The Radio JOVE project is a hands-on inquiry-based educational project that allows students, teachers and the general public to learn about radio astronomy by building their own radio telescope from an inexpensive kit and/or using remote radio telescopes through the internet. Radio JOVE students and amateur scientists observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy. Participants also collaborate with each other through interactions and sharing of data on the network.

The Radio JOVE project began in 1998. Since then, more than 1100 teams of students and interested individuals have purchased our non-profit radio telescope kits and are learning radio astronomy by building and operating a radio telescope. This self-supporting program continues to thrive and inspire new groups of students as well as individuals.

Project owners + coordinators:
Radio JOVE project office

To learn more and participate, visit: http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov

A non-profit scientific, educational project whose objective is to bring the excitement of observing natural and man-made radio waves to high school students. Underlying this objective is the conviction that science and technology are the underpinnings of our modern society, and that only with an understanding of science and technology can people make correct decisions in their lives, public, professional, and private. INSPIRE (Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionosphere Radio Experiment) also is an innovative, unique opportunity for students to actively gather data that might be used in a basic research project. The INSPIRE project uses build-it-yourself kits to measure and record VLF emissions such as tweeks, whistlers, sferics, and chorus along with man-made emissions.

Project owners + coordinators:
Kathleen Franzen, president

To learn more, visit: http://theinspireproject.org

To participate, order a kit at: http://theinspireproject.org/index.php?page=order_vlf_receiver_kits

To stay up-to-date on this project:
• connect with facebook.com/pages/The-Inspire-Project-Inc/103161976385633

Mentoring and inquirY using NASA Data for Atmospheric and earth science for Teachers and Amateurs (MY NASA DATA) is a project to enable K-12 teachers and students, as well as citizen scientists, to explore the large volumes of data that NASA collects about the Earth from space. A main goal of the MY NASA DATA project is to remove the barriers (such as file size and format, and complicated computer tools) that prevent the use of authentic NASA Earth System Science data in the classroom or by the interested public.

Students use scientific inquiry and math skills as they access and display microsets of the Earth System. A microset is a small amount of data – perhaps a single parameter for the whole globe; or a time series for a single location – extracted from a much larger data file. It is in a simple format, such as plain text, or accessible through a user-friendly tool. In addition to the microsets, the MY NASA DATA website offers a collection of lesson plans to help you get started with data exploration.

How to participate:
* Use the Live Access Server to discover data to help teach concepts in your curriculum
* Contribute a lesson plan you develop or submit student projects
* Interact in the e-Mentor network
* Give feedback on the website, lesson plans, data microsets and tools

Project owners + coordinators:
Dr. Lin Chambers, principal investigator
Carrie Phelps, web developer
Penny Oots, database administrator
Susan Moore, education specialist
Erica Alston, curriculum developer
Joyce Fischer, administrative assistant
Dennis Diones, web developer

To learn more, visit: http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov

Photo via Steve Wilhelm

Open to all ages and free to attend, the Telescope Makers’ Workshop is an all-volunteer group committed to helping people build their own telescopes. Bring your interest and curiosity, and they’ll provide knowledge, enthusiasm, and advice to help you complete your telescope-making projects. No experience necessary.

You will be expected to buy your own materials, including a mirror blank, a grinding tool, a rinse bucket, a spray bottle and paper towels. The workshop carries a small stock of mirror kits for sale at cost, and we can provide you with the names of other sources. The typical 8”-diameter telescope mirror blank and tool cost under $150. A completed 8” telescope on a wooden Dobsonian mount can be built for under $300, compared to $400 – $900 for a commercially-made one.

The Telescope Makers’ Workshop is held every Friday night from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., excluding major holidays that fall on Fridays. The Workshop is always closed on Memorial Day Weekend. Attendance every Friday night is not mandatory, and members work at their own pace. The Workshop meets in its new quarters in California at the new Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland.

Project owners + coordinators:
Richard Ozer

To learn more and participate, visit: http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/telescopeworkshop.asp

NASA and Arizona State University’s Mars Education Program is offering students in the U.S. the opportunity to be involved in authentic Mars research by participating in the Mars Student Imaging Project (MSIP). Teams of students in grades 5 through college sophomore level will have the opportunity to work with scientists, mission planners and educators on the THEMIS team at ASU’s Mars Space Flight Facility or via distance learning, to image a site on Mars using the THEMIS visible wavelength camera onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft which is currently orbiting Mars every 2 hours. To get involved, students must have an adult facilitator to lead their team of at least 8 students.

In order to accommodate the needs of classrooms across the nation, there are 3 ways in which to participate in MSIP: On-Site Format, Distance Learning Format, and Archived-Data Format.

Project owners + coordinators:
MSIP team
Sheri Klug, director
Paige Valderrama Graff, assistant director
Brian Grigsby, assistant director
Laurie Rogers, MSIP instructor
Wendy Taylor, MSIP instructor
Meg Hufford, support staff

To participate, visit: http://msip.asu.edu/gettingstarted.html

A NASA education program that provides unique, high quality photographs of our planet taken by middle school students. Using the web to direct a digital camera on space flights and the International Space Station, select middle schools request images based upon their classroom investigations. Teachers, school administrators, and other youth organization leaders are allowed to sign up for ISS EarthKAM with their group of students.

The program enables students, teachers and the public to learn about Earth from the unique perspective of space. The image collection and accompanying learning guides and activities are extraordinary resources to support classes in Earth science, space science, geography, social studies, mathematics, communications and even art. Since the program’s inception in 1996, the ISS EarthKAM camera has flown on five Space Shuttle flights and taken almost 5000 images. Currently, the camera resides on the International Space Station.

Project owners + coordinators:
Karen Flammer, advisor
Liz Kain, curator

To learn more and register to participate as an educator, visit: http://earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/educators/registration.shtml

This project was designed to encourage students, families and interested citizens to record observations of the quality of their nighttime sky (including specific constellations – Cygnus in the Northern Hemisphere, Sagittarius in the Southern Hemisphere) and share that data with others via the GWWSC website. Interested individuals have the opportunity to get involved by making observations, and collecting and reporting data.

The GWWSC is a useful project for teaching about the impact of artificial lighting on local environments and in raising awareness about the ongoing loss of people’s ability to study or simply enjoy the night sky in many parts of the world. Students can explore the different light sources in their community learning the relationship between science, technology and their society, as well as investigate the economic and environmental impacts of light on a local and global scale.

Participation in GWWSC is open to anyone, anywhere, who can go outside in the early evening
and look upwards. There are five simple steps to follow:

1. Determine which constellation to observe
2. Find that constellation about an hour after sunset
3. Match the nighttime sky with one of seven magnitude charts
4. Report observations using a simple online form
5. View the results

In 2009, GWWSC (October 9-23, 2009) will participate in “Dark Skies are a Universal
Resource,” one of seven primary US themes being developed for the International Year of
Astronomy (IYA) in 2009.

Project owners + coordinators:
starcount_info@ucar.edu

To learn more and participate, visit: http://windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/index.html

To stay up-to-date on this project:
• subscribe to mailman.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/starcount

Photo via SEDS

An educational satellite project involving student members from over 16 different nations and 5 continents. SEDSAT-2 stands for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Satellite-2. The mission is to build a remote-sensing CubeSat using international collaboration.

Initiated in late 2006 the project is scheduled for final integration by mid 2010. The project is currently in the beginnings of the design phase, evaluating different approaches and technical implementations.

The vision is not only to design and launch a picosatellite but also to provide the participant with a valuable learning experience, bringing together people from different continents and different backgrounds to achieve a common goal.

The payload team is currently looking for 2-3 individuals who are interested in contributing to the development and construction of the SEDSAT-II payload system. This will involve creating hardware and software for an embedded platform that must be designed to be robust enough to operate reliably in the harsh conditions of outer space. Additional volunteers and sponsors (e.g. a student willing to participate or a professional interested in becoming an adviser) are also welcome to participate.

Project owners + coordinators:
SEDSAT-2 core committee

To learn more, visit: http://sedsat2.seds.org

To participate, apply for consideration at: http://wiki.seds.org/index.php/SEDSAT-2_Team_Application

To stay up-to-date on this project:
• explore wiki.seds.org/index.php/SEDSAT-2