Newsletter: May 2019

NETWORK NEWS

Earth & Space 2019 Events Across the Country

This year 350 NISE Network partners all across the country are hosting Explore Science: Earth & Space 2019 events, many of which were incorporated into Earth Day, Earth Week, and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week events. We've gathered together just a few of the many images shared by partners on social networking to highlight these creative events. 


Partners Can Now Submit Your 2019 Explore Science: Earth & Space Event Reports

The deadline to submit your report will be here soon. Partners who received the physical Explore Science: Earth & Space 2019 toolkit are required to submit an online report no later than June 15, 2019. Learn more about how to submit your report here

 

Refill Kit Shipped for Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry Kit Recipients

The NISE Network is excited to be able to support Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry physical kit recipients with additional refill materials designed to help museum and scientist partners continue to engage public audiences in hands-on activities that increase positive attitudes toward learning about chemistry. Read more about the refill kit and opportunities to use the Let's Do Chemistry kit throughout the year


NISE Network Earth & Space Partner Meeting 2019 Updates - Videos Now Available

The plenary videos from the February Earth & Space Partner Meeting are now available online; you can view all plenary videos, the meeting highlight video, meeting photos, and concurrent session slides here

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join the NISE Network at the Upcoming Association of Children's Museum (ACM) InterActivity Conference

The ACM InterActivity Conference is taking place in just a few days (May 8-11) in Denver, Colorado, and the NISE Network is hosting many activities that we welcome partners to attend. View the complete list of Network-related activities at ACM, including the Partner Breakfast and Network booth in the exhibit hall

  • Join the Network for the Partner Breakfast on Saturday, May 11, from 7:30-8:45am at the Hyatt Regency Denver (no RSVP required) to hear about current and upcoming project opportunities, as well as to reconnect with colleagues. 

ONLINE WORKSHOPS

The NISE Network runs a series of free online workshops as professional development opportunities for our partners. View upcoming online workshops at nisenet.org/events

 


Big or Small, Make Your Apollo 50th Anniversary Celebration Event a Moonshot!

Tuesday, May 14, 2019
2-3pm ET/11am-12pm PT
July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the moon and communities all across the US are celebrating this historical achievement. Join us for a sharing of Apollo related programming ideas and resources and hear from Network partners presenting about their own event plans and how they're connecting with local experts to celebrate the Apollo 50th anniversary. Come get inspired! Learn more and sign up 


Earth & Space Science for Early Learners

Tuesday, June 4, 2019
2-3pm ET/11am-12pm PT
Hear from NISE Network partners and collaborators on best practices and lessons learned for connecting young children and their families with the excitement of Earth and space science topics, as well as key science process skills. Learn more and sign up

FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE

Celebrate Earth Day with NISE Net: Activity Connections and How Visitors Can Contribute Local Environmental Observations to NASA Science (Recorded)

This online workshop provided a refresher on the many Earth and environmental connections across the NISE Network Explore Science kits, as well as provided participants the opportunity to learn about NASA visualization resources such as the GLOBE Observer app, which can help connect visitors to ongoing efforts to monitor Earth's dynamic systems. View the recording and resources from the 4-16-2019 online workshop


Stories & STEM: Explore the Power of Narrative to Engage Audiences and Enliven Hands-on Science Programs (Recorded)

During this online workshop, participants learned about the Collaborative Summer Library Program's 2019 summer learning theme: "A Universe of Stories," and other resources and projects that use story and narrative to engage participants in STEM topics. View the recording and resources from the 4-30-2019 online workshop


Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - Apollo 11

July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar mission. The NISE Network has links for your Apollo Moon Landing 50th Anniversary events. Recently added Apollo resources include:

  • Online Workshop for educators: Big or Small, Make Your Apollo 50th Anniversary Celebration Events a Moonshot! Tuesday, May 14; 2-3pm Eastern - register
  • Books: List of Moon books compiled by STARnet library project
  • Hands-on Activities: NASA eClips Guide Lites
  • Videos: NASA eClips videos

PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

Teen Cosmos Collective: Building Science Literacy and Identity Using Universe of Learning and NISE Network Tools

In the fall of 2018, the Museum of Life and Science ran a pilot afterschool program called Teen Cosmos Collective; a series aimed at building science communication skills, space content knowledge, and science literacy and identity. This 10-week program recruited and mainly engaged teens from audiences underserved by STEM programming, and was generously made possible through a mini-fund from ASTC and NASA’s Universe of Learning. Read the full Partner Highlight to learn more about the Teen Cosmos Collective experience


Celebrating NanoDays 2019 Events Across the Country

Many NISE Network partners continue to use their NanoDays kits and other resources to engage public audiences in nanoscale science and have shared images of their NanoDays 2019 events on social networking. We've gathered together just a few of the many images shared by partners highlighting these exciting 2019 events

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES

Our Driverless Futures

Interested in hosting a driverless car forum? Arizona State University Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO) is looking for an expression of interest from NISE Network partners to join a coalition of local, national and international partners to raise funds and host a community forum on automated mobility to inform policy and program development about this potential transformative technology. Interested partners can contact Mahmud Farooque, Associate Director, CSPO, for more details. 

STEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Discover activity ideas for incorporating current science, engineering, and technology content into events, special programming, holidays, and seasonal activities by visiting http://www.nisenet.org/seasons/. 



Story Time from Space - Astronauts read children's stories from the International Space Station


Women in Science

 

May

NASA's Night Sky Network - Astronomical events for May
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

5/6-5/12: Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week 

 

June

6/8: World Oceans Day

 

2019 Year-long events

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

Earth and Space News

Ring of fire: First ever black hole image released
The photo seen around the world is that of a black hole in a distant galaxy, and is three million times the size of the Earth and has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. Read more about how the image was captured

Scientists discover chunk of distant planet that could offer glimpse into future of our solar system.
The "heavy metal" composition of this planet is thought to have allowed it to survive the destruction of its planetary system, which now circles a white dwarf star closer than scientists would expect to find anything.  
Read more about how this planet may provide a hint at what will happen to our own solar system, 6 billion years from now

Looking for resources about Earth science and citizen science? Check out the NASA eClips recent newsletter


Synthetic Biology News

First U.S. patients treated with CRISPR as human gene-editing trials get underway
Check out this recent NPR story about human genome editing trials

Scientists gene-hacked lizards to make them albino
For the first time, reptiles have been gene-edited with CRISPR technology to be albino pink instead of their typical brown. 
Read more to learn how scientists used CRISPR to inject unfertilized lizard eggs


Nano News

Hairy electronic skin catches the breeze
Sensors made of hairlike pillars and graphene flakes can detect the direction and force of airflow, making flexible electronic skin more closely mimic human skin. Read more about advances in electronic skin and its applications

NATIONAL CONFERENCES

Association of Children's Museums (ACM) Interactivity 2019

May 8-11, 2019
Denver, Colorado
Read more about ACM 2019


American Alliance of Museums (AAM) 2019 Annual Meeting

May 19-22, 2019
New Orleans, Louisiana
Registration open


Visitor Studies Association (VSA) Conference

July 10-13, 2019
Detroit, MI
Learn more


American Chemical Society (ACS) 2019 Fall National Meeting & Expo

August 25-29, 2019
San Diego, California
Registration opens soon


Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference 2019

September 21-24, 2019
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Read more about ASTC 2019