resourceinfo

Resources

  • Find our more about excellent opportunities for informal educators at https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/edu-inf-current-opps.html (see below) (from National Aeronautics and Space Administration Page Last Updated: July 3, 2019 Page Editor: Flint Wild NASA Official: Brian Dunbar)

  • Sign Up for “Explore NASA” Newsletter
    Audience: Public
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Do you want to get updates about the latest happenings at NASA? Join us as we explore and go forward to the Moon and on to Mars. Plus, discover the latest scientific updates on Earth, the solar system and beyond from NASA—all delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to the “Explore NASA” newsletter for a weekly bit of space in your inbox: http://www.nasa.gov/subscribe.

    GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: Using NASA Earth Observations for Mosquito-borne Disease Applications
    Audience: All Educators
    Webinar Date: July 9 at 2 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Ever wonder how and why NASA Earth observations might be used to predict, monitor and respond to mosquito-transmitted disease? Join the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program’s (GLOBE) Mission Mosquito team for a free webinar to learn more. Dr. Ben Zaitchik will describe the research he is doing to learn more about malaria transmission in South America. Participants will also learn where to get NASA data sets to use for this type of research. Webinar registration is required. http://bit.ly/Buzz-GO9

    Free Tour at NASA's Glenn Research Center: Explore Locomotion on Other Planets—The Slope Lab
    Audience:     Educators and Students
    Registration Opens: July 10
    Event Date: Aug. 10
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, offers 45-minute tours that take tourists behind the scenes to one of the center’s test facilities. On Aug. 10, visit the Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Laboratory where exploration tires for rovers are tested to determine their ability to navigate and investigate planetary surfaces from the Moon to Mars. A bus departs from NASA’s main gate every hour beginning at 8 a.m. The last tour departs at 11 a.m. Reservations are required.

    Free Webinar—Small Steps to Giant Leaps: Mission and Resources Overview
    Audience: Formal, Informal and Pre-Service Educators of Grades K-12
    Event Date: July 10 at 6:30 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Join the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State University for a free 60-minute webinar. This webinar reviews the history of X-planes and NASA aeronautics research while also looking to the future of NASA aeronautics innovation. For decades, NASA has been studying aircraft noise in order to reduce noise emissions. Learn about NASA's newest X-plane, the X-59 QueSST, and the research on quiet supersonic flight. Participants will also get an overview of associated NASA STEM lessons, videos, fact sheets, printables and training opportunities. Online registration is required.

    Free Webinar—Explore Human Spaceflight: The Hazards of Human Spaceflight
    Audience: Formal, Informal and Pre-Service Educators of Grades K-12
    Event Date: July 11 at 6 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Join the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State University for a free 60-minute webinar. Human spaceflight will enable astronauts to continue orbiting Earth, return to the Moon and then journey on to Mars bringing together science, technology and human innovation. Explore the hazards astronauts face in the extreme environment of space travel and the NASA-developed solutions to ensure the safety and well-being of the astronauts. NASA STEM classroom lessons and online resources will be integrated. Online registration is required.

    Free Lecture—Apollo 50th Anniversary
    Audience: All Educators; Students in Grades 9-12 and Higher Education
    Event Dates: July 11-12 at 7 p.m. PDT
    Category: In-person Lecture With Online Webcast
    The Apollo program's "…giant leap…" took a decade of intense preparation to accomplish, and required huge support on Earth. Join host Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for a discussion that will focus on understanding JPL's supporting role in one of humanity's greatest achievements. The panel of speakers will include JPL fellow and Emmy award-winning producer Blaine Baggett, Caltech Professor Emeritus of geology and planetary science Arden Albee and JPL veteran engineer of the Ranger and Surveyor era John Casani. Attend the lectures in person, or view Thursday's lecture via live webcast.

    'CineSpace' Short Film Competition
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Submission Deadline: July 15, 2019
    Category: Competitions
    NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society invite professional and aspiring filmmakers to share their works using actual NASA imagery. The “CineSpace” competition will accept all genres, including narrative, documentary, comedy, drama, animation and others, up to 10 minutes long. Entries must use at least 10 percent publicly available NASA imagery. Entries will be judged on creativity, innovation and attention to detail. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three submissions, as well as two special category films: 1) the best documentary film and 2) the film that best exhibits human presence in space.

    U.S. Space & Rocket Center Celebrates Apollo Anniversary With Global Rocket Launch Event
    Audience: Public
    Event Date: July 16
    Category: Other Opportunities
    On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 crew launched to begin their historic mission to the Moon. To commemorate this event, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, home to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, is asking teachers, scout leaders, families, students and rocket enthusiasts of all ages worldwide to join in a Global Rocket Launch! Visit the link for rocket ideas, then sign up and share your launch pictures on social media using #GlobalRocketLaunch.

    Celebrating Apollo 11: Inspiring STEM Educators for 50 Years
    Audience: Educators of Grades PreK-12
    Event Date: July 18 at 2 p.m. EDT
    Category: Education Webcasts
    The Apollo 11 mission inspired the nation to achieve great things. Many classroom teachers remember the Moon landing, and many more continue to be inspired by this and other historic events designed and enacted by NASA scientists, engineers and the diverse and dedicated NASA community. Please join this webinar to increase your knowledge of Apollo-related STEM education resources, hear how Apollo 11 inspired fellow educators nationwide and learn which exciting missions to follow in the coming years. Make sure to share your own story when you register.

    GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: How Can Mosquito Citizen Science Data Protect Communities From Disease?
    Audience: All Educators and Informal Educators
    Webinar Date: July 24 at 2 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Join the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program’s (GLOBE) Mission Mosquito team for a free webinar to discuss how GLOBE’s Mission Mosquito data and other mosquito apps are working to reduce the risk of disease in communities. Liz Burck will present new educational resources in this informative webinar. Registration is required. http://bit.ly/Buzz-CS7

    Make Your Own Whirlpool With NASA’s Astrophoto Challenges
    Audience: Public
    Entry Deadline: July 31
    Category: Competitions
    Join NASA's Universe of Learning for an exciting opportunity to use real astronomical data and tools to create your own beautiful image of the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). Capture your own real-time telescope image of the whirlpool using the MicroObservatory robotic telescope network, or work with an archived set of NASA data files of M51, taken with four multiwavelength space telescope missions: Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer and Galex. Your creations may be highlighted as standout entries commented on by NASA experts.

    Night Sky Network: Astronomy Club Events Across the United States
    Audience: Public
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs bringing science, technology and inspiration from NASA's missions to the general public. These clubs host events across the United States, sharing their time and telescopes to provide unique astronomy experiences at science museums, observatories, classrooms and under the night sky. Visit the website to find events happening in your area! Looking for astronomy resources? The Night Sky Planner makes it easy to find out what's visible tonight or all month. There are also dozens of simple demonstrations, handouts, and presentations on common astronomy topics from our Moon to black holes.

    GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: Around the World With Mission Mosquito
    Audience: All Educators
    Webinar Date: Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Join the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program’s (GLOBE) Mission Mosquito team for a free webinar featuring data collectors from four different countries. Each presenter will share information about a country, as well as when and where there are active mosquitoes. They will also explain the different types of mosquito-transmitted diseases that are in their region and describe the prevention and protection measures used locally. Registration is required. http://bit.ly/Buzz-GO10

    Call for Proposals—NASA Research Announcement for NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II)
    Audience: Informal Education Institutions
    Proposal Deadline: Aug. 13
    Category: Funding Opportunities
    NASA is seeking proposals for the NASA Research Announcement: NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions. Eligible proposers include U.S. nonprofit science museums, planetariums, youth-serving organizations and libraries. Selected parties will offer inquiry- or experiential-based opportunities that include NASA education and research and directly align with major NASA missions related to space exploration. Projects shall use network partnerships.

    NASA STEM Engagement Call for Reviewers for Informal STEM Education Proposals
    Audience: Formal and Informal Educators, and Other Experts
    Deadline: Aug. 13
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA is seeking qualified peer reviewers to volunteer to externally review NASA TEAM II proposals during fall 2019. A diverse reviewer pool is sought, including but not limited to practicing or retired informal education leadership, managers, educators and evaluators (e.g., K-12; informal; youth groups; public outreach), scientists, engineers, higher education faculty and other experts (including individuals without a current institutional affiliation) with experience or knowledge of activities described in the Announcement NNH19ZHA002N. Volunteer at https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/reviewer/. Although NASA cannot guarantee an invitation to review will result, it thanks you for your consideration and/or referrals. Selected reviewers will be expected to disclose all conflicts of interest, including situations that may give the appearance of bias.

    Free Tour at NASA's Glenn Research Center: Enter the Proving Grounds for Deep Space
    Audience:     Educators and Students
    Registration Opens: Aug. 14
    Event Date: Sept. 14
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, offers 45-minute tours that take tourists behind the scenes to one of the center’s test facilities. On Sept. 14, visit Glenn’s Electric Propulsion and Power Lab—two very large space-environment simulation chambers and 10 smaller chambers—where engineers test electric propulsion and power systems that will be used to return to the Moon and travel to deep space. A bus departs from NASA’s main gate every hour beginning at 8 a.m. The last tour departs at 11 a.m. Reservations are required.

    GLOBE Mission Mosquito Webinar: Mosquito Science Engagement—Use Zika Zine in Your Outreach
    Audience: All Educators and Informal Educators
    Webinar Date: Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. EDT
    Category: Online Professional Development
    Join the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program’s (GLOBE) Mission Mosquito team for a free webinar to discuss and share outreach ideas. Dr. Lisa Gardner from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research will present her cartoon series, “Zika Zine,” and discuss effective science communication techniques. Library partners are especially encouraged to attend. Registration is required. http://bit.ly/Buzz-CS8

    Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Presents Apollo at the Park
    Audience: Public
    Display Dates: Summer and Fall 2019
    Category: Museum Events and Exhibits
    To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is placing 15 replica statues of Neil Armstrong’s iconic spacesuit in Major League Baseball stadiums across the U.S. Visit the site and follow @airandspace on Twitter for updates on where and when you can spot a statue. Fans will be able to unlock exclusive digital content when interacting with the suit. Follow along and share your pictures using #SnapTheSuit.

    GLOBE Observer Citizen Science Challenge: GO on the Lewis and Clark Trail
    Audience: Citizen Scientists
    Event Dates: Through Sept. 2
    Category: Other Opportunities
    In the early 19th century, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an ambitious expedition across the western United States. To commemorate their journey, NASA and the National Park Service encourage the public to follow in their footsteps through a new citizen science challenge from June 1 to Sept. 2. The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer App allows citizen scientists to use their smartphones to map land cover along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Any land cover observation taken along the nearly 5,000-mile-long trail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Washington State earns points. The top participants will receive recognition and “GO on a Trail” commemorative material. Can’t make it to the trail? You can still participate by making land cover observations in your area!

    The Museum of Flight in Seattle Presents ‘Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission' Exhibit
    Audience: Public
    Exhibit Dates: Open through Sept. 2
    Category: Museum Events and Exhibits
    The Museum of Flight in Seattle is the only West Coast stop for a new exhibition featuring the Apollo 11 command module Columbia—the only part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to return intact to Earth. The exhibit features dozens of artifacts, including astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s extravehicular visor and gloves, a star chart and more. The family-friendly exhibit also features an immersive launch pad entrance, iconic audio from mission control and interactives like a lunar lander video game and a virtual 3D tour of Columbia’s interior.

    Free Tour at NASA's Glenn Research Center: Explore NASA’s Drop Zone
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Registration Opens: Sept. 12
    Event Date: Oct. 12
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, offers 45-minute tours that take tourists behind the scenes to one of the center’s test facilities. On Oct. 12, explore the Zero-Gravity Research Facility, which was used during the Apollo program to help solve the problem of restarting the service module’s propulsion system in space. Today, the facility is used to test payloads by putting them into free fall for five seconds as they drop over 400 feet. A bus departs from NASA’s main gate every hour beginning at 8 a.m. The last tour departs at 11 a.m. Reservations are required.

    Send Your Name to Mars on NASA's Next Red Planet Mission!
    Audience: Educators and Students Worldwide
    Deadline: Sept. 30
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA invites the public to send their names to the Red Planet aboard NASA's Mars 2020 rover! The Mars 2020 mission will launch next summer and land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. The mission will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration.

    New My NASA Data Earth Science Phenomena Resources
    Audience: Formal and Informal Educators, Grades 3-12
    Category: Educational Resources
    Explore the newest My NASA Data collection of resources spotlighting the Next Generation Science Standards related to Earth System phenomena. This latest collection provides resources focused on hurricanes, sea and ice melt, land use and cover change, El Niño, flow of energy and matter among the Earth System, and deforestation. Each of these featured phenomena have corresponding maps, graphs, and/or data mini-lessons, full lesson plans and activities, STEM career connections, GLOBE connections and other resources.

    Planetarium/Dome Show—Destination Mars: The New Frontier
    Audience: Museums, Planetariums, Informal Educators of Grades 4-12 and Adults
    Category: Museum Events and Exhibits, Educational Resources
    Ever wonder what it would be like to fly to Mars? “Destination Mars: The New Frontier” gives audiences a close-up look at the work being done globally to make the dream of getting humans to Mars a reality. Fly through the International Space Station, explore the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and learn about the rockets and vehicles that will return humans to the Moon and, one day, on to Mars. Produced by the Museum of Science in partnership with NASA, with narrators who include the first African American woman in space Dr. Mae Jemison, the show also comes with an associated Educator’s Guide that links the show to Next Generation Science Standards and provides additional resources for teachers and planetarium presenters.

    GLOBE Observer: Toolkit for Informal Educators
    Audience: Informal Educators
    Category: Educational Resources
    The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer, an app-based citizen science project, recently released a toolkit for informal educators at libraries, museums, parks and outdoor education centers, after-school programs and more. The GLOBE Observer app is a great way to connect your organization’s mission to real-world science. The toolkit contains activities and resources that can be integrated into programming at your institution.

    Be a Citizen Scientist—NASA GLOBE Observer: Trees
    Audience: All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program (GLOBE) team has a new citizen science opportunity. A new tool in the GLOBE Observer app allows users to take tree height measurements with their smartphones. The data collected using the app will be used by scientists working on NASA missions studying Earth from orbiting satellites. This is an authentic research opportunity suitable for students in a variety of disciplines, including Earth science, environmental science, life science and mathematics.

    Go Behind the Scenes With New “NASA Science Live” Show
    Audience:     Public
    Category: Educational Resources
    Join NASA experts as they explore the secrets of the universe—from remote locations on Earth to the depths of outer space—in this new monthly series. Episodes air on NASA Television and can be streamed online via the NASA website, Facebook Watch, YouTube and Ustream. Viewers can join the conversation monthly by submitting questions on social media using the hashtag #askNASA, or by leaving a comment in the chat section on Facebook. For show information and a schedule of upcoming episodes, visit https://www.nasa.gov/nasasciencelive.

    Connect, Collaborate, Create—Join the Infiniscope Community
    Audience:     U.S.-based Formal and Informal Educators of All Grades
    Category: Other Opportunities
    The Infiniscope Community empowers educators of all kinds to collaborate and create innovative, educational experiences that meet the needs of learners of all ages. Join the community for free access to discussion forums, events, professional development and digital content. Learn how to create your own digital learning experiences using NASA visualizations and connect with other educators. Watch this video to learn more. Join now to get started!

    New Education Resources—Peanuts and NASA: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
    Audience:     Educators of Grades K-5
    Category: Educational Resources
    In May 1969, Apollo 10 orbited the Moon as a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Apollo 10 was also the mission that sent Charlie Brown and Snoopy into space when their names were adopted as the official call signs of the command module and lunar module. To celebrate this anniversary, NASA and the Peanuts gang have teamed up to create standards-aligned activities to help students explore space flight history and the amazing technologies NASA will use to land astronauts on Mars.

    NASA Models, Spacesuit Parts and More—Available Now!
    Audience:     Educational Institutions, Museums and Other Education Organizations
    Category: Educational Resources
    NASA invites U.S. educational institutions to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and blankets, spacesuit parts, various NASA spacecraft and aircraft models, space food packages and many other NASA artifacts for donation. A nominal shipping fee must be paid with a credit card online.

    Citizen Science Project: Earth Rotation Detector
    Audience:     Educators and Students
    Category: Citizen Science Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    Use your smartphone to explore how Earth’s rotation affects surface gravity at different latitudes. The Earth Rotation Detector project lets you measure the acceleration of gravity at your location and share your data with NASA. Because Earth is rotating, at the equator centrifugal forces will make the local acceleration of gravity a bit weaker than at higher latitudes near the poles. Visit the site for a step-by-step guide on how to participate.

    Citizen Science Campaign: GLOBE Mission Mosquito
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program (GLOBE) Mission Mosquito student research campaign connects students of all ages to monitor changes in the frequency, range and distribution of potential disease vector mosquitoes by reporting observations using the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper mobile app. This is an authentic research opportunity suitable for students in a variety of disciplines, including Earth science, environmental science, life science, mathematics and health. Download the free GLOBE Observer app at https://observer.globe.gov/about/get-the-app.

    NASA GLOBE Observer: Adopt a Pixel Challenge and Citizen Science Project
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Citizen Science Project
    The NASA Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer team invites educators, students, and the public to make a better world land map using the GLOBE Observer app. The new “Land Cover: Adopt a Pixel” module lets citizen scientists photograph with their smartphones the landscape, identify the kinds of land cover they see (trees, grass, etc.) and then match their observations to satellite data. Users can also share their knowledge of the land and how it has changed.

    See Yourself in Space With New ‘NASA Selfies’ App
    Audience:     Public
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Create your own selfies from outer space! “NASA Selfies” lets you put your photo in a virtual spacesuit in front of captivating images from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telecope. (Images from other NASA missions will appear in future versions of the app.) Share these space selfies on social media, and learn about the science behind the pictures. Available for iOS and Android devices.

    Take a Guided Tour of the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System With the ‘Exoplanet Excursions’ App
    Audience:     Public
    Category: Other Opportunities
    In NASA's “Exoplanet Excursions” virtual reality (VR) app, VR users are taken on a guided tour of the only known exoplanet system to host seven planets that are roughly Earth-size. Users of the app are navigated around five of the seven planets, surrounded by the blackness of space and the faint lights of distant stars. The VR app is available for Oculus and Vive. A 360-degree video is also available on Youtube that allows viewers to explore the virtual TRAPPIST-1 system on their desktop computers, smartphones or with a smartphone-based 360-viewer.

    Help NASA Predict Landslides -- Citizen Science: Landslide Reporter
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Deadline: Ongoing
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Landslides affect all countries, yet scientists don't have a clear picture of where and when landslides occur globally. To predict landslides more accurately, NASA scientists are building the Cooperative Open Online Landslide Repository with data of past landslides -- and you can help. Learn how to add to the COOLR catalog using the Landslide Reporter citizen science application. Visit the Get Started page for more information.

    Free Virtual Reality Program: NASA SLS VR Experience
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Educational Resources
    Do you want to experience the excitement of standing on the launch pad beneath NASA’s massive new rocket, the Space Launch System? The “NASA SLS VR Experience” is a free, virtual reality software program that is available for anyone with an Oculus Rift to download. Users can experience the scale of the SLS and can explore the rocket from multiple angles. Those using the software can even sit in the cockpit during prelaunch activities to see what it’s like to be an astronaut inside the Orion spacecraft.

    Download the New ‘Spacecraft AR’ App
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    NASA spacecraft travel to far-off destinations in space, but a new mobile app from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory brings spacecraft to you! The new app, called Spacecraft AR, uses the latest augmented reality (AR) technology to put virtual 3-D models of NASA's robotic space explorers into any environment with a flat surface. Download the new app to explore and snap pictures with 3-D rovers, space probes and more!

    Free Download for Educators: Experience Mars in Virtual Reality With Mars 2030
    Audience:     All Educators
    Category: Educational Resources
    Are you ready to suit up for a mission to Mars? Mars 2030 is a virtual reality simulation that gives players the opportunity to explore the Red Planet. The simulation was created using real data from experts to deliver the most authentic experience possible based on what is known about Mars today. A desktop version also is available for players without virtual reality hardware. Complimentary Mars 2030 software is available for educators and museum staff.

    Citizen Science Project: Cosmoquest’s Image Detective
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Citizen Science Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    CosmoQuest’s Image Detective, a NASA-funded citizen science project, invites the public to identify Earth features in photographs taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Citizen scientists are asked to help identify geographic features (natural or human-made) in astronaut photographs and then determine the location on Earth where the photo is centered. Your efforts can enhance NASA’s database of images taken by astronauts from the space station.

    Infiniscope Launches First Digital Learning Experience -- Where are the small worlds?
    Audience:     Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-12
    Category: Educational Resources
    Join the growing group of educators discovering Infiniscope’s first digital-by-design learning experience titled “Where are the small worlds?” This innovative learning experience is a game-like exploration of the solar system aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. The experience uses real NASA data and the relative motion of objects in the solar system.

    Search for Gravitational Waves With 'Gravity Spy' Citizen Science Project
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Deadline: Ongoing
    Category: Other Opportunities
    A century after Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory made the first direct detection of this phenomenon. LIGO is the most sensitive and complicated gravitational experiment ever created; it is susceptible to instrumental and environmental noise sources called "glitches." In this online Zooniverse citizen science project, your input will help scientists classify and characterize glitches, which, in turn, will help scientists determine and eliminate the sources of noise. For accompanying activities for grades 5-12, download the "Direct Observation of Gravitational Waves" Educator Guide at https://dcc.ligo.org/LIGO-P1600015/public.

    NASA Seeks Creative Arts Inspired by Cassini's Mission to Saturn
    Audience:     All Educators and Students Ages 13 and Older
    Category: Other Opportunities
    During nearly two decades in space, Cassini has inspired people on Earth. As the mission moves toward its "Grand Finale" at Saturn -- with a dramatic end in September -- NASA’s Cassini team wants to know how Cassini has inspired you! Visit the site to explore pictures and more, then use that inspiration to create: Write a poem; paint a picture; choreograph a dance; tell a story. The possibilities are endless! Then share your creation with NASA on social media.

    Help NASA Search the Realm Beyond Neptune at Backyard Worlds: Planet 9
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Deadline: Ongoing
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Is a large planet at the fringes of our solar system awaiting discovery, a world astronomers call Planet Nine? Using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission, NASA scientists are looking for this planet and for new brown dwarfs in the backyard of the solar system. But they need your help! Finding these dim objects requires the human eye to comb through the images to distinguish moving celestial bodies from ghosts and other artifacts. Participants in this citizen science project will share the credit for their discoveries in any scientific publications that result from the project.

    Create Art Inspired by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is inviting artists to create artwork inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope. Artwork can include painting, poetry, sculpture, textiles, music, video production, 3-D design, jewelry, posters, etc. Browse through the collection of Webb telescope images and videos. See what inspires you. Create art and share it with NASA on social media with #JWSTArt, or email jwst@lists.nasa.gov with your art. There's no deadline for submissions.

    Be a Citizen Scientist With the 'Aurorasaurus' Project
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Aurorasaurus is a citizen science project that gathers real-time data about aurora sightings and sends out notifications to users when the northern or southern lights are likely visible in their area. Registered users get location-based notifications and a real-time monitor of space weather activity. The project also allows users to help verify tweets and search for real sightings. Plus, the website features answers to science and aurora questions.

    Be a Citizen Earth Scientist With New 'GLOBE Observer' App
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Want to be a citizen Earth scientist? Download the new “GLOBE Observer” app, now available for Apple and Android phones. The app allows users to collect observations of clouds, a critical part of the global climate system. Paired with satellite data, citizen observations give scientists a more complete view of clouds from above and below. The observations also encourage the public to be more keenly observant of their outdoor environment and make their own field investigations.

    Celebrate Curiosity's Anniversary With New ‘Mars Rover’ Game
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    For four Earth years, the Curiosity rover has been exploring the surface of Mars. Celebrate this milestone by downloading a new, free social media game called “Mars Rover”! Using your mobile device, drive a rover through rough Martian terrain while earning points along the way. The game also illustrates how NASA's next Mars rover, in development for launch in 2020, will use radar to search for underground water. Get the free app and find out how the game rover compares to real Mars rovers.

    NASA Invites You to #SpotHubble
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Other Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    Hubble is more than a science spacecraft; it’s a cultural phenomenon! Take a moment to think about where you’ve seen the Hubble Space Telescope or Hubble images in your daily life. Maybe you own a textbook with a picture of the telescope on the cover, or you've walked by a mural inspired by Hubble images. Perhaps you’ve even created art based on Hubble images. NASA wants to see the Hubble impact in your life! Share your photos with NASA on Instagram, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

    'ISS: Science on Orbit' Exhibit at U.S. Space & Rocket Center
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Event Date: Ongoing
    Category: Museum and Science Center Events
    “ISS: Science on Orbit” provides visitors with a true sense of what it’s like to live and work in space. This NASA grant-funded exhibit includes a model of NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center and two full-scale mockups of space station modules. These mockups contain replica racks that illustrate life support systems, food storage and a sleeping berth. A connecting node featuring a full-scale replica of the Cupola Observation Module, the astronauts' window to spectacular views of Earth and space, is included.

    'Mission: Mars' Exhibition at Saint Louis Science Center
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Event Date: Ongoing
    Category: Museum and Science Center Events
    “Mission: Mars” is an interactive exhibition that immerses visitors in the exploration of Mars in the present and the future. “Mission: Mars -- Control” allows visitors to take the role of a NASA engineer to program a mission for a Mars rover. “Mission: Mars -- Base” takes visitors to the year 2076, when NASA has successfully established science operations on Mars. This unique exhibit was developed by the Saint Louis Science Center in partnership with Washington University in St. Louis, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

    Free "NASA’s Journey to Mars" Planetarium/Dome Show
    Audience:     Formal and Informal Educators
    Category: Educational Resources
    Do you want to spark student interest in STEM-related careers and pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation? Have your students join NASA in preparing for a monumental journey of a lifetime -- to Mars! "NASA's Journey to Mars" is a short planetarium presentation that can be used in the educational domes of your school district, as well as local planetariums, to inspire interest in STEM. Visit the website to learn more, including how you can acquire the show for use in your area.

    Help NASA Study Mars -- Planet Four: Terrains
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Deadline: Ongoing
    Category: Other Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    Help NASA study exotic landscape features near the south pole of Mars! Seasonal freezing and thawing of carbon-dioxide ice at the Martian poles creates some unusual surface features. In this citizen science project, you'll view images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Context Camera. Your input will help scientists identify possible areas for more detailed examination with the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. HiRISE can reveal more detail than any other camera ever put into orbit around Mars.

    Space: An Out-of-Gravity Experience Exhibition
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Event Dates: Ongoing
    Category: Museum and Science Center Events
    What does the future hold for humans and space travel? Space opened on Feb. 20, 2015, at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The exhibition seeks to answer that question and more by exploring the challenges of living and working in space. Space was designed and developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota in collaboration with the International Space Station Office of NASA's Johnson Space Center, the California Science Center, and the partner museums of the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative.

    Help NASA Find New Planetary Systems -- Become a Disk Detective!
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Deadline: Ongoing through 2018
    Category: Other Opportunities, Contests and Things to Do
    Help NASA find new disks, homes of extrasolar planets, by classifying images from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope and other observatories. In this citizen science project, you'll view animated images of disk candidates and classify them, distinguishing good candidates from galaxies, asteroids and image artifacts. This project, suitable for elementary students through expert adults, will yield targets for the James Webb Space Telescope and publications in professional scientific literature.

    Youth For Understanding USA
    Audience:     All Educators and 9-12 Students
    Category: Other Opportunities
    Youth For Understanding, or YFU, USA, a nonprofit leader in youth exchange programs, is reaching out to educators, parents and students who are excited about learning and intercultural exchange. YFU awards $1.6 million in annual scholarships to U.S. high school students to study abroad. YFU also seeks host families and mentors nationwide for international exchange students arriving in August to attend high schools nationwide. For more on YFU opportunities, visit http://www.yfu-usa.org or call 1-800-TEENAGE. The U.S. Department of State sponsors multiple programs for educational, cultural and professional exchanges across the world and also for American citizens to go abroad. To learn more, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/us. Join in the fun and make a difference!

    Citizen Science: Asteroid Mappers
    Audience:     All Educators and Students
    Category: Educational Resources, Contests and Things to Do
    NASA's Dawn Mission invites you to investigate and analyze high-resolution Dawn images of the giant asteroid Vesta, including craters and other features, from your own computer. The Dawn Mission's spacecraft has gathered intriguing data, including tens of thousands of images, more than the Dawn team has time to analyze in detail. That's where you come in. Register today to help the Dawn Science Team make sense of new elements on the surface of Vesta and learn more about this mysterious world.

    Discovery Dome Loaner Program
    Audience:     Informal Educators
    Category: Educational Resources
    Thanks to NASA support from the Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums, museums, science centers, Challenger centers and other 501(c)(3) community organizations are eligible for a free monthlong Discovery Dome loan. The dome includes the show "We Choose Space," but will also include other NASA-sponsored planetarium shows and software. Preference will be given to rural sites, sites more than 100 miles from a digital planetarium and sites serving minority groups.

    Host a "From Earth to the Solar System" Exhibit
    Audience:     Informal Educators
    Category: Educational Resources
    Celebrate NASA's Year of the Solar System by hosting a "From Earth to the Solar System" exhibit. This collection of high-resolution images showcases the excitement of planetary exploration. The images are freely available to organizations worldwide to host their own exhibitions. The artistic and informative images weave together themes in astrobiology, planetary science and astronomy. The collection represents the current state of exploration as seen through the eyes of the scientific community.

    (see more at https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/edu-inf-current-opps.html)