Heliosphere Lithograph

This lithograph introduces users to the fact that the Solar System has an interstellar boundary called the heliosphere. It includes an interactive activity. Users can look at the diagram of the heliosphere on the front, read information about the heliosphere on the back, and then use the lithograph as part of a model of the heliosphere that uses water to represent solar wind. The lithograph also includes information about NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, which will make the first map of the Solar System's boundary. Educational levels: Informal education,

3UCubed: The IMAP Student Collaboration CubeSat Project

The 3UCubed project is a 3U CubeSat being jointly developed by the University of New Hampshire, Sonoma State University, and Howard University as a part of the NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)1 student collaboration. This project consists of a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students from all three universities. The mission goal of the 3UCubed is to understand how Earth\u27s polar upper atmosphere (‘the thermosphere’ in Earth’s auroral regions) responds to particle precipitation and solar wind forcing and internal magnetospheric processes. 3UCubed includes two instruments with rocket heritage to achieve the science mission: an ultraviolet photomultiplier tube (UV-PMT) and electron retarding potential analyzer (ERPA). The spacecraft bus consists of the following subsystems–Attitude Determination and Control, Command and Data Handling, Power, Communication, Structural, and Thermal. Currently, the project is in the post-PDR stage, starting to build and test engineering models to develop a FlatSat prior to critical design review in 2023. The goal is to launch at least one 3U CubeSat a to collect science data close to the anticipated peak of Solar Cycle 25 around July 2025.2 Our mother mission–IMAP is also projected to launch in 2025, which will let us jointly analyze the science data of the main mission, providing the solar wind measurements and inputs to the magnetosphere with that of 3UCubed, providing the response of Earth’s cusp to these inputs

A Teacher's Guide to the Universe

This website, created by Lindsay Marie Bartolone at Princeton University, gives astronomy teachers labs and activities for their students that meet the requirements of the Core Curriculum Content Standards of the State of New Jersey and by the National Science Education Standards. Topics range from scales of the solar system to introductory cosmology. There are also links to information about cosmology, the universe, galaxies, and stars. This is a nice resource for a general overview of almost any topic which could be covered in terms of astronomy

NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Education and Public Outreach Forums Informal Educator National Survey Results

As a part of the strategy to reach the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Science Education and Public Outreach Forum Objective 1.2: Provide resources and opportunities to enable sharing of best practices relevant to SMD education and public outreach (EPO), the Informal Education Working Group members designed a nationally distributed online survey to answer the following questions: • How, when, where, and for how long do informal educators prefer to receive science, mathematics, engineering, and/or technology content and professional development? • What are the professional development and material resources that informal educators prefer that could be provided by current and future NASA SMD Education and Public Outreach (EPO) efforts? The results of the survey will be used to help NASA’s SMD EPO community better meet those needs and plan future opportunities for the informal education community. This survey was distributed in October and November 2013. Recommendations from the Informal Education Working Group, or the Working Group, on how EPO professionals should use this information when planning their programs are included on the SMD EPO website

Summative Evaluation Findings from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Education and Public Outreach Program

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission includes a comprehensive Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program in heliophysics that is overseen and implemented by the Adler Planetarium and evaluated by Technology for Learning Consortium, Inc. Several components of the IBEX EPO program were developed during the prime phase of the mission that were specifically designed for use in informal institutions, especially museums and planetaria. The program included a widely distributed planetarium show with accompanying informal education activities, printed posters, lithographs and other resources, funding for the development of the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6–8 curriculum materials, development of the IBEX mission website, development of materials for people with special needs, participation in the Heliophysics Educator Ambassador program, and support for the Space Explorers Afterschool Science Club for Chicago Public Schools. In this paper, we present an overview of the IBEX EPO program summative evaluation techniques and results for 2008 through 2012

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Enhancing STEM Experience of Undergraduates

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enhance the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) experience of undergraduates. The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing both professional development and resources to faculty at two- and four-year institutions and in offering internships and student collaboration opportunities. These mission- and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum engage the higher education community in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Serving Groups Historically Underrepresented in STEM Fields

Four Science Education and Public Outreach Forums support and coordinate the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education and public outreach (EPO) community. The mission- and grant-based EPO programs of this EPO community are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. The Forums engage underserved audiences through coordinated efforts such as NASAScience4Girls and Their Families, which partners NASA science education programs with public libraries to provide NASA-themed, hands-on education activities for girls and their families, along with training for librarians. We present examples of how the NASA EPO community and Forums serve groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields via the NASAScience4Girls and Their Families initiative, including associated metrics and evaluation findings

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Enhancing STEM Instruction

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) instruction. In 2010, the Astrophysics EPO community identified online professional development for classroom educators and multiwavelength resources as a common interest and priority for collaborative efforts. The result is NASA’s Multiwavelength Universe, a 2–3 week online professional development experience for classroom educators. The course uses a mix of synchronous sessions (liveWebEx teleconferences) and asynchronous activities (readings and activities that educators complete on their own on the Moodle, and moderated by course facilitators). The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing both professional development and resources to K–12 Educators. These mission and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum engage the K–12 education community in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Increasing and Sustaining Youth and Public Engagement in STEM

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enable youth to engage directly in doing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) inside and outside of school. The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing student opportunities that reinforce research skills; exhibits, multimedia shows, and visualizations that inspire and engage; professional development for informal educators; and partnerships that provide local, regional, and national reach. These mission- and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum support youth and public engagement in STEM in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings

NASA SMD Education and Public Outreach Forums K–12 Working Group: Key Findings from the National K–12 Educator Needs Assessment Survey

A national survey, conducted in 2012 by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach Forums, assessed who was using NASA resources, what educators were looking for when using NASA data, and what attracted them to NASA workshops. The key findings of the survey were distributed through NASA and national education networks