. Initially museums, planetarium and libraries have been targeted. Recently, the Space Place partner program has been opened up to aquariums and zoos.
ThursdaysClassroom: An award winning web site for k-12 teachers and students. Content is tied to weekly relevant topics such as a solar or lunar eclipse, meteor storms, change of seasons, etc. Site includes activities for students and guides for teachers. Guides and activities are customized to appropriate student levels. Each weekly topic is archived so you can use it later to match your needs.
http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/
