NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

Education and Outreach

6.1 Involvement in NAI’s Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Program

All NAI Teams participate in the Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program. It is expected that each Team has identified a member(s) to serve as the Lead for E/PO, to develop and carry out a plan for the team’s participation, to participate in the overall NAI and greater astrobiology E/PO community, and to report all E/PO activities. E/PO is a major component of the NAI’s mission; communicating the science and the benefits of the science to students, teachers, and the general public is a vital part of what we do. Consistent with NASA’s Strategic Framework for Education, a major focus of NAI’s E/PO efforts includes recruiting students into science, technology, engineering, and math careers. As astrobiology is an emerging field, recruitment of the next generation of researchers is especially significant.

In addition to the education initiatives for the agency, NAI works within guidelines for E/PO established by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The SMD E/PO Support Network consists of four educational forums which bring missions together in thematic areas to collaborate on E/PO, and several Broker/Facilitator offices across the country which foster similar collaborative activities regionally. Because NAI’s content is so broad in scope, NAI participates in both the Universe Education Forum and the Solar System Exploration Education Forum. Because our virtual institute has such a broad reach nationally, we work with many of the broker/facilitators on different projects.

Structure of NAI E/PO

E/PO for NAI involves NAI Central, all of the E/PO leads at the Teams, and the SMD E/PO Network (Forums & Brokers)

NAI Central

• Provides an E/PO oversight by the Lead for Education, Outreach, and Communications, Daniella Scalice ;
• Builds partnerships with external organizations to benefit all of NAI and/or the astrobiology community;
• Coordinates cross-team collaborations;
• Represents all NAI teams to NASA’s SMD E/PO Support Network and NASA’s Office of Education;
• Provides materials, support, and resources to all Teams;
• Collects reports from NAI Teams for submission to NASA HQ;
• Maintains astrobiology-related resources for teachers and the general public on the For Teachers section of the NAI website

Team E/PO Lead

• Represents the entire Team to the NAI & astrobiology E/PO community;
• Coordinates and carries out the Team’s E/PO activities;
• Integrates Team members in E/PO activities;
• Builds partnerships appropriate to the E/PO plan;
• Collaborates with other Teams and NAI Central on E/PO activities whenever possible;
• Communicates E/PO activities to the PI and entire Team; and
• Reports all E/PO activities in the annual report.

The NASA Science Mission Directorate Education Network

• Communicates NASA policy & guidelines for E/PO standards, reporting, accountability, and funding for all SMD missions and research programs including NAI;
• Connects SMD mission E/PO Leads to collaborate on E/PO projects, materials, and activities whenever possible;
• Interfaces with the NASA HQ Office of Education on behalf of the NAI and other missions;
• Offers four thematic forums — two of which involve astrobiology;
• Provides a regional network of Broker/Facilitators to build bridges between scientists, educators, & E/PO opportunities in their regions; and
• Maintains information on the web regarding the SMD E/PO Network including a map of the regions and contact information: http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/resources/ecosystem/index.htm

6.2 E/PO Meetings

NAI Central hosts monthly meetings of the NAI E/PO leads, incorporating WebEx technology to share information (support for this tool is provided). These meetings allow for cross-team communication of on-going and upcoming E/PO activities, opportunities for partnerships and funding, and requirements for reporting, etc. These meetings are open to all members of NAI Teams and often include external partners as well.

Because E/PO is an integral part of NAI activities, it is essential for the E/PO Leads to attend essential educational, scientific, and NAI meetings. Travel for the E/PO Leads should be included in all Team plans. Some of these meetings include the NAI General Meetings, appropriate professional education meetings, the Astrobiology Science Conference, and other meetings specific to the team’s E/PO plan.

From time to time, E/PO is a topic of discussion at the NAI Executive Council. In these instances, PI’s may wish to include their E/PO Lead in the Executive Council meetings, to invite them to present to the Executive Council, or to ask for a briefing of team activities in advance of an executive council discussion. Additionally, the E/PO team elects a representative to serve on the Executive Council. The representative serves as a conduit of information for the rest of the E/PO group, both to the Council and from it. The monthly E/PO meetings allocate time to debriefing from and preparation for the Executive Council meetings.

6.3 E/PO Reporting

NAI Central collects information on all E/PO activities on an annual basis. This information is used for two purposes. It is compiled into the NAI Annual Report, and is summarized into a unified report for NASA Headquarters as required. This information is also used throughout the year for various reporting requirements and made available to the public and potential E/PO partners.

All NASA education programs are required to report their activities to NASA Headquarters on at least an annual basis. On behalf of the teams, NAI Central meets this requirement for all of NAI by entering the information for the entire NAI.

NAI Team E/PO Reports

• Data are collected via an online database;
• Due dates for project entries are announced at least two months prior to the deadline; and
• Each Team is provided a unique user name and password to access the database.