Dear Colleague:

Welcome to the first issue of the NASA Office

of Space Science (OSS) Education and Public

Outreach (E/PO) Newsletter. This continuing

newsletter will serve as a vehicle for sharing some

of our many accomplishments in education and

outreach with the larger space science research

community and other interested individuals. We

hope you will enjoy reading it.

OSS’s traditional commitment to education

has focused on graduate and postgraduate

training. Seven

years ago we

extended this

commitment to

pre-college

education and to

contributing to

the broad public

understanding

of science,

mathematics,

and technology.

When we set off

on this new

course, there

were a small number of isolated individual efforts

underway within OSS affecting very small

numbers of teachers and students. Today, a

significant national program is underway with

hundreds of activities now in place involving

scientists in partnerships with dozens of

educational organizations across the country and

collectively reaching millions of people. It has

taken much hard work by a large number of

dedicated people in both the space science and

education communities to get from there to here.

The change has been truly remarkable.

The highlights presented in this newsletter are

just the tip of the iceberg. A more complete picture

will be given in the first annual OSS E/PO Report

to be released early in 2001. We can all be proud

of what has been accomplished to date and we

want to do better. This is the space science

community’s E/PO program. Your involvement

is important and we want to hear about what

you’ve done. We’d like you to work with us to

make all our efforts even better. Your suggestions

are always welcome.

Jeffrey D. Rosendhal

Assistant Associate Administrator

 For Education and Outreach

Office of Space Science

 jeffrey.rosendhal@hq.nasa.gov

Voyages in Education and Public Outreach

An Office of Space Science Newsletter

January 2001 Issue 1

On the Inside

 Message from Dr. Ed Weiler 2

Museum Exhibits

 MarsQuest 3

 Hubble 4

 Space Weather 5

Education Resources

 Seasons GEMS Guide 6

 Chandra 6

 MultiSensory Space Science Kit 7

Programs

 Space Place 7

 MicroObservatories 8

 Solar System Ambassadors 8

 Eclipse Webcasts 9

 IDEAS Program 9

 Scientists In E/PO 10

 Upcoming Events 11

 Tips for E/PO Involvement 12
Dear Colleague:

Over the past seven years the NASA Office of

Space Science (OSS) has made Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) an integral element of all our

flight missions

and research programs. We took

this step because

we recognized

that long-term

support for the

Space Science

Program depends upon our

ability to show

our public sponsors why our program is important to them.

Such support also

depends upon

our being able to

demonstrate that space science can contribute in

a tangible way to meeting broad public needs in

critical areas such as education.

The OSS E/PO Strategic and Implementation

Plans that we published some time ago have given

us a comprehensive and robust framework for all

our activities in this area. I encourage those of

you who may not have done so to take a careful

look at these plans. The approach that has been

taken is clearly working. Our many accomplishments in E/PO—-illustrated in this newsletter—

are becoming increasingly visible. Based on the

comments and questions made to me in meetings

with congressional staffs and during congressional

hearings, our E/PO activities have already become

an important part of the total justification for the

public support of space science.

The results have been a credit both to OSS and

to everyone in the space science and education

communities who have been involved thus far in

efforts to turn our plans into a reality. This is an

area of the OSS program that I believe is important both for OSS and for the country. I am

personally committed to its success. I strongly

encourage all of you to be committed to its success as well.

Edward J. Weiler

Associate Administrator

 for Space Science

2

First Announcement

OSS Education and Outreach Conference

September 12-14, 2001

Chicago

Look for More Details Soon!

For more information contact

vsimek@wppost.depaul.edu

AAS Honors Lebofsky

The AAS Division of Planetary Science(DPS)

has awarded the Carl Sagan Medal for 2000 to

Larry Lebofsky, University of Arizona. The Carl

Sagan Medal was established by the DPS to

recognize and honor outstanding communication

by an active planetary scientist to the general

public. It is awarded to scientists whose efforts

have significantly contributed to a public

understanding of, and enthusiasm for, planetary

science. Lebofsky has been active in E/PO for

over a decade and has received several NASA

IDEAS grants to support outreach programs in his

home state of Arizona. OSS offers it’s

congratulations to Dr. Lebofsky.

Lindstrom and students.

NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal goes to

Scientist - Educator

NASA Johnson Space Center Geochemist, Dr.

Marilyn Lindstrom, was recently awarded

NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal for her work

on telling the story of solar system exploration to

educators, students and the public.
New Exhibits New Exhibits New Exhibits

3

The MarsQuest exhibit will be in Orlando for Spring 2001 and in Tucson for Summer 2001.

MarsQuest Exhibit Opens

 Space Science Institute

A new 5000 square-foot traveling exhibition

called MarsQuest premiered at the McWane

Center in Birmingham, Alabama in September

2000, launching a 9-city, 3-year tour. The

updateable exhibit and its associated education

program will enable millions of Americans to

share in the ongoing excitement of exploring Mars.

The Space Science Institute (SSI) of Boulder,

Colorado led the development of MarsQuest in

collaboration with designers, artists, educators,

and more than 20 Mars scientists. SSI’s Dr. Paul

Dusenbery is the project director, and scientist Dr.

Steven Lee of the University of Colorado leads the

science advisory group.

MarsQuest is organized around three locations

on Mars: 1) Olympus Mons, the largest volcano

in the Solar System; 2) Valles Marineris, a canyon

as long as the United States is wide; and 3) Ares

Vallis, the Pathfinder landing site. Each area

makes comparisons between Mars and Earth,

giving visitors a real sense of the Martian

environment.

MarsQuest visitors encounter more than 20

interactive experiences, 4 life-size models, and

dramatic murals of Martian landscapes. Visitors

can send commands to maneuver a rover over a

simulated Martian landscape among many other

engaging opportunities. The project also includes

a 30-minute planetarium show from Loch Ness

Productions narrated by actor Patrick Stewart, best

known as Captain Picard of the TV program “Star

Trek, The Next Generation.”

The MarsQuest Education Program conducts

full-day workshops for host-site museum staff and

teachers. The program is managed by SSI’s Dr.

Cherilynn Morrow, and she and Sheri Klug of

Arizona State University are workshop cofacilitators. All host sites receive a kit of materials

to support Mars-related educational programming

for students of all ages. Dr. Lee also contributes

public talks.

Over twenty scientists participated in the

design, development, and dissemination of the

project, including Dr. Todd Clancy who

contributed key perspectives for the conceptual

design of the exhibit. Todd’s involvement is

profiled on page 10. Scientists’ contributions have

also included ideas for exhibit interactives,

accessing and processing the best Mars imagery

for the murals and video presentations, editing

panel text and the planetarium show script for

science accuracy and currency, and contributing

public lectures and workshop presentations.

 The MarsQuest exhibition received major

funding from the National Science Foundation

and NASA. Mitsubishi Digital Electronics

America, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, and

CBS provided additional support. For more

information on MarsQuest, see

http://www.spacescience.org/. For the latest

itinerary, see http://www.astc.org
Hubble Space Telescope:

New Views of the Universe

Space Telescope Science Institute

With the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

ten years ago, scientific knowledge of the universe

has greatly expanded. With the opening of the

5,000 square foot traveling exhibition, Hubble

Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe, the

wonder and excitement of Hubble’s discoveries

is now being shared by the public. The exhibition,

developed by the Space Telescope Science

Institute and the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition

Service, opened to wide acclaim in June 2000 at

the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum

and will travel to major science museums and

space centers throughout the country for the next

four years. It is now on exhibit at Space Center

Houston and will next be at the Strategic Air

Command Museum in Ashland, Nebraska

beginning February 3, 2001.

Visitors to New Views of the Universe explore

the cosmos through the eyes of Hubble. Using

activities, video, artifacts, and vivid Hubble

images, they learn about the telescope’s history,

design and purpose, as well as gain a greater

understanding of planets, stars, galaxies, and the

universe. In addition, each venue receives a

“discovery trunk” filled with education materials

designed to augment the experience of the

classroom visitor.

 A large format poster book of the same title,

written by Dr. Mark Voit of the Space Telescope

Science Institute, has been released to accompany

the exhibition. The book contains 60 illustrations

with explanatory text and is available at

booksellers nationwide.

A 2,000 square foot version of Hubble Space

Telescope: New Views of the Universe opened in

September 2000 at the Castle Museum in Saginaw,

MI. This version was designed for smaller venues

unable to accommodate the larger exhibition, and

will also tour for the next four years. The

exhibition will visit states such as Iowa and

Nebraska, allowing a more rural population the

opportunity to explore Hubble’s wonders.

The Space Telescope Science Institute has

developed a website in connection with this

exhibit targeted toward the individual unable to

experience the exhibition in person. The site is

located at http://hstexhibit.stsci.edu and debuted

in November 2000.

Hubble Space Telescope

Visitors Center Opens

Space Telescope Science Institute

In 1999, the Maryland Science Center (MSC)

opened a permanent exhibit that features the

Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA Space

Science missions. MSC serves as the visitor’s

center for people interested in learning more about

Hubble. Located at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore,

MSC draws about 600,000 visitors per year. In

the 4000 square feet of floor space devoted to the

exhibit there are over 20 original hands-on

activities, as well as videos, displays, and 3-

dimensional models. Over 120 high-resolution

images from Hubble are used throughout the

exhibit. Astronomers from the Space Telescope

Science Institute shared their expertise with MSC

to ensure the scientific accuracy of the exhibit.

Many of the picture captions and explanations

made use of material already generated for Hubble

press releases.

The Hubble exhibit is part of MSC’s Outer

Space Place theme, which also includes an exhibit

about the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer.

Science operations for both missions are

conducted in Baltimore, so they have a local

connection. Other synergistic exhibits now on

display include one on asteroids and the results

from NASA’s NEAR mission and Space Weather

(featured on page 5). In order to keep the

information current, MSC operates a multimedia

center called SpaceLink that provides regular

updates on the latest results from a variety of

NASA programs.

4

Trish Pengra (STScI), Dr. Jeff Rosendhal (NASA),

Matou Goodwin (Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition

Service) and Dr. Paul Knappenberger (The Adler

Planetarium) at Ribbon Cutting for the

HST Visitors Center.
5

A family enjoys the plasmasphere interactive

during the exhibit’s opening display at the

Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

The Space Weather Center Exhibit Opens

Space Science Institute

The Space Weather Center is an interactive,

1000 square-foot traveling mini-exhibit developed

by the Space Science Institute (SSI) of Boulder, CO

in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space

Flight Center (GSFC) and Condit Exhibits, Inc.

This exhibit shows visitors how space weather

phenomena (disturbances in the Sun’s atmosphere

that affect the Earth environment) play a role in

their everyday lives.

The Space Weather Center incorporates five

engaging interactives (a plasmasphere, spinning

magnet, aurora tube, and 2 video stations), vivid

graphics of the Sun and aurorae, and a computer

kiosk featuring near real-time data from NASA

missions currently studying the Sun and nearEarth space environment.

Visitors to the Space Weather Center learn

about topics such as solar cycles and space

weather, the effects of Solar Maximum, and the

electrical and magnetic changes that take place in

space that affect people and equipment on Earth.

The Space Weather Center also offers visitors

information about recent discoveries and insight

into the cause of the greatest light show on Earth

– the aurora.

Many scientists contributed to the

development of the Space Weather Center in

partnership with educators and exhibit designers.

Scientists’ roles have included reviewing

conceptual design and panel text, accessing and

processing data for use in exhibit graphics and the

updateable CD-ROM display, and giving public

talks and presentations in teacher workshops.

Museums hosting the exhibit receive

educational and public relation materials, access

to public talks and educator workshops, and

opportunities for networking with other host

museum sites. Both SSI and NASA GSFC maintain

supporting websites:

http://www.spacescience.org/SWOP/1.html

and http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/exhibit.

Thus far the exhibit has been to Denver,

Sacramento, and Baltimore, and will travel to

NASA GSFC, Chicago and other venues in the

coming year.

A novel partnership between the Space Science Institute and several Sun-Earth Connection missions

produced the Space Weather Center traveling exhibit with funding from NASA and the NSF.

Denver teachers on an informational “scavenger

hunt” at the exhibit as part of a full day

educator workshop.
New Educational Products New Educational Products New Educational Products

Chandra Introduces New Materials

Universe Forum

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has

introduced a new suite of web-based educational

materials. Classroom-ready and aligned with the

National Science Education Standards and Project

2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy, these

investigations encompass the Electromagnetic

Spectrum, Supernova Remnants, and Stars.

Available as html and pdf files, a series of activities,

demonstrations and performance tasks allow

students to explore and apply science concepts

while using the Chandra mission as a vehicle for

learning.

Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) scientists,

working with Donna Young of the Wright Center

for Education at Tufts University compiled the

initial material for the website. At a workshop

conducted by the Maine Math and Science

Alliance, six master science teachers refined the

material into modules that were presented at the

15th Space Science Summer Workshop at the

Wright Center. Thirty teachers from all over the

country worked intensively with eight Chandra

scientists to produce the final version provided on

the CXC website. The group of thirty teachers is

now involved with further classroom testing and

evaluation. These teacher-scientist partnerships

have created exciting classroom materials - see

them at

http://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/formal/

6

Product Registration

You can contact an OSS Educational

Forum (Solar System Exploration, Sun-Earth

Connections, Origins or Universe) for

information on how to register your

education and public outreach products in the

new NASA Space Science Education Resource

Directory which is at -

http://teachspacescience.stsci.edu

Forum Websites

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/forum/

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/

http://origins.stsci.edu/

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/seuforum/

New GEMS Guide Available

Sun-Earth Connection Educational Forum (SECEF)

The Real Reasons for Seasons: Sun-Earth

Connections is ready to join the award winning

series of GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and

Science) teacher guides. The guide is targeted for

middle school teachers and is the first in the GEMS

series to include an accompanying CD-ROM.

Developed by the Sun-Earth Connection

Education Forum, in collaboration with the

Lawrence Hall of Science, the guide contains

activities to help teachers dispel common

misconceptions about Earth’s seasons and other

Sun-Earth connections. The CD-ROM contents

include complementary materials featuring SunEarth Connection NASA resources. The Seasons

GEMS guide will be distributed nationally

through the existing network of GEMS sites, where

training for local teachers will be provided. GEMS

guides are also distributed through the National

Science Teachers Association curriculum resource

catalog. GEMS guides are extensively pilot-tested

both locally and nationally, and are revised

periodically to incorporate teacher comments, new

teaching approaches, and up-to-date scientific

discoveries. Over the past 10 years, GEMS has

developed a network of over 10,000 educators

nationwide who use the GEMS materials to meet

their math and science instructional goals. For

more information about the GEMS guides, visit

the GEMS homepage at

http://lawrencehallofscience.org/GEMS/
Multisensory Space Science (MSS) Kit

SERCH, the Southeast Regional Clearinghouse

• 6% of the total US population of

approximately 250,000,000 is hearing-impaired.

• 5% of the total US population is visually

impaired.

• 10.8% of the total US population has a

learning disability.

(Source: US Census, 1990; 1996-97 update;

Heward, 1999)

SERCH, one of the NASA OSS Broker

Facilitator groups, has supported development

and testing of the Multisensory Space Science Kit

which contains a set of instructional and reference

materials that provide the foundation information

for teaching planetary science and space

exploration in formats designed for exceptional

students in both regular and special needs

educational environments. Hands-on interactive

activities are blended with background

information in a stimulating format. All of these

exceptional students (young and old) are held to

the same State and National math and science

standards. The kit can help them achieve their

goals.

The material in the kit is organized by topic,

beginning with general information and

continuing through specific study areas of

planetary science and space exploration.

Supplemental posters, videos and lithographs are

either included or referenced where appropriate.

The materials provided in the Multisensory

Space Science Kit have been tested and evaluated

by Special Needs teachers and have been shown

to be a valuable part of their curriculum. “The

multi-modal kit provides a solid and exciting base from

which the students can learn their core curriculum

(math, science, geography, technology),” M. Skinner,

C of C Professor. “I see it as a lifesaver.” - a 1998

workshop attendee. The Virginia Department of

Education has adopted this kit for use in all of their

Special Needs classrooms and has supplied all 400

of their Special Education teachers with the kit and

training in its use. An updated kit will be released

this spring.

If you know of a student that might benefit

from the kit or need more information , contact

SERCH at 1-888-873-9475 and/or visit their

website at: http://serch.cofc.edu/serch/

7

Space Place Covers the Country

Solar System Exploration Forum

The Space Place actively engages the public

in space exploration and Earth observation

through a set of interlinked outreach activities that

use diverse media to springboard off an anchor

website. Monthly columns for children run in

regional newspapers and magazines across the

country including the Los Angeles Times, the Denver

Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Columbus

Dispatch, and the Dallas Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Articles are also printed in such specialty

publications as Weekly Reader and Technology

Teacher. Hands-on activities like art competitions

tied to mission launches, and a card game (with

real strategy), showcasing the technology-driven

missions of NASA’s New Millennium Program,

allow the Space Place to excite and educate a

potential audience of tens of millions of kids and

adults at the same time.

Through alliances with the Boys and Girls

Clubs of America, the YWCA, and 144 museums,

planetariums, and libraries in largely rural areas

of the country, the Space Place outreach program

makes a special effort to draw in audiences

traditionally not reached by NASA. The

program’s partnership list is now expanding to

include zoos and aquariums in a further effort to

connect to the public in venues not traditionally

used by NASA outreach. With a growing

infrastructure of alliances providing a highlyleveraged mechanism for distributing its highquality, informational products, Space Place is

unique among NASA outreach efforts.

Involvement of the mission scientists and

engineers has been essential to the success of

Space Place. For example, Dr. Marc Rayman,

manager of the Deep Space 1 mission, was one of

the founding members of the Space Place,

reviewing and creating many of the activities and

fun facts for the Web site. His collaboration has

been so integral, he even has an iconic namesake

character on the site called ‘Dr. Marc.” Scientists

and engineers from each project work closely with

Space Place staff to create the final public

products. The Space Place website is

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/

Programs Programs Programs
Solar System Ambassadors Bring

NASA Missions to the Public

Solar System Exploration Forum

The Solar System Ambassadors Program is a

public outreach program using motivated

volunteers across the nation to organize and

conduct public events communicating exciting

discoveries and plans in Solar System research,

exploration and technology through

nontraditional venues, e.g. community service

clubs meetings, libraries, museums, planetariums,

“star parties,” mall displays. Last year,

Ambassadors conducted about 600 events directly

reaching more than 500,000 people in communities

across the country.

In 2001, there will be 200 Ambassadors from

almost all 50 states bringing the excitement of

space to the public. Ambassadors are space

enthusiasts, K-12 in-service educators, retirees,

community college teachers, and other members

of the general public, interested in providing

greater service and inspiration to the public.

The Solar System Ambassadors Program is

coordinated by the NASA Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL). Participating projects currently

include Cassini, Galileo, STARDUST, Europa

Orbiter, Pluto-Kuiper Express, Solar Probe,

Genesis, Ulysses, Voyager, Mars missions, the

Deep Space Network and the Discovery missions

NEAR-Shoemaker and Deep Impact.

Each Ambassador participates in Internet

based training sessions that provide interaction

with space scientists, engineers and project team

members. Training sessions provide Ambassadors

with general background on each mission and

specific mission milestones, such as launches,

planetary flybys, first image returns, arrivals, and

ongoing key discoveries. Additionally, projects

provide videos, slide sets, booklets, pamphlets,

posters, postcards, lithographs, on-line materials,

resource links and information.

Integrating nationwide volunteers in a publicengagement program helps leverage project

funding for education and outreach. At the same

time, members of communities across the country

become an extended part of each mission’s team

and an important interface between the space

exploration community and the general public.

Solar System Ambassador information - http://

www.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/front.html

Bringing NASA’S Space Science into

the Classroom With Online Telescopes

Universe Education Forum

How do we bring the excitement of frontier

space science into an already crowded classroom

schedule? One approach, taken by the Universe

Education Forum at the Smithsonian

Astrophysical Observatory, is to partner space

science missions with innovative new curricula

that are already transforming the way science is

taught. In the From the Ground Up! curriculum,

middle and high school students carry out

authentic investigations by directly controlling a

network of five online educational telescopes.

In their investigations on light, color, size and

scale, motion, and other topics in physical science,

students combine their own images of the sky with

complementary images and data from NASA’s

space science missions. This summer, for example,

the Chandra X-Ray Observatory’s Mike Garcia

and Kathy Lestition worked with a nationally

selected group of teachers to develop an

investigation on color and temperature. Three

modules currently in production will be fieldtested by teachers from January-April 2001.

Thanks to NASA, the installation of a telescope

this summer in the Southern Hemisphere now

allows students to image the full range of objects

imaged by space-based telescopes. Students’

optical images of the galaxy Centaurus A come

alive when married with Chandra’s x-ray view of

the galaxy’s enormous black-hole-produced jets.

For more information about how teachers can

enroll, visit: http://mo-www.harvard.edu/

MicroObservatory

8

Composite Image of Centarus A taken

 by a MicroObservatory Telescope

with Chandra X Ray Telescope Overlay.
9

Eclipse Webcasts - High Visibility

for NASA’s Sun-Earth Connection

Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF)

It is unusual for a science website to draw ten

million hits in a few hours, but that’s just what

happened in 1998 and 1999, during the total solar

eclipse webcasts produced by NASA’s Sun-Earth

Connection Education Forum and the Live @The

Exploratorium program. More than 300,000

Internet login participants and thousands of

museum event visitors experienced the solar

eclipse totality that was webcast from remote sites

in Aruba in the Caribbean (1998) and Amasya,

Turkey (1999). The programs used solar eclipses

to draw attention to NASA’s investigations of the

active Sun and its effects on Earth.

The live museum events highlighted the work

of several Sun-Earth Connection satellite missions:

SOHO, TRACE, Yohkoh, and others. It also

allowed the public a special opportunity to interact

with scientists, in person and through Internet chat

sessions. In 1999, eight museums nationwide

picked up the feed of two webcasts—one

originating from an Exploratorium ground crew

in Turkey and the other from a Goddard Space

Flight Center crew in the Black Sea. At the National

Air and Space Museum and the Lawrence Hall of

Science, several hundred Girl Scouts gathered in

the early morning hours of August 11, 1999 to get

a glimpse of totality via the webcasts. The event

drew extensive media coverage both locally and

nationally, and everyone who participated was

rewarded with deeper knowledge of the Sun and

about how space scientists conduct their research.

Today, the eclipse website at the Exploratorium

still draws a steady audience at http://

www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse .

IDEAS: Small Efforts with Huge Returns

Origins Forum

What can you do with a team of educators and

astronomers/space scientists, a good idea, and a

little bit of money? In 1994, working with funding

from the IDEAS program, Dr. Don York and his

team from DuSable High School in Chicago turned

$20,000 to fund a T1 Internet connection to an

underserved/underrepresented community into

a $200,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of

Education. This grant enabled the team to broaden

the program to network 12 additional schools,

fund training and hardware support, and

purchase additional computers. Today, the

program is called the Chicago Public Schools/

University of Chicago Internet Project (CUIP), a

collaborative partnership between the University

of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

Department of Learning Technologies, and 29

Chicago public schools to enhance teaching and

learning through the use of the Internet and other

computer technologies.

In 1997, Dr. T. Gregory Guzik received a $9,998

grant to work with Louisiana State University,

Southern University, the Recreation and Park

Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge,

and the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society to

develop a new astronomical observatory for

enhancing university level astronomy education

and to provide a new form of science education/

recreation for the public. Dr. Guzik wrote, “the

IDEAS grant was a turning point in our group’s

Education and Public Outreach program. In

particular, since the IDEAS project started we have

had five new E/PO grants funded.”

The IDEAS Grant Program has many other

projects with similar results - small efforts with

huge returns. One of the key highlights for a large

portion of proposers and participants alike is the

interaction they have with the scientists and

educators. And based on the two examples above,

it can be an experience that has a broad impact in

both the education and science communities. For

more information about IDEAS, please visit the

Web site at http://ideas.stsci.edu.

At the Exploratorium, August 1999.
SCIENTISTS IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH

This profile is based on an interview of Dr. Todd Clancy about his involvement in the creation of a

traveling science exhibition called MarsQuest. Todd is a scientist who supports education and public

outreach (E/PO), but who does not want to compromise his primary research interests. The interview was

conducted by Dr. Cheri Morrow at the Space Science Institute of Boulder, CO in September, 2000.

Todd Clancy in front of the MarsQuest poster at the

Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting,

October 2000.

Current professional position:

I am a scientist with the Space Science Institute

(SSI). I do research on the atmospheres of Earth,

Mars, and Venus from my home (a North Carolina

island).

Description of Todd’s E/PO role :

I collaborated with SSI on a major Mars

traveling exhibit called MarsQuest (see page 3 for

a full MarsQuest article). Initially, I helped with

the NSF proposal and conceptual design. After

that, I served with the science advisory group,

reviewing text or video segments, or answering

questions to support the MarsQuest educator

workshops.

Comments on his time commitment:

My MarsQuest involvement has all been

voluntary — a public service in a sense. The

proposal development required perhaps a month

of my time all together. After that, my time

contribution became much more limited. I’m not

particularly focused on doing education and

public outreach. I’m really a full time researcher

– it’s a very demanding job, more than 40 hours a

week. I simply cannot afford the time and the

dedication it takes to become a truly professional

E/PO person. So my role in MarsQuest has been

a very nice fit.

His most valuable impact on MarsQuest:

The overall theme of the exhibit was strongly

influenced by my suggestions. It was my idea to

view Mars as a wilderness — like a national or

international park – an unspoiled natural preserve

in which there are different regions to explore,

such as there are in Yellowstone Park. The exhibit

is now a reality, and although my involvement has

been largely advisory, it would not exist if I had

not been involved. That’s very gratifying.

Todd describes how he got involved:

I happened to be at SSI when our director, Dr.

Paul Dusenbery, was looking for a theme for his

next big traveling exhibit project. He and I agreed

that the upcoming series of missions to Mars

would make an excellent focus.

Todd’s words of wisdom about E/PO:

Keep an open mind about whether or not you

will ever be involved in E/PO. It certainly wasn’t

on my radar. I had no intention of going that

direction – nothing against it – it simply wasn’t

one of my ambitions. My experience with

MarsQuest made me realize that I am capable of

contributing, even though I didn’t consider

education and outreach one of my skills. So, when

an E/PO opportunity comes along, give it a try!

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On the Horizon On the Horizon On the Horizon

 Passport to the Universe

Universe Forum

This spring, millions of students and teachers

across the country will join researchers from the

Chandra X-ray Observatory on a virtual field trip

to the edges of space and time. Two new “Passport

to Knowledge” TV specials, “Live from a Black

Hole,” and “Live from the Edge of Space and

Time” will air March 6 and April 3, 2001. The

programs will be supported by a variety of online activities and resources, including many

created by Structure and Evolution of the Universe

(SEU) missions. For more info, see:

http://passporttoknowledge.com/universe/

National Mall to host New

Scale Model of the Solar System

Challenger Center for Space Science Education

The Challenger Center for Space Science

Education, in collaboration with the Smithsonian

Institution and NASA, is developing Voyage, a

scale model solar system for the National Mall in

Washington, D.C. Placed along a 600 meter path,

this outdoor exhibition will portray the Sun,

planets, and a dozen moons at one ten-billionth

actual size. Voyage is meant to change visitor’s

perspectives of Earth’s place in the solar system

and the Sun’s place among the stars. The

exhibition is being designed so that it can be

replicated and placed at dozens of sites around

the globe. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Spring

2001.

Solar Events 2001

Sun-Earth Connection Forum (SECEF)

As we begin a new millennium and the Sun

undergoes another solar maximum, the Sun-Earth

Connection Education Forum (SECEF) is

sponsoring a series of “Solar Events” during 2000-

2001 to feature and celebrate the active Sun and

its connection to our lives. In partnership with

museums, educators, and space scientists around

the country, SECEF is supporting a traveling Space

Weather Center museum exhibit (page 5), a

national “Sun-Earth Day,” and an international

total solar eclipse webcast from Southern Africa.

Solar Events will allow a broad community to

learn about NASA’s SEC theme and its missions

through high-visibility events. For example, “SunEarth Day,” scheduled for April 27, 2001, will

engage schools and classrooms nationwide.

Teachers and students will get the opportunity to

increase their awareness of the Sun-Earth

connection through a Sun-Earth Day Education

Kit, email mentoring, and online chat sessions with

scientists. The event will be co-celebrated with

Astronomy Day, the annual celebration of the

Astronomical League (North America’s amateur

astronomy group) and will coincide with

celebrations of the fifth anniversary of ESA and

NASA’s SOHO spacecraft. The June 21, 2001 total

solar eclipse webcast from southern Africa will

give science museums in the US and abroad the

opportunity to host events for the public and

special interest groups. “Eclipse 2001” will build

on the successes of previous eclipse webcast events

(see page 9). Eclipse 2001 will feature a live 30-

minute downlink to science museums from the

International Space Station (ISS), highlighting

NASA’s Living with a Star initiative by addressing

the effects of the active Sun on ISS astronauts. To

learn more about Solar Events access the website:

http://solarevents.org/

There are many ways in which scientists can

be involved in the solar events--from online chat

sessions, to serving as an advisor, to giving live

presentations at the museums. View more options

and a sign-up form -

http://www.museumeclipse.com/hosting/register.html

Your participation can make a difference.

Some Upcoming Conferences in 2001

National Science Teacher Association

March 22-25

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

April 4-7

American Geophysical Union

May 29- June 2

For more information on these and other

conferences, see the OSS Conference Website at

http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/education/OSS/

welcome.html

11
NASA Space Science

Education Resource Directory Unveiled

NASA Headquarters announced the public

availability of the Space Science Education

Resource Directory via an official press release

on October 2, 2000. The Resource Directory can

be found at -

http://teachspacescience.stsci.edu

The directory provides easy access to a variety

of on-line space science educational products and

resources. Educators and scientists looking for

proven materials can search by grade level, topics

and format.

Some comments on the directory –

“What a great job! Really well done! A terrific

resource in a very clear and usable format.” –

Rachel Winheld, Coordinator for UC Berkeley Science

Outreach Coalition

 “Wow, very nice Education Resource you guys

at OSS unveiled. Very nice.” —Chuck Bueter, Great

Lakes Planetarium Association member and

astronomy teacher.

If you’d like to contribute to a future newsletter

or have questions about getting involved with

the NASA Office of Space Science Education and

Public Outreach Program, please contact Larry

Cooper, Editor

larrycooper@oai.org

Tips for Scientists in

Education and Public Outreach

Space scientists are becoming increasingly

active in making key contributions to an

impressive variety of high-impact projects in

science education and public outreach (E/PO).

The Fall 2000 meeting of AGU and the January

2001 joint meeting of the AAS and AAPT included

unprecedented numbers of sessions related to

scientist involvement in education at all levels.

This continuing column will provide leads and

suggestions in support of increased E/PO

involvement of space scientists. Direct your ideas

and comments about this column to

camorrow@colorado.edu.

The OSS E/PO Support Network (i.e. Brokers

and Forums) is developing a variety of resources

for scientists engaging in EPO activities. These

resources include workshops, websites, videos,

CD-ROMs, presentations, white papers on key

E/PO topics, and ideas/opportunities for E/PO

involvement (both funded and voluntary). This

column will highlight many of these resources in

future issues. This time our tip is about the several

E/PO workshops for scientists that are coming up

in the new year:

• The joint AAS/AAPT meeting in January

2001 will host two 90-minute tutorials led by the

Space Science Institute (SSI) Broker: 1) Writing

Winning EPO Supplements for NASA Sponsored

Projects; and 2) Becoming Actively Involved in K12 Education. Contact camorrow@colorado.edu

• The DePaul Broker in Chicago will host a

one-day education & outreach conference for

scientists in the midwestern region on January 27

2001. Contact Lynn Narasimhan,

cnarasim@condor.depaul.edu

• On the day before the Lunar and Planetary

Science Conference (LPSC) in March, there will be

a full-day workshop for scientists entitled: “Getting

Involved in Education and Public Outreach: Not

Reinventing the Wheel”. Contact the LPI Broker,

Pam Thompson, thompson@lpi.usra.edu

• The Space Science Institute plans to continue

its annual 4-day workshop on Education for

Scientists, Engineers, and EPO Managers. Dates

in May 2001 are pending. Contact Susan Solari,

solari@colorado.edu

FAST FACTS

 In 2000 the OSS EPO program -

• produced over 100 educational products,

most of which were targeted at K-12

• carried out nearly 200 educational

programs that involved over 1500 individual

events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,

and one U.S. Territory (Guam)

 -- 65% are targeted at improving classroom

education

--35% are outreach to the public or to the

science community

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