Astrobiology Summer Science Experience for Teachers (ASSET)

A science and curriculum institute for high school science teachers.

Would you like to learn more about the interdisciplinary field of Astrobiology?
Are you looking for a contemporary thematic science curriculum that is standards based? Are you in search of an exciting professional development opportunity? Are you ready to share your enthusiasm for science teaching with others? If so, we invite you to become an ASSET teacher.

The ASSET experience will be intense and exciting, interactive and content rich, with presentations by leading astrobiology researchers from the SETI Institute, NASA, and California Academy of Sciences. Scientists will share the latest in astrobiology research on: the origin of life on Earth, the extreme conditions in which life exists, Mars exploration, the formation of planetary systems around Sun-like stars, and the search for life in the universe. The workshop features a combination of - cutting edge science, inquiry-based teaching and learning, and leadership skills development - to support you as a teacher and teacher trainer. Participants receive the entire Voyages Through Time curriculum (a $600 value) and complementary astrobiology materials, developed by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, for use in their classrooms.

Voyages Through Time (VTT) is a standards-based integrated high school science curriculum, delivered on CD-ROMs. VTT consists of six modules: Cosmic Evolution, Planetary Evolution, Origin of Life, Evolution of Life, Hominid Evolution and Evolution of Technology. Together these modules comprise a yearlong, integrated science course; or they may be used individually in discipline specific courses. Each module includes a database activity, an image library, videos, detailed lesson plans, and assessment materials. Magazine style Student Readers bring current science articles to the classroom. If you are interested in teaching this exciting new curriculum, then ASSET is for you! To learn more about the VTT curriculum, visit http://www.voyagesthroughtime.org.

Voyages Through Time was first published in the fall of 2003. VTT was developed by a SETI Institute partnership with NASA Ames Research Center, the California Academy of Sciences, and San Francisco State University with major funding from the NSF (Grant# 9730693), NASA, Hewlett Packard Company, Foundation for Microbiology, SETI Institute, and Educate America. VTT was successfully field-tested in 28 states and more than 90 high school classrooms across the U.S.A.

The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), http://nai.arc.nasa.gov the SETI Institute, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Educate America fund ASSET. NAI conducts collaborative research and education on the origin and evolution of life and the search for life beyond Earth.

Applications for ASSET 2008 will be accepted beginning January 5, 2009. ASSET will be held June 15 - 20, 2009.
Download the 2009 Application (PDF)
Download the 2009 Application (Word Doc)

If you choose to mail your ASSET application, please send it to:

SETI Institute
ASSET Program
515 N. Whisman Road
Mountain View, CA 94043

You may also fax your application to 'ASSET Program' at (650) 961-7099, or email as an attachment to vtt@seti.org. Signatures on page 2 and on the 'Declaration of Support' are required.