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Take a virtual field trip to the USA Science & Engineering Festival.
The free event features educational resources and videos of
NASA experts discussing various STEM topics.
Expo dates have been extended through Oct. 31.

Incorporate SciFest resources into your curriculum all month!
Join the NASA STEM Engagement & Educator Professional Development
Collaborative at Texas State University for live educational webinars.
For a full list of upcoming webinars, click here.
Audience: Students Ages 13+
Event Date: Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. EDT

“NASA STEM Stars” is a webchat series that connects students with subject matter experts to learn about STEM careers and ask questions about STEM topics.
 
The Thermal Coatings Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is responsible for designing and building custom thermal control materials. Watch this episode to hear from thermal coatings engineer Nithin Abraham about her work creating thermal coats for spaceflight applications.
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of K-12 Students
Event Date: Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. EDT

Join NASA experts and education specialists for a free one-hour education webinar about how we use nonvisible light to explore the universe.
 
Viewers can watch the webinar online without pre-registering.
 
Participants who would like to ask questions during the event must register to join the live Q&A.
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of 5-12 Students
Event Date: Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. EDT

Join NASA experts and education specialists for a free 90-minute interactive, virtual workshop about NASA resources and lessons for grades 5-12. Resources focus on the electromagnetic spectrum and its role in astronomy and space exploration.
 
Participation is limited, and registration is required.
Proposals Due Oct. 21
Register by Oct. 26
Proposals Due Oct. 30
For more activities, click here.
More STEM Learning Resources
Audience: K-12 and Informal Educators, Parents and Caregivers

During October, take a break from screens and virtual learning with these five hands-on activities. Design a mission patch, help a drone navigate through a maze, carve a pumpkin like a NASA engineer and more.


Print the downloadable sheet and check your progress throughout the month.
Audience: K-12 and Informal Educators, Parents and Caregivers
Mission Dates: Through Oct. 2

Sally Ride EarthKAM is a free science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational program managed by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. EarthKAM allows students to take images of Earth from space using a camera aboard the International Space Station. Use EarthKAM as a teaching tool to study subjects ranging from geography to art to meteorology. Visit the website for details and to register to participate.
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of K-12 Students

Explore a variety of resources connecting medical breakthroughs on the International Space Station to K-12 curricula. Learn about the space station experiments that have contributed to our quality of life on Earth. Watch inspiring videos. Participate in activities that can be completed in a classroom, at home or virtually.
 
Get ready to excite the Artemis Generation of explorers with activities from the Celebrating Station Science website.
Audience: Educators, Students, Parents and Caregivers
Event Dates: Oct. 4-10

World Space Week, as declared by the United Nations, is the world’s largest public celebration of space. The event commemorates the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957, and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty on Oct. 10, 1967, to regulate peaceful use of space by all countries. During this week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed activities to excite students about science and technology. The 2020 theme is “Satellites Improve Life.”

Visit the World Space Week website for event information and related educational materials.
Audience: Educators, Parents, Caregivers and Students in Grades 3-6

All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets.

Young learners can explore our universe with NASA Space Place. The article and video are both student friendly and easy to follow in a virtual setting.
 
Access Spanish article here.
Audience: Educators and Students in Grades 5-9, Informal Educators, Parents and Caregivers
Event Date: Oct. 12-16

Solar Week provides a series of lively, online educational activities focusing on the Sun. Students ages 9-14 can learn about solar careers, sunspots, solar energy and solar storms. Explore the website to find cool facts, scavenger hunts, games and an online interactive discussion board where you can submit a question to solar scientists. During the week, students will be able to take part in a 30-minute live youth-oriented webinar for even more interaction with a scientist.
 
The fall 2020 celebration will feature hangouts with solar scientists in a virtual meeting space, ready to talk with you and answer your questions.
Audience: Educators, Parents, Caregivers and Students in Grades K-12

The phases of the Moon are an integral concept in any science classroom. Students worldwide look up each night and see the same Moon as it changes over the course of a month. It can sometimes be difficult for students to visualize the Moon’s position in Earth’s orbit and the angle of sunlight it receives. NASA astronaut Anne McClain takes this challenge head-on and shows students how the science of lunar phases paints the beautiful picture we see in the night sky. The classroom connection linked to the video enables students to recreate this timeless celestial phenomenon.

To watch this STEMonstration and conduct the coinciding activity, be sure to visit the STEM on Station website.
Audience: Educators, Parents, Caregivers and Students of All Ages

Exoplanet names can look long and complicated at first, especially in comparison to names like Venus and Mars. But, they have a logic behind them that is important to scientists cataloging thousands of planets. Learn how planets like HD 189733 b get their names, and use a fun template to find your exoplanet name. All you need are the initials of a person important to you, a meaningful date (don’t share birthdays online) and the order in which you were born.

Click here to get started.
Are You Up for a Challenge?
Audience: Problem Solvers of All Ages
Event Date: Oct. 2-4

NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge is an international hackathon for coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, space enthusiasts, innovators, students and teachers to engage with NASA’s free and open data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space. This year’s virtual event will focus on the theme “Take Action.” Check out the Challenge Statements, including two challenges geared toward youth — “Create a Mascot” and “Sustaining Our Planet for Future Generations” — and see which one you want to do.
 
Register now to test your creativity and collaboration skills for a chance to see a rocket launch in the U.S. and present your ideas to NASA. 
Audience: Faculty-led Student Teams Enrolled at Minority Serving Institutions
Application Deadline: Oct. 7

NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovative New Designs for Space (MINDS) is a multisemester hands-on design and build experience. Facutly-led student teams from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are challenged to design and build technologies needed for NASA’s Artemis missions. Teams are allowed to focus on technologies that interest and inspire them the most. Teams selected by NASA will receive $1,500 to be used to build their design, and faculty will receive a stipend upon successful completion of all requirements. Top teams can receive recognition awards up to $5,000.
Audience: Undergraduate Students
Registration Deadline: Oct. 16
 
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is hosting a 2020-21 University Student Design Challenge (USDC-5) with space-themed projects. The competition is open to teams of full-time undergraduate juniors or seniors enrolled at accredited U.S. academic institutions. Multidisciplinary teams of three to six members are encouraged. Each university or college team must have at least one faculty advisor. Participants will have access to subject matter experts at NASA Glenn to serve as mentors for the teams. 
Audience: Students Ages 4-12
Entry Deadline: Oct. 28

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is holding an art contest to create a 2021 calendar. Each month will have a different theme related to the International Space Station, astronauts, growing food in space and more. Unique and original first and second place artwork will be selected for each month. The calendar also will include supplemental education materials.
Audience: Students at Accredited U.S. Colleges and Universities
Proposal Deadline: Nov. 12

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate seeks proposals for new aeronautics ideas/concepts relevant to NASA aeronautics. Selected teams will receive grants for their projects, and will also be responsible for raising a modest amount of cost-share funds through a crowdfunding platform. The process of creating and preparing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator, requiring students to act like entrepreneurs.
 
Three-page proposals are due Nov. 12. Proposals can also be submitted later, and will be evaluated in two additional cycles with due dates: February 25, 2021, and June 24, 2021.
Collaborate With NASA
Audience: All Educators
Informational Webinar: Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. EDT
Proposal Deadline: Nov. 24
 
ARISS-US is accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums and community youth organizations to host an amateur radio contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2021. To maximize the events, ARISS-US is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes long. Visit the site for proposal guidelines, forms and to register for an informational pre-proposal webinar.
Audience: Space Enthusiasts Ages 18+
Application Deadline: Oct. 15

The Solar System Ambassadors Program is a nationwide network of space enthusiast volunteers. Highly motivated enthusiasts nationwide are eligible to join—and those in Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories are especially encouraged to apply.
Opportunities With Our Partners
Audience: Grades 9-12 Students
Deadline: Oct. 31

The National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative is funding breakthrough research projects that help scientists learn more about our brains. While exciting, these projects raise important ethical questions. NIH is calling on U.S. high school students to submit creative essays or videos sharing their perspectives on the ethical implications of these types of research projects and technologies. 
Audience: Grades 6-9 Students
Early Registration: Nov. 11
Registration Deadline: Jan. 6
 
Registration is open for the 19th Annual eCYBERMISSION competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program. Free to students, this web-based STEM competition challenges teams to identify problems and work towards solutions to challenges within their communities. Teams compete for state, regional and national awards. Those who complete early bird registration will qualify to receive a free STEM kit. The competition provides a wealth of online resources for student teams and advisors to assist with project completion.
Want to subscribe to get this message delivered to your inbox each Thursday? Sign up for the NASA EXPRESS newsletter at https://www.nasa.gov/stem/express.

Are you looking for NASA STEM materials to support your curriculum?
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at https://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/.

Find NASA science resources for your classroom. NASA Wavelength is a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels — from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. https://science.nasa.gov/learners/wavelength

Check out the ‘Explore NASA Science’ website! Science starts with questions, leading to discoveries. Visit science.nasa.gov. To view the site in Spanish, visit ciencia.nasa.gov.
Visit NASA STEM Engagement on the Web: 
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement: https://stem.nasa.gov 
NASA Kids’ Club: https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub