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6

IN S SCIENCE E PUBLIC O

2 Updates

ISSUE 13

PACE  DUCATION AND  UTREACH

ON THE INSIDE Chicago 2004—Were You There?

JANUARY 2005 • 

ViewSpace at 5 Years

Ross E/PO 2004 Awards

Education Products

Breathing Space

Lenticulars in Outreach

PlanetQuest 3­D Mall Kiosk

Planet­Finding Demo

New Children’s Book

Education Programs

“Inside Einstein’s Universe”

“Topics in Modern

Astronomy“ Workshop

Astronomy Clubs Web Site

Solar Week

Chandra Science Summer

Program 2004

HETE Summer Institute 2004

Affordable Modular

Museum Exhibitry

High School Students as 

Astronomy Educators

Space Science Workshops

in Northeastern Montana

Workshop for E/PO Managers

11 Support Network Profile

New Vision Transforms

MARSSB

11 Changes at NASA

SMD Transformation

12 On the Horizon

Astro­E2 Competition

Ancient Observatories

Philip Sakimoto (NASA Headquarters),

Charles McGruder (Western Kentucky University),

Lynn Narasimhan (DePaul University),

and Jenny Gutbezahl (Lesley University)

Had you been there, you might have resonated with

the sentiments expressed by one of the more than 200

scientists who came to the Chicago Hilton on June

28–29, 2004, for Chicago 2004: A Workshop To

Foster Broader Participation in NASA Space Science

Missions and Research Programs, “I hope that some

day, other astronomy and physics meetings will look

like this, especially in terms of the diversity of people.” 

The diversity was indeed astounding. In the

evaluation surveys, 40 percent of the participants identified themselves as African Americans, 15 percent as

Hispanic or Latino, 4 percent as Native Americans,

and 40 percent as females. Such a remarkable balance

between minorities and nonminorities and between

males and females is perhaps unprecedented for a

space science workshop.

Having a balance was essential to carrying

out the workshop’s primary goal: to seed personal

contacts among a much more diverse community of

investigators than has traditionally been active in

NASA space science missions. 

Also necessary to achieving this goal was having a balance between scientists who were already

actively involved in NASA space science research and

those who would like to become actively involved.

Remarkably, this balance was achieved as well.

Roughly half of the survey respondents reported having prior funding from NASA space science missions

or research programs (exclusive of funding that had

not been obtained through minority university or

other special access programs).

The workshop was based on a simple premise.

Successful collaborations in the sciences are invariThe Chicago 2004 co­conveners (l to r): Charles McGruder,

Lynn Narasimhan, and Phil Sakimoto

ably built on the foundation of personal contacts.

Therefore, seeding such personal contacts is a logical

first step toward increasing the participation of

underrepresented minorities and other underrepresented groups in NASA space science activities.

The agenda was crafted to help the participants

find new contacts with similar or complementary scientific interests. It began with preliminary briefings

that were necessary to bring everyone to a common

understanding and language about how NASA space

science missions and research are conducted.

Participants heard from NASA Headquarters space

science program managers about how NASA’s space

science objectives are established, what those objectives are, and what approaches are used to achieve

them. They also learned about the solicitation process

and heard stories from people who had been through

the process.

The crux of the workshop, however, was the

mingling that occurred; ample time had been set

aside for this purpose. There were small group

discussions, poster sessions, walk­around meals, and
Chicago 2004 participants Eric Christian (on left) and Gibor Basri share some thoughts.

can be attributed to the way in which the workshop was

conceived and carried out. It grew out of years of

discussions between NASA’s Office of Space Science

indicate that approximately 70 percent of the people

a special evening at the Adler Planetarium—all

designed with the express purpose of allowing the participants to meet each other, learn about each others’

experiences and dreams, and explore potential partnerships. Throughout the workshop, members of the

NASA Space Science Education Support Network

were present, making introductions, starting conversations, serving as facilitators, and generally helping

everyone find others with similar interests.

From the participants’ reactions, this approach

was remarkably successful. Virtually all (96 percent)

of the survey respondents said they had made new

contacts at the conference. Of these, 65 percent said

that they expected the contacts to be useful. Fifty

percent of the respondents said that the conference

was effective at providing opportunities to form

partnerships leading to broader participation in

future space science missions and research programs, and 75 percent said the conference met or

exceeded their expectations.

In the words of one participant, “I met so many

people I ran out of cards, and I brought a bunch! I may

have some really good research collaboration possibilities.” And, according to another, “The problem quickly

became not the cultivation of collaborative research

efforts, but the choice!”

Chicago 2004 was an experiment that, fortunately, turned out to be successful. Much of that success

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

and the leaders of professional organizations of minority scientists, such as the National Society of Black

Physicists, the National Society of Hispanic Physicists,

and the National Organization for the Professional

Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical

Engineers. As a result, the workshop’s basic premise,

goals, and agenda were all based heavily on insights and

suggestions from minority scientists.

The  strong  turnout  and  the  remarkable

balances among participants were the results of an

intense publicity and recruiting campaign that was

carried out through a vast interlocked network

spawned by the NASA Space Science Education

Support Network and by NASA Headquarters discipline and program scientists. The evaluation results

who came to Chicago came because of a personal contact, presumably initiated through this recruiting

network. The publicity flyers, brochures, listservs, and

official Web site played much smaller roles in getting

participants to come.

The largest factor in Chicago 2004’s success was

the attitudes of the participants themselves. Those

who came were extremely interested in making new

contacts and developing new partnerships. Their outgoing enthusiasm was clearly evident in all of the

workshop activities.

What happens next depends on the participants.

It is now up to them to take the initiative to follow up on

their new contacts and to develop them into true

partnerships and research collaborations. Follow­up

evaluation surveys will tell us if this is being done.

ViewSpace at 5 Years

John Stoke (Space Telescope Science Institute,

Office of Public Outreach)

Five years ago, ViewSpace premiered as a way for

museums and planetaria to exhibit the Hubble Space

Telescope’s amazing images by using low­cost computer hardware to present images themed into

“story” segments.

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A NASA SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER   JANUARY 2005 3

Three years later, the ViewSpace team began delivering

content via the Internet (rather than CD), allowing for very

frequent updates. They have expanded ViewSpace beyond

its Hubble focus, featuring SOHO, Chandra, Spitzer, Mars

Exploration Rovers (MERs), and Cassini­Huygens. ViewSpace

ran in “All Mars” mode during the weeks following the

MER landings.

This year, the team will unveil new programs created with

the Origins Forum, highlight the Deep Impact comet rendezvous, and present a survey of radio astronomy. Currently

about 50 venues are using the Internet version, with more signing up all the time.

During the past year, an evaluation team conducted

interviews with personnel at dozens of ViewSpace venues.

All said they would recommend the program to their

colleagues, and all support the expanded mission coverage.

They also offered feedback that will help to improve

the product.

The ViewSpace team is exploring a number of future

enhancements, including the following:

• A menu mode that lets an educator access segments for

live presentations;

• On­demand printouts of take­home information sheets 

and charts;

• Opportunities for live, two­way video chats

with astronomers; and

• Expanded content collaborations with other

NASA missions. 

Perhaps the best evidence of success is that ViewSpace

has just spawned a spinoff! SkyWatch will share much of its

progenitor’s content, but will be formatted to serve the needs

of national and state park visitor centers, nature centers, and

other sites for night sky interpretation.

Related Web sites:

http://hubblesource.stsci.edu

ROSS E/PO 2004 Awards

Larry Cooper (NASA Headquarters)

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to announce the

selection of 35 education and public outreach (E/PO) proposals

for supplementary funding for the winners of ROSS (Research

Opportunities in Space Science) awards in 2003–2004. These

proposals are receiving $605K in first­year funding. A total of 99

E/PO proposals were submitted in conjunction with the ROSS

parent research project (approximately a 20 percent participation rate). Combined with prior ROSS E/PO awards and the

E/PO awards from the IDEAS program and Guest Investigator

programs of Hubble and Chandra, there are over 100 currently

active small grant E/PO projects underway across the country.

“Breathing Space”

Jeanne Gerulskis and Kathryn Perry (Christa McAuliffe

Planetarium, Concord, NH)

The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium (CMP) in Concord, NH, is

engaged in a project entitled “Breathing Space.” This project looks

at the planets and moons in our solar  system—specifically at factors that cause climates to be stable or to change, including internal

factors like volcanism and external factors such as solar effects. By

looking at these factors throughout our solar system, CMP creates

a conceptual baseline by which one can better understand what role

humans play in changing Earth’s climate and what nonhuman factors impact climate. 

With support from NASA’s STEREO and the Solar

Terrestrial Probe E/PO programs, the NH Space Grant

CURRENT SMALL E/PO GRANTS  |   PROGRAMS

CHANDRA 2003

HST 12

IDEAS 2003

ROSS 2004

ROSS 2003
l

Consortium, The Troupe (Windham, NH), and scientific

assistance from the University of New Hampshire,

Plymouth State University, and the New Eng and Science

actually lenticules, which focus your sight on different parts of the underlying picture. The printed

picture consists of multiple pictures in TIF format

CenterCollaborative, CMP created a multimedia planetarium show, curriculum packet, teacher workshops,

public workshops, and demonstrations.

Geared toward middle school students and public audiences, the “Breathing Space” show brings

viewers along on an exploration of the climates of

Earth and its neighbors with Zeek and Seth, two teen

skateboarders. As they attempt to research climate

change for their science project, Zeek and Seth are led

on a wild ride through a virtual solar system by cyberguide Amanda. After its initial run at the CMP, the

planetarium show will be available to schools and planetariums as both a planetarium show and a video (in

DVD format).

The “Breathing Space” curriculum packet, accessible via CMP’s Web site, http://www.starhop.com,

has a variety of activities geared toward K–12 grade

levels (please e­mail jgerulskis@starhop.com for

the password).

Lenticulars in Outreach

Steele Hill (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

Steele Hill of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

(SOHO) has found a novel way to use lenticulars in

his outreach efforts. The word “lenticulars” is not a

commonly used one, and many people are unfamiliar with it. Basically, as you turn a lenticular image in

your hand, or pass a large one, it seems to come to

life. Lenticular images can convey the illusion of 3­D

and/or video motion. Lenticular graphics are made

up of two parts: a lenticular screen (or lens), and a

flat printed image. The lens feels like grooved

Plexiglas. The grooves and ridges of the lens are

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

printed in alternating lines.

Steele found that the cost of lenticulars had

dropped to about $.35 to $.70 each, depending on

the quantity printed—affordable for use in outreach products!

The first 6” x 4” card developed shows a solar

storm in 10 frames as it blasts from the Sun. The

card’s back has images, explanatory text, and a URL.

The most common reaction to it has been, “Cool!”

People were quickly engaged; they keep these. A 3­D

Sun card has been equally well received with over

50,000 distributed. 

Recently, Steele has developed a “Space Weather”

card. The motion card shows a solar storm that impacts

the magnetosphere, pours energy in on Earth’s far side,

and generates aurora. A Web site was specifically developed to explain, extend, and support it.

To take the engagement potential further, the program has purchased several poster­sized lenticulars of

the 3­D Sun and is getting requests for more from other

venues. There may be a perfect lenticular opportunity

in your outreach future. Contact Steele Hill at

steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov for more information.

Navigator Rolls Out 3­D

Mall Kiosk

Randal K. Jackson (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Over the summer, the Navigator Program’s new

“PlanetQuest 3­D” interactive kiosk completed a

successful pilot run in the central atrium of The

Oaks shopping mall in Thousand Oaks, CA. This

innovative E/PO product, first displayed at a Jet

Propulsion Laboratory open house, uses 3­D visualization technology to communicate Navigator

science themes (to detect and characterize Earth­like

planets outside our solar system) through animations, videos, and activities.

Each exhibit visitor is invited to sign the

“electronic guestbook” via the computer keyboard.

Hundreds of positive comments and e­mails were

received, including the following:

“Very cool display. I hope it gets kids interested in science.”

“Entire exhibit is stunning! Keep me on your mailing list!”

4 
on July 9, 2004.

Shoppers interact with the “PlanetQuest 3­D” kiosk

at The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks, CA,

“This is great! When are you coming to Oklahoma?”

“I’m chillin like a villan like Bob Dillin and thinkin this

is the coolest thing ever!!!!” (sic)

The mall marketing department expressed its

faith in the appeal of the content by investing its own

funds to construct a 49’ x 7’ backdrop about the search

for new planets and life beyond Earth.

The Navigator Program is exploring an expanded

partnership with theMacerichCompany that would result

in a nationwide tour of the PlanetQuest 3­D exhibit. The

Macerich Company operates 52 shopping centers in 21

states that receive 470 million visitors per year.

“This partnership gives us the opportunity to engage

new audiences who may not attend science museums or visit

NASA Web sites,” said Randal Jackson, Navigator’s interactive media producer.

The kiosk is available for loan to central libraries,

shopping centers, and other public spaces. For information on hosting the free exhibit, contact Randal at

randal.k.jackson@jpl.nasa.gov.

Tabletop Planet­Finding Demo

Earth­size planets around other stars. For the demo, the

design includes a LEGO® model that represents a planet

system and can be set in motion with either a hand

crank or electric motor. Other components of the

model are as follows:

• Light bulb at the center of the apparatus

representing the star (an M dwarf);

• Light sensor representing the Kepler spacecraft

photometer;

•Interface box representing NASA Deep

Space Network; and a

•Computer representing the Kepler Science Office.

The planet­finding transit demonstration is an

inexpensive version of the planet­finding component

of the Space Science Institute’s “Alien Earths” exhibit,

which is scheduled to debut at Lawrence Hall of

Science at the University of California, Berkeley, in

early 2005.

The transit demonstration model was featured

at the SETI Institute booth for the Association of

Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference, September 17–21, 2004, and the Kepler booth at

A model of the Kepler planet­finding transit demonstration.

the American Astronomical Association (AAS) conference in Denver, May 31–June 3, 2004. It was well

received at both events; several astronomy professors

visiting the Kepler booth at AAS said they would love

5 

) ,

at .

A NASA SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER   JANUARY 2005

Alan Gould (Lawrence Hall of Science

The Kepler E/PO team has created a tabletop planetfinding transit demonstration that illustrates how the

NASA Kepler mission science team will discover

to have the demonstration, not just for planet transits

but to illustrate other phenomena, such as eclipsing

binary stars.

Plans for the Kepler demonstration model are posted

http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kepler/
:

)

galaxy NGC 1068.

Traditions of the Sun

A New Children’s Book

Karin Hauck

(NASA’s Sun­Earth Connection Education Forum

Traditions of the Sun invites children to explore the

commonalities between ancient and modern­day

Sun watchers. Seeking to understand the mysteries

of the Sun has been a primary motivator for Sun

watchers over time. The ancient structures of Chaco

Canyon, built starting 1,000 years ago by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo people, fascinate those who

study ancient cultures. Why did the landscape of the

Southwest inspire Native Americans to make use of

the horizon so effectively? Archaeoastronomers

Among the most mysterious objects in the universe, black holes are

the focus of imagination and investigation alike. Einstein himself

never predicted that we would one day look into the hearts of

galaxies with x­ray telescopes and discover supermassive black

holes surrounded by hot, glowing gas. This composite image (from

the Chandra X­ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope)

shows both x­ray (blue and green) and optical (red) light in active

believe the inhabitants were expert skywatchers who

understood the patterns of the Sun, Moon, and

stars. This knowledge is reflected over and over

again in the alignments of their buildings and sandstone drawings.

A  collaboration  between  the  Sun­Earth

Connection Forum (SECEF), Ideum, Native American

experts, Sun­Earth Connection scientists, and Chaco

Canyon National Park, Traditions of the Sun is a “coffee

table” book, gorgeously photographed, and geared

to arousing the curiosity of fourth and fifth graders.

It is richly complemented by an indepth media

viewer at http://traditionsofthesun.org.

Public Audiences To Get “Inside

Einstein’s Universe” in 2005

Erika Reinfeld

(NASA’s Universe Education Forum)

It was in 1905 that Albert Einstein published several

papers including his theory of special relativity and

his famous equation E=Mc2, which together

changed the way we think about space, time, matter,

and energy. The NASA­Smithsonian Universe

Education Forum is joining the international celebration of the centennial of Einstein’s “miracle year”

by offering a portfolio of highly visual, dramatic,

interactive learning resources, especially for use by

museums, science centers, planetariums, and other

science education organizations.

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

Throughout 2005, informal education institutions across the country will use the rich resources of

NASA’s space science research missions to take audiences on a journey through the cosmos as we now

know it. Participating institutions will have the opportunity to investigate questions about space and time,

questions that Einstein predicted and that NASA is still

exploring today. 

Did the universe have a beginning? What

happens at the edge of a black hole? Will space

expand forever?

Using interactive live presentations, audiences

will journey through the expanding universe to the

beginning of time, using the telescopes of NASA as

their own private time machines. They will tour

amazing black holes through incredible images, visualizations, and hands­on demonstrations. 

The Universe Forum invites scientists to connect

with host institutions across the country and bring current

science investigations “Inside Einstein’s Universe” to audiences of all ages. Participating scientists will gain access to a

unique set of resources for use in 2005 and beyond.

For more information about the “Inside

Einstein’s Universe” program, visit http://cfawww.harvard.edu/seuforum/einstein/. Our program

complements the American Physical Society’s “World Year

of Physics” celebrations (http://www.physics2005.org).

6 
Credit: X­ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/UCSB/P. Ogle, et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI/A. Capetti, et al.

“Topics in Modern Astronomy”

Workshop at Norfolk State

University

Beth Jacob (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

With NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) support, 25 middle and high school science teachers and 13

amateur astronomers gathered at the Norfolk State

University (NSU) planetarium on June 21–22 to learn

ways to bring modern astronomy into the classroom.

One of the aims of the annual workshop was to better

prepare educators to teach content addressing the

Virginia State Standards of Learning requirements. The

workshop also supports the Back Bay Amateur

Astronomers’ numerous community education efforts.

Drs. Carlos Salgado, Floyd Miller, and Mahbub

Kandaker developed and presented the workshop, as they

have since 2002. GSFC provided 6 of the 10 speakers, with

presentations covering topics from cosmology and

dark energy to gamma­ray bursts, black holes, and even

a student theater project. GSFC scientists Drs. David

Thompson, Eric Christian, Louis Barbier, Koji Mukai,

and Ilana Harrus also featured the GLAST, Astro­E2,

Voyager, and Swift missions, among others. E/PO

specialist Beth Jacob presented NASA opportunities

available to educators and distributed over 30 different

NASA educational materials.

NASA’s Minority University Research and

Education Program (MUREP) initiative provided

funding for the GSFC­NSU partnership to enhance

minority education in the space sciences. Norfolk

State is a Historically Black College/University

(HBCU), and many of the teachers were from innercity schools. With MUREP support, NSU began

offering a minor in astronomy in the fall of 2004, one

of the first HBCUs to do so. The University of Virginia

also has partnered with NSU to develop a telescope

allowing students to study optical transient phenomena, and it offers Ph.D. opportunities to NSU

astronomy minor graduates.

Team Launches After­School

Astronomy Clubs Web Site

Lou Mayo

(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

Through a NASA IDEAS Grant, Lou Mayo from

NASA’s Sun­Earth Connection Education Forum  has

7 

a 

,

)

lly,

A NASA SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER   JANUARY 2005

teamed with the Maryland Science Center and

Baltimore and Montgomery County schools to develop

nationwide  support  system  for  After­School

Astronomy Clubs (ASACs). These clubs provide students, families, and even whole communities with a

unique opportunity to experience the wonders of astronomy outside of the traditional school day. Through this

grant, ASACs across the country will become part of a

growing community and be able to share their ideas

challenges, and approaches with other clubs, as well as

gain access to NASA space science education resources.

Teachers can register their clubs online through

the ASAC Web site (http://afterschoolastronomy.org

and communicate with other clubs through an online

newsgroup, as well as online ASAC conferences.

Additiona they can share stories and resources, search

for answers to questions, and publicize their activities and

accomplishments.

The team is working on professional development workshops for teachers wanting to start an ASAC.

The workshops will be piloted at the Maryland Science

Center in the fall of 2005 with participation from

Baltimore and Montgomery County schools. Teachers

who register their clubs will be eligible for a startup grant

from Raytheon.

Dr. Thompson (left) demonstrates black hole lesson with

workshop participant.
The Sun Also Rises

David Alexander (Rice University) and

of games, lessons, and activities focusing on the Sun­ Students of the Chandra Science Summer Program pose

next to their 3­D model of the universe inspired by the

Chandra image of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.

Karin Hauck (NASA’s Sun­Earth Connection

Education Forum)

Solar Week (http://www.solarweek.org) is a collection

Earth Connection and aimed at middle and high school

students. Originating in 2000 as a daughter site to the

successful Yohkoh Public Outreach Project

(http://www.lmsal.com/ypop/), Solar Week is now a

success in its own right with over 20,000 students participating since its inception. A specific goal of Solar

Week is to encourage middle school girls to pursue science. Students of both genders interact online with

female solar physicists acting as role models and mentors; all of the scientists participating in Solar Week are

women, and a key topic is careers in science.

Participating students learn about the Sun­Earth interaction via a series of daily topics and through an online

question­and­answer session with the scientists. Solar

Week, now a joint project of SECEF and Rice

University, occurs biannually with the next session

scheduled for February 28–March 4, 2005.

The Chandra Science Summer

Program 2004

Irene Porro and Charlotte Zeamer (MIT Center

for Space Research)

The 2004 Chandra Science Summer Program was a 2­

week educational program designed to promote the

academic achievement in space science of high school

students from Boston public schools. The program was

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

the result of the work of the MIT Center for Space

Research E/PO Office in collaboration with the Boston

2:00–6:00 After­School Initiative, and it was funded by

a NASA Chandra E/PO grant. Over two weeks, scientists from MIT joined a very diverse student body in a

series of activities designed to encourage curiosity,

questioning, and exploration. Students learned about

the size and scale of the objects in the universe, the origins and evolution of the universe, the life cycle of stars,

and the discoveries that the Chandra X­ray

Observatory and the other NASA Great Observatories

make possible by observing different regions of the

electromagnetic spectrum. The program recruited students who completed their 9th­, 10th­, or 11th­grade

year in Boston public schools in June 2004, and the selection process was based on a lively and well­articulated

interest in science, space, and learning in general, as

expressed in a well­written application essay.

HETE SUMMER INSTITUTE 2004:

Tracing the Structure of the

Universe—What Do We Know?

How Do We Know It? How Can

We Use It in the Classroom?

Irene Porro and Charlotte Zeamer (MIT Center

for Space Research)

The HETE Summer Institute was a 1­week program

designed to increase teachers’ understanding of key

topics related to the structure and evolution of the

universe theme and to provide a context in which

many of the Massachusetts Department of Education

science content learning standards can be met.

To this end, the teachers had the extraordinary opportunity to interact with HETE scientists

on a daily basis and participated in discussions

guided by a master educator on strategies to use the

8 
material presented with students of all ages and

backgrounds in a number of subject areas including

physics, chemistry, math, literacy, and the arts.

Among many interesting comments written by

the teachers at the end of the institute, one was particularly meaningful, “I learned that science involves

the use of the imagination, and not to be afraid to

look at ideas in an unconventional way, using concepts from other fields of studies to draw analogies

for greater understanding.” Thanks to pupils like this,

the HETE instructors are looking forward to the next

summer institute!

Karen Spaulding, Mentor Teacher for the Cambridge

public schools, facilitates a session on bringing space

science to a diversity of classrooms and subject areas.

Affordable Modular Museum

Exhibitry Brings the Science to

the People

Jackie Wong and Karin Hauck

(NASA’s Sun­Earth Connection Education Forum)

NASA’s SECEF led a panel session on affordable and

replicable exhibit modules at the ASTC annual

conference in September 2004. 

Museum exhibits are a great way to communicate

current NASA science to the general public, but

ordinary exhibits can be costly and difficult to

replicate and distribute, and they tend to suffer from

wear and tear and out­of­date content. The session

brought together NASA content providers, experts in

exhibit design, and representatives from large and

small science centers in a panel to explore solutions

for a more flexible and affordable alternative.

demonstrate the needs and effective uses of current

NASA space science in a museum setting. While

these exhibits and public programs are highly engaging and effective, they are often out of the financial

reach of smaller science centers. As an alternative,

John Stoke from Space Telescope Science Institute

introduced the concept of exhibit modules that can

accommodate a high turnover of content while reducing the cost of exhibit infrastructures. 

The session attracted a large group of museum

professionals, as well as NASA E/PO personnel who

joined the discussion and provided feedback to the

IDEAS grant­funded project to develop a computerbased component as a first step to meet the needs of

museums and reach more audiences.

STUDENTS TEACHING STUDENTS:

High School Students as

Astronomy Educators

Amie Gallagher (Raritan Valley Community

College Planetarium)

Most astronomy clubs are about doing science projects.

An IDEAS grant allowed us to create a new twist: focus

on education by training high school students as astronomy educators and empower them to teach astronomy to

elementary students. In addition to increasing their own

astronomy knowledge, this club promotes life skills such

as working together, public speaking, community service,

teaching, mentoring, becoming a role model, and so on. 

The Voorhees High School Astronomy Club

members were first trained by our team of astronomers

and educators in the fall of 2000. The students learned

how to use and maintain StarLab, a portable planetarium

funded through the grant. They also learned how to use

telescopes and were provided with a 4­hour training

using hands­on activities. In subsequent years, seasoned

members trained new members.

Club members plan and run “Star Parties” for

elementary students and their families. Afterwards, the

high school students visit the elementary classrooms

three times and conduct different activities and lessons

each time.

Club membership increases each year, and the

A NASA SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER  JANUARY 2005 9

Session leader Isabel Hawkins and session coordinator Jackie Wong (both from SECEF) invited Ben

Burress from Chabot Space and Science Center and

Flavio Mendez from Maryland Science Center to

Voorhees High School astronomy elective has

expanded from one to two classes with a waiting list. In

a traditionally male club, nearly 80 percent of members

are now female. Some members have gone on to study

astrophysics or education, or both.
Northeastern Montana

Space Science Workshops in UPCOMING WORKSHOP:

“How To Provide an

Effective Education Workshop Donna Minton

(S2N2 Representative for Montana)

Space Science Network Northwest (S2N2) held

five K–12 teacher workshops at the Educational

Improvement Through Technology (EdITT)

Conference on August 11–12 in Poplar, MT, a small

town on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in the

remote northeastern corner of the state. Poplar Middle

School recently became a NASA Explorer School

(http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/).

Approximately 50 teachers from towns across eastern Montana attended the workshops.

S2N2 Montana representative Dr. Donna

Minton presented two workshops on the basics of scientific ballooning, which involved assembling and

experimenting with helium­filled balloons and balloon

payload requirements. Dr. Julie Lutz, S2N2 Director,

presented three workshops: Space Science Across the

Curriculum (elementary), Astrobiology (middle, high),

and Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe (middle, high).

Participant evaluations of the workshops commented

on the engaging nature of the space science materials

and the hands­on activities. Teachers also expressed

great pleasure at having the chance to experience professional development in space science.

Workshop participants assemble and experiment with helium­filled balloons.

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

for Scientists”

Cheri Morrow (Space Science Institute)

Spend 3 days in beautiful Boulder, CO, learning how to

provide an effective education workshop for scientists!

With funding from NASA and the National Science

Foundation, the Space Science Institute (SSI) will be hosting a special leadership course next spring during the last

week in April entitled, “How To Provide an Effective

Education Workshop for Scientists.” This 3­day course is

intended for E/PO leads and managers who are tasked

with providing scientists (e.g., at their home institutions or

school students.

An SSI workshop participant interacts with elementary

on research science teams) with meaningful ways to contribute to E/PO efforts. Dr. Cherilynn Morrow will serve as

the lead facilitator of the course. Additional “special guest”

presenters will enrich the program. The course will offer

participants the techniques and resources necessary to

design and implement their own half­day or full­day education workshop for scientists. Course content is based on

10 years of experience in providing successful workshops,

seminars, and conference sessions for scientists in education.  The course prerequisite is attendance at one of SSI’s

previous 4­day education workshops for scientists, engineers, and E/PO leads (or equivalent experience).

For more information, contact Christy Edwards at

edwards@spacescience.org.

10 
This is the sixth in a series of articles that highlights the

contributions of the space science E/PO support network.

The 12 groups that make up the support network are

involved in coordinating and integrating the NASA

space science E/PO program. They provide a point of

entry for individuals and organizations wishing to participate in the space science E/PO program. A brochure

describing the support network can be found at

http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/resources/

ecosystem/brochure_low_res.pdf.

A New Vision Transforms

MARSSB

Karin Irwin

(NASA’s Mid­Atlantic Region Space Science Broker)

With NASA’s transformation and its vision for space

exploration, the Mid­Atlantic Region Space Science

Broker (MARSSB) has responded with a transformed

structure of its own. MARSSB has created a new strategic

vision, developed an outcome­driven operational plan,

and added two new team members. MARSSB now

includes Adam Tarnoff, principal investigator, and Karin

Irwin, acting educational outreach liaison/analyst. They

join Dr. Laurie Ruberg, program manager, and Dr. Stanley

Jones, senior program advisor. Tarnoff directs the strategic

planning and implementation of MARSSB’s vision.

Ruberg continues her work with needs assessments for

preservice teaching faculty and students as well as supports E/PO efforts. Jones’s role is to maximize the

MARSSB presence in the Mid­Atlantic region’s E/PO

community. Irwin coordinates public relations, brand

management, and communications. 

Drawing on their roots in cognitive science and

instructional design, the newly reconstituted MARSSB

team brings a research­oriented perspective to the

broker/facilitator process. MARSSB is responding to

NASA’s call for a better understanding of the needs of educators through its continued investigation of what

scientists need to participate in E/PO and how educators

can easily access space science resources. A 2004 analysis

of the space science education needs of preservice teacher

The MARSSB team (from left): Karin Irwin, Dr. Stanley P. Jones, Dr. Laurie Ruberg,

and Adam Tarnoff.

ter understand the impact of its activities on the collective efficacy of the regional space science education

community. The new MARSSB team plans to apply this

needs assessment and program evaluation information

by using this data to ensure that all brokered relationships receive the full support they need to become

robust and self­sustaining.

In addition to its needs assessment and evaluation

activities, MARSSB has partnered with its parent organization, the NASA­sponsored Classroom of the Future, to

provide ongoing assistance to space science E/PO programs seeking to develop high­quality educational

products capable of passing the new NASA­wide educational product review. Participants in the program will

enter an online environment, dubbed the Virtual Design

Center, in which E/PO leads, instructional designers, education researchers, education practitioners, and space

scientists can collaborate on E/PO programs for the

mutual benefit of all parties.  

MARSSB is excited about the opportunity to build

synergy between NASA mission scientists and educators

at a time when the space science support network is transitioning to a more mature stage and is focusing on

achieving an even higher standard of quality and measuring impact.

SMD Transformation

In the past few months, NASA has transformed its

structure to implement the new Vision for Space

Exploration. This transformation has fundamentally

restructured the former Enterprises and Codes into

Mission Directorates. Of particular interest to our

readers is the merger of the Earth and Space Science

Enterprises into a single Science Mission Directorate

11 

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A NASA SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION NEWSLETTER   JANUARY 2005

educators in minority­serving institutions has already generated exciting results that have been used to increase

the presence of NASA materials in these programs

throughout the Mid­At antic region. MARSSB also is

implementing a new set of evaluation measures to bet­

(SMD). Our E/PO programs also are being merged

into one integrated program. We are excited about this

opportunity to work with our Earth science colleagues

and look forward to bringing you an even more vibrant

SMD education program in the coming months.
( )

ASTRO­E2 COMPETITION:

Observe the Universe with the

Latest NASA X­Ray Observatory!

Illana Harrus

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Astro­E2 E/PO group is opening the doors of

research to a team of highly motivated, independent

high school students. From January to April 2005, the

program will accept and review observing proposals

from high school teams for the use of data from the

Astro­E2 x­ray satellite. 

Each entry will describe a research project and an

astronomical observation (anything from black holes

to supernova remnants) to be carried out by Astro­E2. Ancient observatory at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

The winning team will work with professional

astronomers and present their results at a summer

meeting of the American Astronomical Society. 

Astro­E2 is an observatory to be launched in

February 2005. The main instrument on board, a

micro­calorimeter, distinguishes very small differences

in the energy of x­ray photons by measuring their heat.

For more information, please contact 

competition­astroe2@athena.gsfc.nasa.gov

or see: http://astroe2lc.gsfc.nasa.gov

Ancient Observatories, 

Timeless Knowledge

Karin Hauck

(NASA’s Sun­Earth Connection Education Forum)

Come along as NASA’s SECEF explores the knowledge, worldviews, and technology of both ancient and

modern Sun watchers. Our theme for 2005 will focus

on the fascinating humanmade solar alignments that

mark the equinoxes and solstices. We are working with

an expert advisory committee, born of a rewarding

alliance between Native American experts and SunEarth Connection scientists. 

In partnership with the Exploratorium, Ideum,

and NASA Connect, SECEF will produce video and

Webcasts for formal and informal education audiences nationally. The programs will feature Chaco

Canyon (New Mexico), Hovenweep (Utah), and

VOYAGES IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

Chichen Itza (Mexico). The December 21 (winter solstice) Webcast at Chaco Canyon is archived at

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/. The other

live event will be Webcast on March 20, 2005 (the

spring equinox), from the Yucatan in Mexico.

Our goal is that participants will benefit from

the following key understandings:

• The Sun is a dynamic, magnetic star that impacts 

Earth and other planets in our solar system. 

• Sun watchers over time have sought to understand

the mysteries of the Sun. 

• Human beings from diverse cultures have viewed

the Sun as the source of life. 

• Human beings use technology (past, present,

and future) to understand the Sun and the 

universe beyond. 

• Light has always provided a means of investigating 

the universe. 

Sun­Earth Day on March 20, 2005 (http://sun

earthday.nasa.gov), will feature a rich variety of materials around this theme. Register and receive a packet

of information on Sun watching across the ages. Also,

visit our new media viewer at http://traditionsofthe

sun.org.

about getting involved with the NASA space science E/PO

contact Anita Krishnamurthi, at

Anita.Krishnamurthi@nasa.gov Voyages

online at  .

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of future

newsletters, contribute an article, or just have questions

program, editor,

. Prior issues of  are

http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/news

12