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NASA STEM Engagement

ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2024

Welcome to Earthrise!

Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts-Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders-held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Credits: NASA

Earthrise is a new initiative launched by NASA in cooperation with federal and nonfederal partners to elevate Earth and climate science in the classroom. Each monthly edition will focus on a new theme, such as air quality, oceans, and agriculture. 


February 2024 Issue:

Atmosphere, Aerosols, and Air Quality Solutions

Tiny Particles; Big Impact: Did you know that every time you take a breath, it’s nearly certain that you’ll inhale tens of millions of solid particles and liquid droplets? These tiny particles, called aerosols, can have a huge impact on Earth’s climate, and community health. NASA recently launched the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, which among a number of priority science objectives, will help improve equity of air quality forecasts to better protect communities around the globe. Explore the suite of resources below to help your students learn about how researchers and communities alike use data to understand impacts of air quality at a global and local level.

WATCH

Agents of Change Documentary Series

(All Grade Levels)

Learn more about how students of the Mescalero Apache Reservation High School in New Mexico, USA, research air quality and find a way to protect their community from the devastating effects of breathing smoke from wildfires.


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Young Scientists Making a Difference

(All Grade Levels)

U.S. Department of Defense STEM supports young minds through the Broadcom MASTERS STEM Award. Young scientist Lauren Ejiaga is making strides in climate science and air pollution with her research. Lauren’s project looks at how chlorofluorocarbons or other pollutants deplete protective natural gas particles in the atmosphere.


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PACE and Climate Change (All Grade Levels)

The data from PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) will help us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide. In addition, it will reveal how aerosols might fuel phytoplankton growth in the surface ocean.


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EXPLORE

My NASA Data Air Quality Story Map (Grades 4-12)

Engage your students in a story map to learn about air pollution, analyze air quality trends over time, and make predictions about the source of air pollution in a location. 


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NOAA Global Monitoring Lab (Grades 6-12)

The Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Lab collects worldwide, long-term and real-time data on atmospheric chemicals including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and many others. A wide variety of measurements and plot types are available for carbon cycle gases, solar radiation, ozone, aerosols, and more. Explore interactive maps, numerical data, and graphs and figures.


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What is an Atmospheric River? (Grades 3-12)

Much like a river is water moving over land, an atmospheric river is a stream of water vapor moving in the sky. Learn from NOAA about why atmospheric rivers form, what kind of weather they bring, and how NOAA scientists study them.


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U.S. Geological Survey Monitors Gas Emissions at Mount St. Helens (All Grade Levels)

Explore how USGS scientists explore gas emissions from Mount St. Helens using unmanned aircraft systems (“drones”). 


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TEACH

EPA's Air Quality Flag Program (All Grade Levels)

Learn more about the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Flag Program, and find resources to engage your students in the importance of monitoring air quality. Resources also available in Spanish.


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Engage Young Students with Coco the Chameleon (Grade K-2)

Join Coco the chameleon and his friends as they solve air quality mysteries in “Why is Coco Orange?” and the sequel, “Why is Coco Red?” Resources also available in Spanish and other languages. 


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Phenomenon-Based Learning: Do you know where the dirt in your backyard came from? (Grade 3-12)

Do you know where the dirt in your backyard came from? The Saharan Air Layer brings several hundred million tons of dust from the Saharan Desert in Northern Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas every year. This collection from NOAA Science On a Sphere (SOS) combines natural phenomena with SOS datasets and guiding questions for educators.


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Changes in Climate and Wildfires Unit 

(Grades 8-12)

Students will explore how Arctic Amplification and teleconnections such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) can lead to environmental conditions that are conducive to the start and spread of wildfires. Wildfires can become more widespread when the environmental conditions are dry and warm, and the students will be able to explain why the conditions develop based on changes to climate patterns.


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DO

Particulate Matter Air Sensor Kits

(Grades 6-12)

Particle pollution known as particulate matter (PM) is one of the major air pollutants regulated by the EPA to protect public health and the environment. A PM air sensor kit has been developed by EPA researchers as an educational tool to teach children about air quality and air science.


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Climate Investigations: Understanding Earth as a System (All Grade Levels)

Submit student research reports/projects to the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS). This year's theme is Climate Investigations: Understanding Earth as a System.


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Become "Cloudwise" With NOAA (All Grade Levels)

The downloadable NOAA cloud chart includes information about the different types of clouds as well as broad information about climate zones in the contiguous United States. Be sure to check out the cloud learning lessons!


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NASA Ozone Watch (All Grade Levels)

Engage in NASA’s Ozone watch, an interactive resource that provides facts, maps, data, multimedia and education resources from NASA, the EPA, NOAA, and the World Meteorological Organization to study the current and historical status of the ozone layer. 


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ATTEND

EPA Air Quality Awareness Week (All Grade levels)

Learn with EPA during the upcoming Air Quality Awareness Week May 1-5, 2024. Events are virtual.


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DISCUSS

Meet EPA Scientists Studying Our Earth

(Grades 5-12)

Learn more about the careers of EPA scientists, including their career paths and their current research activities.


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Changes in Carbon Dioxide

(All Grade levels)

How might Earth's atmosphere, land, and ocean systems respond to changes in carbon dioxide over time?


Learn more

Look for more great Earth and Climate Science content next month!

Click the link to subscribe to the Earthrise Newsletter.

For more information, head to www.nasa.gov/Earth or science.nasa.gov/earth-science.

To learn more about how NASA puts its data to use for society, see appliedsciences.nasa.gov.

Thank you to our collaborating partners for contributing resources and engaging educators.

Please join our community of educators in NASA CONNECTS! NASA CONNECTS (Connecting Our NASA Network of Educators for Collaborating Together in STEM) is a professional learning community of educators who are invited to engage with NASA’s team to inspire the next generation of explorers. 

NASA Office of STEM Engagement

NASA is committed to engaging, inspiring, and attracting future generations of explorers and building a diverse future STEM workforce.

stem.nasa.gov

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