Stennis Space Center (SSC) Office of Education and Visitors Center provided relevant education activities and experiences for teachers, students, and the general public. Activities included partnerships with INFINITY Science Center, 4-H of Mississippi, the Boys & Girls Club of America, development and delivery of educator professional development workshops that meet national curriculum standards; inquiry-based activities that emphasized the International Space Station, robotics, aeronautics, and propulsion testing; and development and installation of an interactive exhibit at the Infinity Science Center. The opening of the Infinity Science Center at Stennis Space Center in April 2012 allowed a new opportunity for SSC to partner and expand NASA’s outreach. A commercial-grade playground was professionally installed at the Infinity Science Center, along with OSHA-approved safety matting. The goal of the project was to utilize a commercially available playground and add graphics and quiz-based activities modifications enabling young visitors to INFINITY at NASA Stennis Space Center, the official visitor center for Stennis Space Center, to have an interactive, yet educational, experience.
STEMtastic: NASA in Our Community is a two-year project designed to educate and inspire teachers, students and life-long learners to embrace NASA STEM content. The project will increase awareness of NASA activities, while educating and inspiring students to train for careers that are critical to future economic growth of the country in general, and NASA’s future missions in particular. The Virginia Air & Space Center (VASC) will partner with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. to accomplish this project. VASC will deliver NASA STEM content through (1) STEMtastic Teacher Institutes and Education Modules: (a) a series of two five-day professional development institutes for educators which will result in the (b) development and dissemination of new education modules for grades 4-9; and (2) STEMtastic Exhibits and Demonstrations: new interactive exhibits to used for live demonstrations at VASC; those demonstrations will also be delivered to traditionally underserved schools in the region. All classroom and teaching materials—educator institutes, education modules, exhibit software and demonstration modules—will be developed using NASA content and shared with other institutions to promote the expansion of knowledge about best practices in providing STEM education in both formal and informal education settings. STEMevals, a robust evaluation plan, will be implemented to assess success in each project area. Adjustments will be made along the pipeline to increase effectiveness in reaching the target audience. The project has the potential to reach countless educators, students and museum visitors throughout the U.S."
The primary purpose of the STARS: Strengthening Teaching, Awareness and Resources in Science project from the Challenger Learning Center of the San Joaquin Valley is to build upon the CLC's resources and partnership in order to maximize the impact of informal science education in creating a STEM pipeline for the San Joaquin Valley region. The goals are to promote lifelong learning among the general public regarding STEM fields and NASA's contribution to American society through a series of high-profile community events, strengthen K-12 partnerships to ensure the long-term utilization of the CLC as a STEM education resource, and further develop the CLC's partnership with the University of California Merced to ensure continuity of the STEM pipeline from K-12 to higher education, integrating informal science education to inspire students to pursue STEM learning throughout this progression.
Exploring Ocean Science from Space (EOSS) is an integrated program of marine life exhibits and science programming designed to bring broader awareness of NASA’s ocean research and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to our staff, volunteers, students, their families and teachers, as well as the visiting public. The Seattle Aquarium was the lead institution, and partnered with NASA and NOAA. The project’s goal to advance NASA’s commitment to share its research through informal education and helping more than 1.5 million people better understand the role of oceans in our earth system while they increase their STEM literacy has been achieved. The project created and implemented a wide range of programs and products including a teen intern program, interpretive programming, special events, Bering Sea Bingo educational game, hands-on activity kits including Wi-Fi enabled tablets to utilize online NASA content for interpretation, exhibit improvements to enhance the learners’ experience, electronic interactive stations, and a self-guided Aquarium workbook.
Our Instrumented Earth: Understanding Global Systems and Local Impacts through the El Nino Story centers on a new production displayed on Science on a Sphere® (SOS), and informal educational program elements to engage learners in the power and purpose of NASA data-gathering tools. Audiences include over two million visitors to partner institutions, serving both urban and rural constituencies that rank among the most diverse in the nation. The Aquarium has partnered with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and NASA Goddard Space Center to implement elements of the program, as well as NASA scientists and experts to develop content. There are two main project goals for Our Instrumented Earth: to create a NASA-informed public by creating an SOS production which highlights space technologies and other instruments monitoring Earth; and to enhance the STEM capacity of underserved teachers, parents, and students through teacher professional development and outreach events. Major project deliverables for Our Instrumented Earth include: a brand new SOS film production, an adapted program for the Magic Planet spherical display platform to serve rural communities, professional development workshop for formal teachers, and NASA Night outreach events at the Aquarium.
NASA Science and Technology on the Family Calendar investigated the possibility of using local public and charter schools to recruit groups of families with middle-school-age children who would meet regularly to create NASA-themed programs for presentation to the general public at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC). The lead institution was the Rochester Museum & Science Center, in partnership with the Insight Lab at the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science of the Rochester Institute of Technology, with evaluation services provided by the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
The original project concept was to work through the Rochester City School District, the Genesee Community Charter School (GCCS), the Rush-Henrietta Central Schoool District, and the West Irondequoit Central School District to recruit a cohort of twelve families from each district and GCCS. Each cohort would meet regularly over a period of months to develop a program of activities with support from RMSC educators and RIT students and STEM faculty.
Experience over three years indicated that recruiting family groups through RMSC's and RIT's own channels of communication could be as effective or more effective than working through school districts. Although some cohorts started with as many as twelve families, completion of each project was actually accomplished by smaller core groups of two to five families. Because of other stresses on students, parents and the school, one of our Rochester City School District partners was unable to produce a cohort of families that could meet regularly. For this school we arranged special all-school visits to the RMSC's Strasenburgh Planetarium. We also recruited a new cohort from the general public to create a sixth event as envisioned in our proposal.
Each of our six successful cohorts produced its own public event running from one to ten days at RMSC: "Planet Next: Where Are We Going and How Will We Get There?", "Space Odyssey: Colonization of Space," "Lasers," "Aliens: Friend or Foe?", "Evolution of Electronics" and "Our Home Planet." These events were created during 105 family meetings attended by 269 unique individuals (including children of all ages and adults) and seen by an estimated 5910 RMSC visitors.
Beginning in 2010, Thanksgiving Point Institute leveraged its one-of-a-kind assets to deliver NASA and space-related programming. Informally referred to as NASA BLAST (Bringing Light and Space Together), the program included three exhibitions and a multitude of informal learning opportunities including field trips, camps, classes, and family programming. During the two-year program, Thanksgiving Point achieved its goal of increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Thanksgiving Point incorporated unique space-related messages in each of its venues and provided educational lessons to 554,873 guests. Thanksgiving Point did this through three exhibitions: a light exhibition at the Museum of Ancient Life featuring exhibitions from San Francisco’s Exploratorium, a space garden at Farm Country, and walk able version of the solar system at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. In addition, Thanksgiving Point hosted a number of youth programs, day camps, and field trips centered on these exhibitions.
Mission: Moonbase is an interactive lunar colony simulation designed to inspire and educate participants of all ages. Prominently situated in the largest children’s science center at the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), Mission: Moonbase engages the general public as an exhibition. It also serves as an immersive, team-based experience for thousands of students in area school districts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc. Through the use of high-tech gaming technologies in a facilitated, immersive environment, participants are challenged to operate lunar colony while learning and applying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) knowledge and skills. Mission: Moonbase will continue to serve as an inspirational catalyst for students and families on the importance of STEM, NASA’s missions and career opportunities, and the value of space exploration in a fun, exciting way. Mission: Moonbase serves as an educational setting and dynamic experience for students and families with the support of educators and scientists with an eye on promoting a better future.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) CP4SMP program, Methods of Increasing Awareness of Comparative Planetology and Climate Science with Science On a Sphere in Museum Settings, intended to educate our audiences about planetary exploration missions, illuminate climate science through comparative planetology, and produce new educational materials, interpretation techniques, and knowledge that facilitate more effective informal education on these themes nationally. DMNS was the lead organization on this program, but collaborated closely with other institutions involved in the Science on a Sphere® (SOS) user community. This program achieved its intentions to: (1) boost literacy in climate science, (2) build awareness of NASA’s space science missions and the relevance of NASA Earth observing satellites to contemporary issues of global change, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of different modes of employing the SOS system with diverse audiences. We capitalized on our unique combination of scientific expertise in planetary science and spacecraft exploration, our considerable experience in digital media development, informal science education, exhibit design, educational research, and museum evaluation. Over the duration of the project we: (1) developed visually exciting and compelling SOS programming on comparative planetology and climate science using NASA mission data; (2) tested different modes of presentation of SOS to determine how this technology can be best utilized in informal science contexts; (3) investigated how visitors perceive and understand scientific data presented on SOS; and (4) created teacher professional development workshops to reach K-12 formal educators both locally and nationally. The DMNS CP4SMP NASA grant created opportunities to positively impact climate literacy for millions of DMNS visitors over the five-year period.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Scott SampsonSteve LeeKa Chun YuEddie GoldsteinAndrea Giron
NASA‘s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Space Center Houston (SCH) will build upon the successes of NASA‘s Summer of Innovation initiative and SCH‘s highly successful Exploration Academy by developing, planning and implementing a newly defined STEM experiential program – Spaceflight Explorers. This program will not only be sustainable for the future, but will also be able to be replicated throughout the nation‘s network of museums and science centers. The Spaceflight Explorers program will: - Provide customizable STEM education content (up to 40 contact hours) to support the implementation of STEM learning programming with an emphasis on Human Spaceflight (content to include experiential STEM experiences) - Engage underrepresented and underserved middle school students in STEM learning by utilizing NASA material - Provide professional development to educators patterned after our 18 years of experience with SEEC (Space Exploration Educators Conference) our highly successful Educators Conference held here for over 500 teachers from around the country. - Create a network of visitor centers, museums, and science centers that have an interest in promoting and sharing the excitement of human spaceflight with students, educators, and the general public. Upon receiving these resources, each museum or science center will be expected to offer summer STEM learning experiences, as outlined in the Spaceflight Explorers curriculum, at their facilities targeting underserved/under-represented populations of middle school students. By adopting and utilizing The Exploration Academy concept at their facility museums and science centers are making a commitment to support current and future NASA Human Space Flight endeavors and increase student and visitor awareness of Human Spaceflight.
Journey into Space (JIS) is designed to improve student, educator, and general public understanding of earth/space science and its relationship to NASA goals and objectives through the use of a traveling GeoDome (inflatable planetarium) and engaging supporting programming at The Journey Museum. The Museum collaborates with area colleges, school districts, K-12 educators, youth serving organizations, astronomical affiliations, and others. The overall goal of JIS is to improve student, educator, and general public understanding of STEM and its relationship to NASA goals and objectives. JIS objectives are: 1) To increase student and public interest and awareness in STEM areas; 2) To increase student interest in pursuing STEM careers; 3) To improve teacher knowledge of NASA related science; 4) To increase teacher comfort level and confidence in teaching NASA related science in their classrooms; 5) To increase collaboration between informal and formal science educators; 6) To increase student and public understanding of Plains Indians ethno astronomy; and 7) To increase museum visitors’ interest and understanding of NASA related science. The Museum produced 2 films (“Cradle of Life”, “Looney Moons”) that are offered daily, 4 recurring monthly programs (Final Frontier Friday, Amazing Science, SciGirls that became Science Explorer’s Club, and Black Hills Astronomical Society meetings), summer robotics classes and teachers’ workshops, annual Earth Science Day, in addition to the GeoDome programming that has toured the region including presentations in the three poorest counties in the United States. The ethno-astronomy is underway in partnership with Oglala Lakota College and South Dakota Space Grant Consortium.
Informal Education at NASA Centers: Extending the Reach is a highly leveraged, modular, project-based approach to improving education opportunities for students, formal and informal educators, and life-long learners in NASA Ames Research Center’s local community and beyond. In partnership with the Aerospace Education, Research and Operations (AERO) Institute, NASA Ames has been developing two projects: Exploration Center Field Trips and Field Trip in a Box. California Teaching Fellows Foundation, as a sub awardee, has been expanding their After School University (ASU) program. The division has the goal of supporting NASA’s Education Outcome 2 with improved educational opportunities for all in the NASA Ames Visitor Center and opportunities to bring NASA content into the classroom to improve students understanding of STEM as well as improve teachers understanding and ability to teach NASA-related STEM topics. The division also has the goal of supporting NASA’s Education Outcome 3 by expanding ASU to include NASA-based STEM learning opportunities to 360 additional students in six rural schools as well as train 12 additional Teaching Fellows (Fresno State University future teachers). Through these objectives, NASA Ames has produced 10 Field Trip in a Box kits as well as new and expanded learning opportunities for all, especially 3rd – 8th grade classes, in the NASA Ames Visitor Center. ASU has reached 500 students in 10 schools and hosted 12-14 year old learners in a five-week computer-based flight simulation class, called Flying for Future Pilots.