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NASA Explorer Institutes 2005

10.31.05

NASA and the Navajo Nation
NASA Lead: Ames Research Center
NASA Contact: Daniella Scalice, (650) 604-4024
Partners: NASA Astrobiology Institute; Arizona State University; ArtReach International
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products, Partnerships for Sustainability
Description: Members of the Informal Education Community, within the Navajo Nation, will identify relevant NASA educational materials and will repurpose them for use by informal education leaders on the Navajo reservation with members of the community. The goal of the project is to improve American Indians' understanding of and involvement in STEM subjects. NASA, its IEC partners and the Navajo Nation will host three materials production meetings, a "train-the-trainers" workshop, a lessons-learned session and a sustainability seminar that will build on the FY04 NEI focus group conducted in the four corners area.

Earth to Sky Tools and Products: NASA Content in the Hands of NPS Interpreters
NASA Lead: Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Contact: Jim Thieman, (301) 286-9790
Partners: National Park Service; University of California-Berkeley, Ideum
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products, Partnerships for Sustainability
Description: This NEI will develop STEM tools and interpretive products that will be introduced in professional development workshops for use at NPS sites. The focus will include two NASA content areas: Sun-Earth Connection Science and Earth Systems Science. The tools will be used by NPS/NASA teams to create exemplar interpretive products designed to meet the needs of NPS and other interpreters. The project also will build on and extend NASA's relationship with the NPS that was established through an FY04 NEI pilot workshop.

Lunar Outpost 2018: An Innovative Partnership Between NASA and Museums/Science Centers
NASA Lead: Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Contact: Bob Gabrys, (301) 286-7205
Partners: College of Charleston (S.C.); NASA JSC; U.S. Space & Rocket Center (Ala.); several others
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products, Infrastructure Development
Description: Lunar Outpost 2018 is geared toward the professional development and involvement of informal educators in support of NASA's plan to return humans to the moon by 2018. The project focuses on the science and education initiatives being developed for two upcoming robotic U.S. missions to the moon. Participants from museums and science centers will attend a professional development opportunity in November at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. The project will also include online mentoring and collaboration through Montana State University's National Teachers Enhancement Network. The participants also will exchange ideas for exhibit development and educational programming related to returning to the moon.

To the Moon and Beyond: Engaging Children in NASA Lunar Exploration in Libraries
NASA Lead: Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Contact: Bob Gabrys, (301) 286-7205
Partners: Lunar Planetary Institute (Texas); Haltom City Public Library (Texas)
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products
Description: This is a partnership between NASA and the library community. Participants will develop a module for children, ages 8-13, that uses a current NASA lunar mission to excite the kids about our nation's future exploration of the moon. The module will be available on the NASA Web site. GSFC will host a "train-the-trainers" workshop involving 70 librarians from Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Long-term support will be provided through an existing online network and continued interaction with GSFC personnel.

Growing the NASA-GSUSA Relationship Through Professional Development
NASA Lead: Jet Propulsion Lab
NASA Contact: Leslie Lowes, (818) 393-7734
Partners: Girl Scouts U.S.A.; NASA JSC
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, Partnerships for Sustainability
Description: This NEI broadens and sustains NASA's collaborative partnership with the Girls Scouts by building on existing relationships, the FY04 NEI pilot workshop, and a NASA-wide MOU with Girl Scouts of the USA. A professional development institute designed to foster collaboration among NASA centers and local Girl Scout councils will be held Jan. 30 through Feb. 3, 2006, at Johnson Space Center. NASA centers will be invited to submit team applications consisting of two NASA representatives and two local Girl Scout representatives, and optimally, two informal education organization partners. Additional openings may be available for self-funded teams.

Museum Alliance Phase 2
NASA Lead: Jet Propulsion Lab
NASA Contact: Anita Sohus, (818) 354-6613
Partners: American Museum of Natural History (N.Y.)
NEI Categories: Infrastructure Development, Partnerships for Sustainability
Description: The Mars Museum Visualization Alliance and the JPL Mission Museum Alliance will be expanded in this FY05 NEI to include the FY04 Earth Science Museum Alliance and create a NASA-wide museum alliance program that will involve additional NASA Centers, NASA content and museum partners. In addition, the Museum Alliance Phase 2 NEI will create a sustainable platform of user-friendly, Web-based resources that will allow partner organizations to access information about NASA missions and educational events and resources; sustain the communications pathway via a listserve and telecons; and evaluate and continually improve the effectiveness of this model.

Adventures in Time
NASA Lead: Johnson Space Center
NASA Contact: Susan Anderson, (281) 483-8630
Partners: Houston Museum of Natural Science; Rice University; Starlight Productions
NEI Categories: STEM Teaching Tools and Products
Description: This NEI will focus on the development of three products designed to create a science learning experience that will excite and engage learners of all ages and all backgrounds. There will be a special focus on girls and the historically underrepresented populations. These products and audiences will increase public awareness of NASA's research and investigation of how humans adapt their own time cycles in long duration space flight. The three products are "Cosmic Clocks," a full-dome digital planetarium show for portable digital theaters and major planetariums; "Time Cycles," a museum kiosk that will allow visitors to explore changes predicted by different time cycles and distance scales; and "Time Steps," a hands-on curriculum product/activity guide to accompany the planetarium show and kiosk experience.

NASA Return to Flight Video Products for Informal Science Institutions
NASA Lead: Kennedy Space Center
NASA Contact: Berta Alfonso, (321) 861-9083
Partners: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
NEI Categories: STEM Teaching Tools and Products
Description: This NEI project will produce a video program describing aspects of NASA's ongoing Return to Flight efforts. The program will be organized as a series of video chapters which will be produced with Informal Science Education audiences in mind, with each element being an approximately five-minute treatment designed for use in stand-alone and facilitated programs at museums, science centers, planetariums and schools. When played sequentially, the entire set of elements will form a complete program about 30 minutes in duration. The program will be distributed on DVD, with additional distribution of content possible via the NASA TV Education Channel and NASA's Web site. This project builds on and expands the video production that was developed in an FY04 NEI workshop.

Focus on the Future
NASA Lead: Langley Research Center
NASA Contact: Chris Giersch, (757) 864-6590
Partners: Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products
Description: NASA Langley Research Center, in collaboration with MPSC, will develop and implement a professional development seminar that will provide informal science educators at MPSC the opportunity to learn about current NASA research and the educational materials available to informal science educators for inclusion in museum and science center programming. NASA Langley Research Center will develop strategies for communicating with other institutions like MPSC.

Developing Southeastern Rocketry Curricula and Coaches
NASA Lead: Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA Contact: Vanessa Suggs, (256) 961-7507
Partners: University of Alabama-Huntsville; National Association of Rocketry; 4-H
NEI Categories: Professional Development Workshop, STEM Teaching Tools and Products, Infrastructure Development
Description: MSFC will compile existing NASA related rocketry educational instructional materials to identify high quality products. Based on age-appropriate, scoped and sequenced educational standards, MSFC and its collaborators will compile and complete a seamless pipeline of inquiry-based rocketry instructional materials that can be implemented across all sectors of the public (K-20). The final product will include hands-on, kit-based, age-appropriate rocketry curricula compiled across grade bands up to and including graduate student-level programs and materials. These materials will be made available on the NASA Web site.

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NASA Explorer Institutes 2005

10.31.05