Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community. Full descriptions are listed below.
FY2014 Selections Announced -- NASA Research Announcement (NRA) 2013 Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number: NNH13ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008)
Audience: Informal Education Institutions
Frequently Asked Questions -- NASA Research Announcement (NRA) 2013 Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number: NNH13ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008)
Audience: Informal Education Institutions
Regarding Proposals With Due Date: April 9, 2013
Launch Opportunity: RockSat-C and RockSat-X Programs
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Informational Webinar: Aug. 22, 2014
Notice of Intent Deadline: Sept. 19, 2014
Louisiana Tech University Online Course -- Steps to STEM: NASA Education Resources for STEM Engagement
Audience: K-12 Educators
Application Deadline: Aug. 30, 2014
Destination Station: San Diego
Audience: All Educators and Students
Exhibit Open Through Sept. 2, 2014
NASA Rockets 2 Racecars Educator Professional Development Opportunity at Richmond International Raceway 2014
Audience: All Educators
Event Dates: Sept. 5-6, 2014
International Observe the Moon Night
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 6, 2014
Free Webinar -- Secrets to Fundraising for Competing in NASA Challenges
Audience: Higher Education Educators and Students
Webinar Date: Sept. 10, 2014
2015 ICESat-2 Mission Hexacopter Engineering Challenge
Audience: Undergraduate College Students from Accredited U.S. Colleges and Universities
Application Deadline: Sept. 12, 2014
Family Day Event at Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
Audience: All Educators and Students
Event Date: Sept. 13, 2014
Call for Papers -- The NACA Centenary: A Symposium on 100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development
Audience: Scholars and Graduate Students
Submission Deadline: Sept. 15, 2014
MAVEN Workshop -- Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!
Audience: Elementary Educators
Application Deadline: Sept. 15, 2014
Workshop Date: Sept. 21, 2014
Second Annual Astrobiology Symposium at the Library of Congress
Audience: All Educators and 9-Higher Education Students
Symposium Dates: Sept. 18-19, 2014
National Mars Education Conference -- Mars and the Comet: How to Use Natural Events as NGSS-Aligned Teachable Moments in Your Classroom
Audience: All Educators
Application Deadline: Sept. 23, 2014
Conference Date: Sept. 27, 2014
Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2014
Audience: 9-12 Educators and Students
Registration Deadline: Sept. 24, 2014
Presidential Management Fellows Program: STEM Opportunity
Audience: Graduate Students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Disciplines
Application Period Will Open Sept. or Oct. 2014
OSSI NIFS -- Spring 2015 Opportunities
Audience: Higher Education Students
Application Deadline: Oct. 12, 2014
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Accepting Applications for 2015-2016 Fellowship Year
Audience: K-12 STEM Educators
Application Deadline: Nov. 20, 2014, at 5 p.m. EST
NASA CubeSat Space Missions
Audience: Higher Education Educators & Students
Application Deadline: Nov. 25, 2014
Airport Cooperative Research Program -- University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs
Audience: Higher Education Students
Application Deadline: April 30, 2015
Don't miss out on upcoming NASA education opportunities.
For a full list of events, opportunities and more, visit the Educator and Student Current Opportunity pages on NASA's website:
-- Educators
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/current-opps-index.html-- Students
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/current-opps-index.html______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FY2014 Selections Announced -- NASA Research Announcement (NRA) 2013 Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number: NNH13ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008)
Twelve organizations, including nine museums and three NASA Visitor Centers, have been selected to share nearly $6 million in Fiscal Year 2014 funds in grants or cooperative agreements through NASA’s Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMPVC). The solicitation was issued in January 2013 with proposals due in April 2013. The selected organizations are: NASA Ames Research Center Visitor Center, Mountain View, CA; Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO; Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, CT; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC; Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL; Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA; Howard B. Owens Science Center, Lanham, MD; Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, MD; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center, Greenbelt, MD; Great Lakes Science Center (NASA Glenn Research Center Visitor Center), Cleveland, OH; Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR; and EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia, SC.
Awards will range from $150,000 to nearly $900,000 with periods of performance from 1 to 5 years. Sixty-seven proposals from institutions in 31 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico underwent a merit-based peer review process. NASA's Office of Education, agency mission directorates and support offices, and JPL solicited and reviewed the grant applications.
The selected organizations will collaborate with NASA's Museum Alliance, a nationwide network of informal education professionals at 575 science museums, planetariums, NASA visitor centers, Challenger Centers, visitor centers at observatories and parks, nature centers, aquariums, zoos and other institutions of informal education. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Museum Alliance for the agency.
NASA’s initial investment authority in informal education institutions dates to the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, specifically, PL (Public Law) 109-155 SEC. 616. MUSEUMS: "The Administrator may provide grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, museums and planetariums to enable them to enhance programs related to space exploration, aeronautics, space science, earth science, or microgravity."
For more information about this year's CP4SMPVC winners, including project descriptions, visit
http://go.nasa.gov/18U8PAO.Proposals from entities that are not also NASA Visitor Centers, Museums or Planetariums submitted to Appendix O: Other Opportunities are still under review.
For information about the activities of previous CP4SMP winners, visit
https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/CP4SMP.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Frequently Asked Questions -- NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMP+) (Announcement Number: NNH13ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008)
Four frequently asked questions were posted on the CP4SMP+ portal page on NSPIRES on Aug. 20, 2014.
Visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/18U8PAO______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Launch Opportunity: RockSat-C and RockSat-X Programs
NASA, in partnership with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, is offering the opportunity for university instructors and students to participate in three programs designed for everyone from the novice to the more experienced space researcher.
RockSat-C is a competitive program for university and community college students to design and build a sounding rocket payload, and then launch the payload on a sounding rocket at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The program actively engages students through full design-process mentoring, with assistance through the design phase throughout the fall semester. During the spring semester, teams are lead through testing and integration reviews, along with a launch readiness review.
RockSat-X pushes the RockSat-C concept to new extremes by providing participants with full access to the space environment, more in-flight resources and less restrictive design space. Deployable items are even allowed. In addition, payloads will be provided power and a live telemetry feed for real-time data acquisition during the flight. These amenities allow experimenters to focus more on the science and leave power and data handling to the Wallops rocket team.
Selected RockSat-C experiments will launch in June 2015. RockSat-X experiments are expected to launch later in the summer.
Student teams who are up to the challenge are invited to submit an intent to fly form before Sept. 19, 2014.
An informational teleconference for those interested in learning more about the RockSat-C and Rocket-X programs will take place on Fri., Aug. 22, 2014, at 2 p.m. EDT. The dial-in number is 877-820-7831 and the passcode is 434477#.
To learn more about Rocket-C and to see experiments selected for previous flights, visit
http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/national-programs/rs-c-2015-home.Questions about the RockSat-C program should be directed to Becca Lidvall by email at rocksatprogram@gmail.com.
To learn more about RockSat-X and to see experiments selected for previous flights, visit
http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/national-programs/rs-x-2015-home.Questions about the RockSat-X program should be directed to Jesse Austin by email at rocksatx@gmail.com.
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Louisiana Tech University Online Course -- Steps to STEM: NASA Education Resources for STEM Engagement
Louisiana Tech University is teaming up with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to offer a 10-week course for educators interested in putting a space-themed twist on learning. The course is designed to be a self-paced, online professional development experience focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education resources available from NASA. These resources have application methods for use in grades 4-9 classrooms with the goal of advancing high quality STEM education utilizing NASA's unique capabilities.
Applications are due Aug. 30, 2014.
For more information and to enroll in the course, visit
http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/opeo.php.Questions about these courses should be directed to Amy McDowell at amy.mcdowell@nasa.gov.
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Destination Station: San Diego
Ever wonder what it's like to live and work in space? Find out at the Destination Station exhibit! This multimedia exhibit showcases what it's like to live aboard the International Space Station. The exhibit will be open to the public through Sept. 2, 2014, at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, California.
To learn more, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/destination_station/index.html. Questions about this exhibit should be directed to Megan Sumner at megan.c.sumner@nasa.gov.
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NASA Rockets 2 Racecars Educator Professional Development Opportunity at Richmond International Raceway 2014
Calling all science and math teachers -- Come to Richmond International Raceway on Fri., Sept. 5, 2014, from noon to 7 p.m. and Sat., Sept. 6, 2014, from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and become an ambassador of NASA content on NASA-inspired activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Team up with NASA education specialists in the VA529 Kid Zone and earn hours of professional development for every hour spent at the track. Participating teachers will receive a free ticket for the NASCAR Nationwide Race on Fri., Sept. 5, 2014.
Learn about all the different NASA-inspired hands-on activities by visiting
http://tinyurl.com/NASAR2RatRIR2014.Register today by sending an email to NASA Education Specialists Marilé Colón Robles at marile.colonrobles@nasa.gov or Bonnie Murray at bonnie.murray@nasa.gov.
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International Observe the Moon Night
On Sept. 6, 2014, the whole world has the chance to admire and celebrate our moon on International Observe the Moon Night. And you can join in the fun!
Check the map of registered observation events at
http://observethemoonnight.org to see if there is an event being held near you. If not, please consider registering and hosting one and inviting your family, friends or neighbors.
Don't know where to start?
This link walks you through the process of planning an event of any size. How to host an event in six easy steps:
http://observethemoonnight.org/getInvolved/.Need suggestions for hands-on activities?
Visit
http://observethemoonnight.org/activities/ for ideas.
Worried about cloudy weather obscuring your view of the moon?
The "Moon as Art” collection, chosen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, team, gives the public the opportunity to see the moon as others have seen it for centuries -- as an inspirational muse -- but this time from the perspective of being in orbit with a series of eyes that see in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Learn more at
http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/moonartgallery.html.Additional beautiful, high-resolution images of the moon's surface taken by LRO's cameras are available at
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu.Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Lora.V.Bleacher@nasa.gov.
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Free Webinar -- Secrets to Fundraising for Competing in NASA Challenges
NASA has several exciting technical challenges open for universities and colleges. The challenges include the Student Launch, the Robotic Mining Competition, the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, the X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge, as well other challenges. In order to be successful, teams not only need to master engineering and technical obstacles, they must also raise the funding necessary for equipment and travel expenses.
To help all universities and colleges interested in competing, the NASA Minority Innovation Challenges Institute, or MICI, is hosting a free webinar on Sept. 10, 2014, at 3 p.m. EDT. Topics covered during the session will include:
-- Fundraising practices utilized by teams that competed in the 2014 NASA Robotic Mining Competition.
-- How to locate potential donors, and the best way to land contributions.
-- How to use crowdfunding websites to expand fundraising efforts to regional and national levels.
-- Grant opportunities that are open and receptive to funding university teams.
The webinar will be hosted by a certified fundraising executive along with two certified grant writers.
To sign up for this webinar and gain access to MICI's other free webinars, visit
http://nasamici.com/upcoming-sessions.Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Mary Baker at mary@nasamici.com.
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2015 ICESat-2 Mission Hexacopter Engineering Challenge
The Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, mission will host the 2015 ICESat-2 Mission Hexacopter Engineering Challenge at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 17, 2015. This challenge will task teams of students with measuring the height of Earth around us, from tree canopies to bodies of water. This challenge will be the first of its kind in a yearly series of ICESat-2 engineering challenge events.
Student teams will be selected to participate in this challenge through a proposal and selection process. Participating teams will design and build hexacopter multirotors that can create a digital elevation model of a specific area within a predetermined amount of time. Students will also submit technical and educational reports describing in detail their efforts throughout the competition process.
This challenge is open to undergraduate college students from accredited U.S. colleges and universities. Teams may consist of one to five students and a university mentor/instructor. Due to the nature of the challenge, multidisciplinary teams are encouraged.
Applications are due Sept. 12, 2014.
For more information about the 2015 ICESat-2 Mission Hexacopter Engineering Challenge, visit
http://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/icesat2/epo_hex.php.Questions about this challenge should be directed to hexacopter challenge coordinator Brian Campbell at Brian.A.Campbell@nasa.gov.
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Family Day Event at Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
The Smithsonian's family day event series celebrates the diverse ethnic and cultural communities that have contributed to aviation and space exploration. Events will commemorate historic and current contributions through presentations and activities for the entire family. The events are free and open to the public.
Women in Aviation and Space
Sept. 13, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, District of Columbia
From the days of the earliest pilots to today's space program, women have been making significant contributions. Celebrate the incredible contributions of women in aviation and space exploration at the "Women in Aviation and Space" family day. During this event, visitors will have the opportunity to meet female role models and learn about the women who inspired them.
http://airandspace.si.edu/events/detail.cfm?id=11599Questions about this series of events should be directed to the Visitor Service line at 202-633-1000.
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Call for Papers -- The NACA Centenary: A Symposium on 100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development
The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, or NASM, and NASA's History Program Office invite proposals for papers to a special symposium commemorating a century of aerospace research and development. On March 3, 1915, the U.S. Congress established the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, “to separate the real from the imagined and make known the overlooked and unexpected” in the quest for flight. In honor of that centennial, NASA and NASM will team to present a symposium on the history of the NACA. This historical symposium will be held in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 3-4, 2015.
All are invited to submit proposals. Major themes to be addressed in the symposium include:
-- The NACA organizational and institutional structure and evolution.
-- The NACA model of public/private partnerships in aerospace research.
-- The NACA's contributions to aerospace theory, ground research and flight operations.
-- Individual projects.
-- Broad themes in the history of the agency.
-- Research projects versus other structural attributes.
-- The social, economic and/or political history of the NACA.
-- The NACA culture and its evolution.
-- The relationship of the NACA to other entities, both private and public.
-- Innovation in aerospace research.
-- Models of partnership.
Possible topics are not restricted to these major themes. All papers are envisioned as scholarly contributions exploring broad thematic issues and questions.
Contributions from international scholars and graduate students with an interest in this history are welcome.
Some travel support scholarships may be available for international scholars and graduate students. Please indicate your interest in a need statement included with your paper proposal.
We intend that a subset of the papers will merit publication.
Proposals for papers should include a title and an abstract, as well as the author's curriculum vita, and travel support need statement (as appropriate). Please send all proposals, in the form of a 300-word abstract and a brief vita electronically to Dr. William P. Barry, NASA chief historian, at bill.barry@nasa.gov, and Dr. Roger D. Launius, associate director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the National Air and Space Museum, launiusr@si.edu. The deadline for abstract submissions is Sept. 15, 2014.
Decisions about acceptance and support will be made by Nov. 1, 2014.
For more information about the Call for Papers, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/naca100years/.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MAVEN Workshop -- Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore!
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission is set to arrive at Mars on Sept. 21, 2014. Celebrate the arrival with the MAVEN education team at this one-day workshop about the mission and the accompanying elementary program, Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore! The program features six standards-based lessons that combine science, literacy and art to help students understand planetary habitability and the MAVEN mission.
The workshop will include dinner and lectures by MAVEN scientists. Following the workshop, participants will watch the NASA TV broadcast of the MAVEN spacecraft's arrival at Mars.
The workshop will take place on Sept. 21, 2014, in Boulder, Colorado. Registration is $20 and includes coffee, snacks and dinner. Applications are due Sept. 15, 2014, but space is limited so interested educators are encouraged to apply early.
For more information about the workshop and to apply online, visit
http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/education-outreach/for-educators/red-planet/boulder-workshop/. Please email any questions about this opportunity to epomail@lasp.colorado.edu.
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Second Annual Astrobiology Symposium at the Library of Congress
The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress in the District of Columbia, in cooperation with the NASA Astrobiology Program, is hosting the second annual Astrobiology Symposium on Sept. 18-19, 2014.
“Preparing for Discovery: A Rational Approach to the Impact of Finding Microbial, Complex or Intelligent Life Beyond Earth,” is a two-day symposium featuring panel discussions, lectures and audience question-and-answer sessions. Panel members include professors, scientists, philosophers and astronomers representing various universities and organizations including NASA, the SETI Institute and the Library of Congress.
The event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. For those unable to attend the symposium in person, the two-day event will be streamed live via webcast at
https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/loc/.For more information, visit
http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/news/nasa-program-2014.html.Questions about the symposium should be directed to Jason Steinhauer at jste@loc.gov.
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National Mars Education Conference -- Mars and the Comet: How to Use Natural Events as NGSS-Aligned Teachable Moments in Your Classroom
Mars and the Comet...Close Encounters of the Natural Kind!
Have you ever wondered how to turn natural events into rich, teachable science moments in your classroom? Join NASA's Mars Education team to learn Next Generation Science Standards-aligned strategies to use natural events as timely learning opportunities. The conference will focus on a fantastic, dramatic natural event that is taking place very soon -- Comet Siding Spring is on track to have a close encounter with Mars on Oct. 19, 2014!
Mars Program Chief Scientist Dr. Richard Zurek from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be the featured guest speaker. He will provide educators with the latest information about how NASA will address this challenging natural event.
Find out how Mars related activities can enhance your curriculum. Learn about the newest Red Planet discoveries and new classroom science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, tools. In addition, attendees will be introduced to NGSS STEM hands-on activities and ways to extend students’ learning with critical thinking and project-based learning challenges. Conference participants will receive lesson plans, NASA materials and a certificate with 6 ½ professional development hours.
Applications are due Sept. 23, 2014.
For more information, visit
http://marsed.asu.edu/naturalevents.Questions about the conference should be directed to Sheri Klug Boonstra at sklug@asu.edu or marsed@asu.edu.
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Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2014
The Zero Robotics High School Tournament 2014 will take place this fall, offering U. S. high school students the opportunity to design experiments that will be tested in space.
Zero Robotics challenges high school student teams to write their own algorithms to fly the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES. The competition starts online where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Students can create, edit, share, save, simulate and submit code from a Web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists will be selected to compete in a live championship aboard the International Space Station.
Registration for the competition closes on Sept. 24, 2014. The competition begins with a live webcast kickoff event from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Sept. 6, 2014. To be an official competitor, code for the 2D Practice competition must be submitted by Sept. 26, 2014.
For more information about the tournament and to register your team to participate, visit
http://www.zerorobotics.mit.edu.Zero Robotics is organized by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Space Systems Laboratory, Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation and TopCoder, and is sponsored by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NASA and the Center for Advancement of Science in Space.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to zerorobotics@mit.edu.
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Presidential Management Fellows Program: STEM Opportunity
NASA and other federal agencies are always looking for the best and brightest science and engineering talent. To help agencies find those talented individuals, the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, has developed and piloted a track of the Presidential Management Fellows program focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
The Presidential Management Fellows, or PMF, program is a federal-wide, flagship leadership development program for advanced degree candidates. The program attracts and selects the best candidates possible and is designed with a focus on developing a cadre of potential government leaders. The PMF-STEM track seeks to identify the best future government leaders in STEM disciplines and place them in entry-level positions in federal agencies around the country. PMF-STEM was piloted last year with a low-key rollout.
This year, OPM would like to expand the PMF-STEM track to continue to support the STEM needs of the federal government.
-- The PMF-STEM program is open to graduate students in STEM fields (degree must be confirmed by Aug. 31, 2015).
-- Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
-- The annual call for applications comes out in the fall (September – October) on
www.USAJobs.gov and is generally open for two weeks.
-- Applicants must apply through
www.USAJobs.gov. -- More information about the program and application process, including a detailed list of eligibility requirements, can be found at
www.pmf.gov, and information on the PMF-STEM track can be found at
http://www.pmf.gov/the-opportunity/pmf-stem.aspx.Federal agencies hire PMF-STEM finalists into paid, entry-level, two-year fellowship positions. At the end of the fellowship, finalists have two years of federal work experience and may be noncompetitively converted into permanent positions within the federal government. NASA participated in the 2014 pilot and intends to actively consider PMF-STEM candidates for the 2015 program.
Questions about this opportunity may be directed to pmf@opm.gov.
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OSSI NIFS -- Spring 2015 Opportunities
NASA's One Stop Shopping Initiative for Internships, Fellowships and Scholarships, or OSSI NIFS, strives to provide high school students and undergraduate and graduate students at all institutions of higher education access to a portfolio of internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities offered by NASA mission directorates and centers.
Visit the Office of Education Infrastructure Division LaunchPad to find information on internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities. The site features the OSSI NIFS online application for recruiting NASA interns, fellows and scholars. This innovative system allows students to search and apply for all types of higher education NASA internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities in one location. A single application places the student in the applicant pool for consideration by all NASA mentors.
Applications for spring 2015 opportunities are due Oct. 12, 2014.
To find available opportunities and to fill out an online application, visit
https://intern.nasa.gov/index.html. Inquiries about OSSI NIFS should be submitted via
https://intern.nasa.gov/oic/.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program Accepting Applications for 2015-2016 Fellowship Year
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, or AEF, Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend 11 months working in a federal agency or U.S. congressional office, bringing their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to STEM education program and/or education policy efforts. Program applications are due Nov. 20, 2014, and must be submitted through an online application system.
To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens who are currently employed full time in a U.S. public or private elementary or secondary school or school district, and must have been teaching full time in a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline.
Federal sponsors have included NASA, the Department of Energy, or DOE, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The DOE sponsors up to four placements in U.S. congressional offices.
The AEF Program is managed by the DOE Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, in collaboration with the Triangle Coalition for STEM Education and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Information about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, including eligibility requirements, program benefits, application requirements and access to the online application system can be found at
http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/.Inquiries about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program should be directed to sc.einstein@science.doe.gov.
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NASA CubeSat Space Missions
NASA has opened the next round of its CubeSat Launch Initiative, part of the White House Maker Initiative, in an effort to engage the growing community of space enthusiasts that can contribute to NASA's space exploration goals.
The CubeSat Launch Initiative gives students, teachers and faculty a chance to get hands-on flight hardware development experience in the process of designing, building and operating small research satellites. It also provides a low-cost pathway to space for research in the areas of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations consistent with NASA's Strategic Plan.
Applicants must submit their proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 25, 2014. NASA will select the payloads by Feb. 6, 2015, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Selected experiments are slated to be flown as auxiliary payloads on agency rocket launches or to be deployed from the International Space Station beginning in 2015 and running through 2018. NASA does not provide funding for the development of the small satellites, and this opportunity is open only to U.S. nonprofit organizations and accredited educational organizations.
One goal of the CubeSat Launch Initiative is to extend the successes of space exploration to all 50 states by launching a small satellite from at least one participant in each state in the next five years. During this round, NASA is particularly focused on gaining participation in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 21 states not previously selected for the CubeSat Launch Initiative. These states are: Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
CubeSats are in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The base CubeSat dimensions are about 4 inches by 4 inches by 4 inches (10 centimeters by 10 centimeters by 11 centimeters), which equals one "cube," or 1U. CubeSats supported by this launch effort include volumes of 1U, 2U, 3U and 6U. CubeSats of 1U, 2U and 3U size typically have a mass of about three pounds (1.33 kilograms) per 1U Cube. A 6U CubeSat typically has a mass of about 26.5 pounds (12 kilograms). The CubeSat's final mass depends on which deployment method is selected.
To date, NASA has selected 114 CubeSats from 29 states, 17 of which have already been launched. Nine more CubeSats are scheduled to go into space in the next 12 months.
For additional information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative program, visit
http://www.nasa.gov/cubesats.Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Jason Crusan at Jason.Crusan@nasa.gov.
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Airport Cooperative Research Program -- University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs
The Airport Cooperative Research Program is accepting applications for its national competition that engages university students in addressing issues relating to airports and the National Airspace System. The competition, managed by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, challenges individuals and teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students working with faculty advisors at U.S. colleges and universities to consider innovative approaches related to airport issues.
The competition focuses on design solutions in the following broad areas: airport operation and maintenance, runway safety/runway incursions/runway excursions, airport environmental interactions, and airport management and planning. Some specific challenge areas are defined in the Technical Design Challenges section of the guidelines. Students are not limited to the suggested topical areas listed. They are free to propose design solutions based on other topics that fit the four broad challenge areas.
Students can win cash prizes for their winning innovative design solutions. First place winners will present their work at a national award ceremony in summer 2015.
Submissions are due April 30, 2015.
For more information, including eligibility requirements and application materials, visit
http://vsgc.odu.edu/ACRPDesignCompetition/. Please email any questions about this opportunity to ACRP@odu.edu.
