Sample Ideas for Space Scientists in Support of Education and Public Outreach
1. INVOLVING SPACE SCIENTISTS
a. Serve on the Education advisory committees of research funding organizations or professional societies and press for incentives that facilitate the enhanced participation of the space science community in K-13 education as well as in broader public education activities.
b. Organize and promote special sessions on education at scientific meetings. Advocate enhanced participation of the research community in education.
c. Attend or sponsor research team members to attend workshops at professional meetings on education reform, effective educational outreach, and partnering with both K- 13 teachers and others involved in the broader aspects of educating the public.
d. Encourage educational outreach as a valued service in support of promotion decisions. Designate individuals in science departments or research groups who can act as a point of contact for science teachers.
e. Develop and disseminate proposal ideas for federal grant programs that promote researcher involvement in education.
f. Sponsor talks on space science education as a part of an existing science colloquium series or partner with other disciplines to establish a new colloquium series on science education.
g. Sponsor a seminar on effective public speaking for interested research staff.
h. Allow the members (including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) of research groups or organizations to spend up to ten percent of their time on educational outreach that has been demonstrated to be valuable.
i. Provide members of research teams interested in educational outreach with proven guidebooks for effective and relevant hands-on activities that relate space science to contemporary science curricula.
j. Provide members of research groups as subject matter experts to existing minority-targeted educational outreach efforts in local areas.
k. Support the scientific research of graduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in education.
l. Sponsor a workshop on teaching for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows or set up a high school teacher certification program for science graduate students who want to teach and yet maintain summer involvement in research.
m. Organize connections between K-13 students and University science students for the purpose of judging science fairs and providing support to students doing science fair projects.
n. Sponsor a discipline-focused summer workshop with special emphasis on attracting faculty and students who are underrepresented in space science fields.
o. Hire an Education graduate student (or other educator linked to science and mathematics education reform) who has substantial undergraduate science training to cultivate improved lines of communication with the educational community, to generate creative ideas and evaluate educational outreach efforts.
p. Serve as a science advisor to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, or Tribal Colleges to assist in strengthening their science infrastructure and broadening their faculties' and students' scientific capabilities.
2. PARTNERSHIPS WITH EDUCATORS
a. Participate as a presenter or exhibitor at regional and national meetings of the National Science Teachers Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, International Technology Education Association, and other professional societies of science, technology, and mathematics educators.
b. Work with local people who have expertise in science education to carry out pre-service and/or in-service teacher workshops that include meaningful hands-on activities, updates on the latest space science results, and identification of fundamental scientific concepts.
c. Help teachers obtain up-to-date educational materials (slides, posters, lithographs, etc.) related to space science.
d. Provide extended internships and mentorships for teachers at research institutions. Be sure these teachers have a plan for conveying their experience to colleagues as well as to students.
e. Establish an ongoing one-on-one partnership with a K-13 teacher to enrich the school science and technology curriculum through current science information, and to help implement modern hands-on curricula consistent with science, technology and mathematics education reform (which teaches students the process and experience of science by placing them in the roles of scientists, explorers and discoverers).
f. Serve as a role model for a teacher's students, especially in ways that counter common stereotypes or misconceptions.
g. Offer Internet access and training to pre-service and in-service teachers.
h. Develop improved science courses or curriculum content for the pre-service teachers on University and College campuses. Generally, work to explore innovative teaching strategies for introductory college courses related to space science.
i. Conduct on-line computer conferences on NASA Spacelink, the Agency's computer information system for electronic dissemination of educational materials.
3. K-13 CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT
a. Partner with an education specialist to develop and implement hands-on activities for students and teachers that use the resources of individual institutions to supply equipment and facilities not available in schools.
b. Work with a Space Grant College or local science museum to set up a teacher resource center or lending library for teachers in the local school district. Activities could include provision of written and audio-visual materials related to space science and special equipment (e.g., small telescopes, computer software, liquid Nitrogen, etc.) that are difficult for teachers to obtain for demonstrations and hands-on activities.
c. Partner with an education specialist to develop a captioned slide set or video (including suggested hands-on activities) related to a particular area of research and appropriate to the intellectual level and content of modern K-13 science curricula.
d. Author and/or review curriculum enhancement products to be distributed by NASA.
e. Contribute exciting and educationally oriented space science updates to an appropriate Internet/World Wide Web delivery site.
f. Become a science consultant for science education reform efforts on the state or local level by offering to work with district science supervisors or with state science curriculum supervisors.
g. Work with other University departments to put on Saturday science programs for specific target populations.
4. PARTNERSHIPS WITH INFORMAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
a. Participate as a presenter or exhibitor at national meetings of the International Planetarium Society, the Association of Science - Technology Centers, and other professional societies devoted to informal science education.
b. Serve on the advisory board of a local planetarium or science/technology museum.
c. Provide up-to-date space science data and science/technology expertise to informal education institutions developing interactive educational displays and computer programs that translate the data into useful learning contexts and formats for schools and the general public.
d. Serve as author or reviewer of educational products and exhibits to be distributed and displayed by educational radio or television (including local cable channels), planetariums, science museums, publishing companies, popular magazines, or the news media.
e. Provide special sessions or workshops for the staff of local planetariums, science museums, state and national parks, news media (e.g., science and education reporters, editors, and producers) to update them on space science research.
f. Work with a local amateur astronomy group or planetarium to offer Star Parties or wilderness experiences in astronomy for the general public or for specifically targeted groups (such as inner city students and teachers, scouting organizations or the Civil Air Patrol).
g. Develop and teach a space science-related course (e.g., star gazing or telescope building) in the educational program of a local planetarium, science museum, or scouting organization.
5. PUBLIC OUTREACH
a. Sponsor a Space Science Day for community college and other small college science teachers.
b. Seek opportunities for stimulating presentations on space science to non-technical community service organizations.
c. Participate in public colloquia sponsored by planetariums or science museums.
d. Participate in radio and television programs and talk shows.
e. Develop working relationships with and act as science consultants for science and education reporters and editors for print media.
f. Seek opportunities to present science education programs at regional and state fairs.
g. Write space science articles for the science sections of newspapers.
h. Write space science articles for magazines like Astronomy, Scientific American, and Sky and Telescope.
i. Contribute to or write tradebooks about space science.