Shine a spotlight on Earth and climate science in the classroom with the new Earthrise initiative from NASA and its federal partners. Through Earthrise, educators will receive a monthly e-newsletter featuring interactive lesson plans, mission and research highlights, and opportunities to participate in student engagement and educator professional development events from across the federal government. Click here to register to receive monthly collections of resources starting in January 2024. | | On Dec. 11, NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment beamed the first ultra-high-definition streaming video from nearly 19 million miles away. The test video, featuring a cat named Taters, was transmitted via a flight laser transceiver and the signal reached Earth in only about 100 seconds.
Optical communications uses lasers to send data at the speed of light and will allow NASA to transmit complex science, high-definition imagery, and, ultimately, streaming video in support of our next giant leap: sending humans to Mars. Click here to learn about this historic achievement. | | Virtual Learning Opportunities | | Audience: Educators of grades 2-6 Registration Deadline: Wednesday, Jan. 3 Webinar Date: Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m. EST Surprisingly STEM is a video series that highlights exciting and unexpected careers at NASA. Join us for a monthly live session with Q&A focused on a specific episode and related activity. This month, roll over to NASA’s Glenn Research Center, where engineer Heather Oravec is reinventing the wheel. Learn about her work in creating wheels intended for use on other celestial bodies, such as the Moon, and how she got traction in this unique career. | | Audience: Formal and informal educators, parents, and caregivers Webinar Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m. EST Join GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Mission Mosquito and GLOBE Observer scientist Peder Nelson for a webinar to help you start 2024 on a journey toward open science.
Learn how to connect your ground photos to NASA research, and get an introduction to Open Science 101, part of NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative. | | 1…2…3… Count the planets with me!
Students can journey across the galaxy and learn about space communications while practicing their counting and mathematics skills. | | Higher Education Funding Opportunities | | Proposal Deadline: Feb. 14, 2024
NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) is accepting proposals to strengthen and develop the research capacity and infrastructure of MSIs in areas of strategic importance and value to NASA’s mission and priorities.
Through MIRO awards, NASA aims to promote STEM literacy and to enhance and sustain the capability of MSIs to perform NASA-related research and education.
| | Proposal Deadline: Accepted on a rolling basis through March 29, 2024 NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is seeking proposals for seed funding awards to provide support for faculty investigators and their students to carry out NASA-relevant research.
The goal of the SMD Bridge Program is to develop sustainable partnerships among institutions historically under-resourced by NASA, such as Minority Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and others. Each award is expected to have a budget of up to $300,000 for a duration of 24 months.
| | Are You Up for a Challenge? | | Audience: Astronomy enthusiasts of all ages Entry Deadline: Feb. 29, 2024 Join NASA's Universe of Learning for an exciting opportunity to use real astronomical data and tools to create your own beautiful images of the Crab Nebula. Explore how this dynamic dead star behaves across different types of light and how it is changing with time. Capture your own real-time telescope image using the MicroObservatory robotic telescope network. Or work with archival data files taken with multi-wavelength missions from NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency (Webb, Hubble, Chandra, and XMM-Newton). NASA experts may comment on creations highlighted as standout entries. | | Opportunities With Our Partners | | Nomination Deadline: Monday, Jan. 8 | | Application Deadline: Monday, Jan. 22 | | Application Deadline: Friday, Jan. 26 | |
Are you looking for NASA STEM materials to support your curriculum?
Find NASA science resources for your classroom. The NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program connects diverse learners of all ages with science in ways that activate minds and promote a deeper understanding of our world and beyond. https://science.nasa.gov/learn
Check out the ‘Explore NASA Science’ website! Science starts with questions, leading to discoveries. Visit science.nasa.gov. To view the site in Spanish, visit ciencia.nasa.gov. | | Visit NASA STEM Engagement on the Web: | | | | | | |
