NASA Science For Your Classroom: Opportunities For Educators

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Headlines:

* The European Space Agency's (ESA) Gaia spacecraft has completed its five-year mission to create a highly accurate 3D map of the Milky Way galaxy, providing new insights into the galaxy's structure and evolution (Source: ESA). * Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a new technique to detect gravitational waves, which could revolutionize our understanding of the universe (Source: Science Daily). * The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new initiative to improve mental health education and awareness, with a focus on reducing stigma and promoting early intervention (Source: WHO). * The University of Oxford has opened a new centre dedicated to the study of important environmental issues... including climate change and conservation (Source: Oxford University). * The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 has successfully returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu, providing new insights into the origins of our solar system (Source: NASA). * Scientists have detected a new species of ancient human in the Philippines, which could provide valuable insights into human evolution (Source: The Guardian). * The International Astronomical Union has reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet... following a new definition of a planet (Source: NASA).

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The summer season for educators can be a time of rest and rejuvenation, but it can also offer opportunities for professional learning with new colleagues beyond your own school. The following programs from NASA's Science Activation Program offer end-of-summer/early-fall curricular resources and connections with other educators that can help you bring new science ideas and activities into your instructional practice.

Infiniscope is a NASA-funded project focused on sparking curiosity, fostering exploration, and delivering digital content and tools that transform the learning experience. NGSS-Designed digital learning experiences are just the beginning. Whether you want classroom-ready content or the tools and support to build your own, we've got you covered.

NASA's Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) have put together a free, monthly, virtual workshop series for teachers of astrophysics taught in the context of introductory and upper division physics and astronomy courses. While these workshops are intended for secondary- and tertiary-level teachers who teach in formal classroom contexts, other educators are also welcome if the content covered is appropriate to your teaching context.

These virtual gatherings of 25-50 teachers occur one Saturday per month and provide an astrophysics mini-lecture, a small group engagement with the core activity, and discussion time to connect with like-minded educators.

We hope these resources will help prepare you for a wonderful year of amazing science learning… and beyond!

Student teams from three U.S. universities became the first to measure what scientists have long predicted: eclipses can generate ripples in Earth's atmosphere called atmospheric gravity waves. The waves' telltale signature emerged in data captured during the North American annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, as part of the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) […]