Educator Professional Development Opportunities

Life in Extreme Environments Educator Conference
January 24-25, 2009, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Who: All educators (including museum staff) and students in high school or above interested in Earth and space science, and exploration. The conference content is generally non-technical but does include some detailed scientific and engineering content. The objective of the conference is to tell the exciting tale of real-life exploration and new discovery in a way that will excite and inspire students. Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a registered adult.

What: Join astrobiologists, planetary scientists and astronomers for a presentation on the latest information on our expanding understanding of the abodes of life on our planet and the prospects for the development of life elsewhere in our solar system and much farther beyond.

When: All day Saturday, January 24, and the morning of Sunday, January 25, 2009. Check-in begins at 8:00 am. On Saturday the conference will conclude by 5:00 pm. On Sunday the conference will end at noon for a total of 12 hours of professional development time.

Where: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's von Kármán Auditorium. JPL is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena. For directions please visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/maps.cfm (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/maps.cfm). Note that pre-registration is required. Walk-up registration will not be possible for this conference.

How: To register for this conference please send a check postmarked by January 16, 2009, for $40.00 payable to "Jet Propulsion Laboratory" to:

Life Educator Conference
Attn: Mary Kay Kuehn
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 180-109
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena CA 91109

Please provide the following information:

Name_______________________________
Title________________________________
Organization/School_______________________________________
Address________________________________ State___ Zip______
Citizenship_________________________ (Please bring a photo ID)
Grade(s) Taught__________________________________________
Subject(s) Taught_________________________________________
Contact info for confirmation & last minute changes:
E-mail: _____________________________
Phone: _____________________________

Please register by Friday, January 16, 2009. The $40 registration fee includes continental breakfast and breaks both days and a box lunch on Saturday. For registration questions please call the JPL Education Office at 818-393-0561. For other questions please call the JPL Educator Resource Center at 909-397-4420.

Our next conference will be during the spring semester and will feature 2009 as the "International Year of Astronomy" (http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/ (http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/)) and the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope (http://hubblesite.org/ (http://hubblesite.org/)).

Conference updates will be at: http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events/conference20090124.html (http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events/conference20090124.html)




Deep Space Mission Educator Workshops

* Kepler Pre-Launch Educator Workshop, Saturday, January 31, 2009 -- JPL, Pasadena, CA.
http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html#20090131 (http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html#20090131)

The Kepler mission is set to launch in March 2009 on a search for habitable planets. It will look at the very slight dimming of starlight as a planet passes in front of it. It could find hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets. This workshop will feature standards-based classroom-ready activities.

For more information and to register please visit: http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html#20090131 (http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html#20090131)

* Dawn Mars Flyby Educator Workshop, Saturday, March 7, 2009
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/getInvolved/mga_ed_conf.asp (http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/getInvolved/mga_ed_conf.asp)

This workshop will take place at four locations: Pasadena, California; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; and Fairmont, West Virginia.

Dawn is an ion engine-powered spacecraft in route to two main belt asteroids, Vesta and Ceres (the dwarf planet!). It uses Mars' gravity to change speed and direction during a mid-February flyby that will help speed it along to its August 2011 arrival at Vesta. We're taking this opportunity to look at the mission, its unique propulsion system, Dawn's science at Mars and the educational materials to bring this into the classroom.

For more information and to register please visit: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/getInvolved/mga_ed_conf.asp (http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/getInvolved/mga_ed_conf.asp)




Upcoming Educator Launch Conferences -- Conducted by the Endeavour Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
http://endeavours.org/sec/ (http://endeavours.org/sec/)

These educational programs are geared to K-16 educators and administrators and will provide a general introduction to the specific NASA mission and a variety of K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education workshops and specific science behind the satellites. All K-12 educators will be provided learning opportunities as well as a teacher's guide, a classroom poster and mission CD for classroom use. For more information and to register, visit http://endeavours.org/sec/ (http://endeavours.org/sec/).

* Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)
Dates TBD -- Late January
Application Deadline: Jan. 16, 2009
Originally scheduled for January 14-15, this conference has been delayed until late January. Check the Web site for updates.
OCO will provide space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and will improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the distribution of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

* NOAA-N Prime National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)
Feb. 3-4, 2009 -- Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Application Deadline: Jan. 23, 2009
NPOESS will provide data about the Earth's weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment. Participating educators are invited to watch the launch and learn about real-world Earth, atmospheric and rocket science, and NPOESS's satellite instrument technology.

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