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Launch on a #BackToSchool learning adventure with lesson plans,
hands-on activities, virtual learning tips and more.
Learn New Words With NASA Picture Dictionary
NASA Astrobiology Graphic Novel Series
Design a Zipline and Land on Target
For more activities, click here.
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: Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. EDT

“NASA STEM Stars” is part of a webchat series that connects students with subject matter experts to learn about STEM careers and ask questions about STEM topics.
 
Groundbreaking research is completed on the International Space Station daily. Research portfolio managers like Jennifer Scott Williams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, are responsible for making sure that crews aboard the space station have the tools they need to complete their research. Hear more about Williams’s role at NASA, and ask her questions about pursuing careers in STEM.
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of K-12 Students
Event Date: Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. EDT

Learn about resources and events that can support Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) student research during the 2020-2021 school year, and prepare students to enter the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS).

Join this interactive webinar to learn about planned campaigns and events, data analysis, and tools to support you and your students. Education and outreach specialist Dr. Julie Malmberg will share the new 2021 IVSS rubric. Other topics will be presented by team members from the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative, GLOBE Mission Earth, Arctic and Earth STEM Integrating GLOBE and NASA (SIGNs), GLOBE Implementation Office and My NASA Data.
More STEM Learning Resources
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of Students in Grades 3-6

Looking for at-home interactives to enhance your remote science teaching? Teach your students about ultraviolet (UV) light with an at-home craft. Construction paper, sunscreen, rocks (or other small, heavy objects) and sunlight is all you need to see our Sun’s UV rays in action.
 
Find the steps and a how-to video here.
Audience: Educators, Parents and Caregivers of Students in Grades K-12

Explore a variety of resources connecting physical science on the International Space Station to K-12 curricula. Learn about the space station and some of the many experiments conducted there. Watch inspiring videos. Participate from anywhere in activities that will engage your students and keep them captivated by science.
 
Get ready to excite the Artemis Generation of explorers with Celebrating Station Science.
Audience: Educators, Parents, Caregivers and Students

NASA and the GLOBE Program’s Clouds team invite families to take part in the Family Cloud Challenge. Visit the challenge website for a list of activities to do and interactive videos you can enjoy as a family. Use the NASA GLOBE Clouds Choice Chart to keep track of activities and see who can shade the most clouds! Watch the “Science of Clouds” videos to learn more about the role of clouds in weather, in Earth’s climate and the relationship between clouds and aerosols. Discover what citizen science is and how your observations are used in research. 
Collaborate With NASA
Audience: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Letter of Intent Deadline: Sept. 14
Proposal Deadline: Oct. 20

In celebration of 20 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station, NASA STEM on Station will fund five payloads to the space station, including return, through the Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS) in partnership with Nanoracks and its educational sister company, DreamUp. Teams of collegiate students will propose experiments related to bacteria resistance or sustainability research, topics critical not only to the space station but also to future exploration through NASA’s Artemis program.

To learn more about SPOCS, join STEM on Station on Thurs., Sept. 3 from 5-6 p.m. EDT for an overview of the opportunity. Find more ways to bring resources from the International Space Station, including SPOCS, into your classroom by checking out NASA’s STEM on Station website.
Audience: Staff and Faculty at MSIs
Registration Deadline: Sept. 15

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement is offering a new opportunity to staff and faculty at minority serving institutions. Open to midcareer professionals, the opportunity will enable participants to work to build a diverse future STEM workforce, strengthen the public’s understanding of NASA’s mission and create unique opportunities for students and the public to contribute to NASA’s work.
 
Fellows will begin a two-year temporary appointment in January 2021 and may be placed at NASA Headquarters and/or centers agencywide. NASA’s telework policy may also be an option for this opportunity.
Audience: Innovators in Academia, Industry and the Public
Feedback Deadline: Sept. 17

Future planetary habitats on the Moon and Mars will require a high degree of self-sufficiency. Extending the duration of lunar missions requires reducing resupply dependency on Earth. Thus, testing a sustainable system on the Moon that meets lunar crews’ needs is a fundamental step for both lunar sustainability and Mars exploration.

To help solve this problem, NASA is exploring the possibility of opening a NASA Centennial Challenge for the public to help NASA create a food system capable of providing astronauts with healthy, nutritious food. The challenge will incentivize the public, academia and industry to participate in the development of food systems that can provide adequate nutrition to future long-duration mission explorers.
Audience: Graduate Students Who Are U.S. Citizens and Reside Within 50 Miles of NYC
Application Deadline: Sept. 21

The NASA GISS Climate Change Research Initiative seeks applicants for a yearlong internship opportunity for graduate student research assistants. Students will work directly with NASA scientists and lead research teams in a NASA research project related to climate change. This opportunity will not conflict with the students’ coursework and class schedule during the fall and spring. The internship is considered a part-time position that supports each graduate student’s major area of study.
 
Due to impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fall session will be conducted remotely. Spring and summer session locality requirements will be determined in accordance with the NASA Emergency Response Framework prior to the onset of each subsequent term.
Audience: Full-time 9-12 STEM Educators Who Are U.S. Citizens and Reside Within 50 Miles of NYC
Application Deadline: Sept. 21

This yearlong STEM engagement opportunity allows high school STEM educators to work directly with NASA scientists, lead research teams and develop STEM curricula for their current classes. Educators participating in this opportunity will become associate researchers who integrate NASA education resources and content into their classrooms while improving STEM education within their communities.
 
Due to impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fall session will be conducted remotely. Spring and summer session locality requirements will be determined in accordance with the NASA Emergency Response Framework prior to the onset of each subsequent term.
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.” Participants can choose whichever challenge that inspires them most.
 
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: 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 Glenn to serve as mentors for the teams.
Audience: Educators, Parents, Caregivers and Students in Middle and High School
Registration Deadline: Oct. 28
Contact: JSC-M2MSTEM@mail.nasa.gov

NASA’s App Development Challenge begins on Sept. 30, 2020, giving middle and high school student teams the opportunity to develop an app that contributes to solving a NASA technical problem. Student teams will use lunar terrain data to code an app that visualizes the South Pole region of the Moon, displaying essential information for communication and navigation. NASA can use these student app solutions for future mission planning activities.
 
Registration is open now. Team video submissions are due on Nov. 18, 2020.
Audience: 9-12 and Higher Education Students and Educators
International Proposal Deadline: Oct. 8
U.S. Registration Opening: Oct. 8

The 2021 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge competition requirements are now available. International teams shall submit a proposal for consideration to compete by Oct. 8. U.S. team registration opens Oct. 8 and closes Nov. 5. The competition will be held April 15-17, 2021, in Huntsville, Alabama, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.* Teams of high school and college students are challenged to design and build a human-powered vehicle to traverse the simulated surface of another world and complete mission tasks along the way. Teams must also complete design reviews to demonstrate final design and operational readiness throughout the year.

*As the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues to evolve, NASA will closely monitor and follow guidelines from federal, state and community officials regarding the onsite competition at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in April. Protecting the health and safety of team members, staff and judges is our primary priority.
Opportunities With Our Partners
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