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Newsletter: July 2019


NETWORK NEWS


July 20th is the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing! Network Partners Join in the Celebrations

Fifty years ago on July 20, 1969, astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission stepped foot on the lunar surface capturing the imagination of the nation, and the world. Now it's time for a new generation to experience the magic of that first "one small step." Many Network partners have been preparing for the upcoming 50th anniversary by planning and hosting Moon landing celebration events. We've pulled together just a snapshot of a few partner events taking place all across the country

Photo shared online by Kingman Museum, Battle Creek, MI

 

Thank You for Submitting Your Explore Science: Earth & Space Toolkit Report 

Thanks to all NISE Network partners who submitted reports about their 2019 spring Earth and space events. The Network uses the information provided when preparing reports for NASA, our project funder, and to improve future kits, materials, and professional development opportunities. We've randomly selected two partners who submitted their toolkit reports into us on time and have awarded them a small package of additional educational materials for use with their visitors as a thank you. Special thanks to Karen Dewhirst from Creative Discovery and Kat Burkart from Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County.

If you received a toolkit and haven't submitted your event report yet, you can learn about reporting here. Or if you aren't sure if your organization reported, you can contact your regional hub leader


UPCOMING EVENTS


Registration Now Open for the 2019 Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference

The ASTC 2019 Annual Conference is being hosted by the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada from September 21-24, 2019. The NISE Network is hosting a preconference intensive workshop and invites partners to sign up to learn more about a framework for designing and facilitating hands-on informal chemistry activities that increase learners’ interest, relevance and self-efficacy. Learn more about the pre-conference workshop and other NISE Network activities at ASTC, including:

  • Exhibition booth

  • NISE Network Networking Happy Hour

  • Partner Breakfast

  • Concurrent Sessions


ONLINE WORKSHOPS


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

 

 

Learn More About the 2020 Explore Science: Earth & Space Toolkit 

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

2-3pm Eastern / 11am-12pm Pacific 

Join the NISE Network to learn more about the Earth & Space project, how your organization can get involved and receive the new 2020 toolkit. Learn more



Making Chemistry Matter to Your Public Audiences - Using Hands-on Activities to Stimulate Interest, Relevance, and Self-efficacy

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

2-3pm Eastern / 11am-12pm Pacific

Hear from project team members as they discuss Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry project research findings and a framework for designing and facilitating hands-on informal chemistry activities with public audiences, and how they might be applied to other STEM topics. Learn more


FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE


Earth & Space Science for Early Learners (Recorded)

In this online workshop we heard from some of our NISE Network partners and collaborators sharing best practices for connecting young children and their families with the excitement of Earth and space science topics, as well as key science process skills. View the recording and resources from the 6-4-2019 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: 

  • Printable take home handouts for the public
  • Night Sky Network activities and printable take home materials
  • Destination Moon poster exhibition from Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES


Broadening Perspectives on Broadening Participation in STEM: Tools for Professional Development

A new toolkit from the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education’s (CAISE’s) Broadening Participation in STEM Task Force can help informal STEM education and science communication professionals reflect on and strengthen their organizations’ efforts to broaden participation in STEM. You can use the resources to plan and lead reflective discussions about current practices, with an eye to developing goals, strategies, and priorities that can make your work more inclusive. Learn more about these resources and our upcoming hands-on workshop on 9/26 at bit.ly/broadening-perspectives.


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/
 

July

NASA's Night Sky Network - Astronomical events for July

7/20: Moon landing 50th anniversary: NISE Network list of resources available at http://www.nisenet.org/moon50.

7/22: World Brain Day 

Other special events

2019 Year-long events


SCIENCE IN THE NEWS


Science has a sustainability problem
A question academics are struggling with, even as they conduct their own research, is how do you live sustainably when the things you need to live are often, by their very nature, unsustainable?



Earth & Space News

Scientists may have just found 'table salt' in subsurface ocean of Jupiter's icy moon
Scientist consensus is that the moon is completely covered by a layer of salty liquid perhaps ten times as deep as Earth's ocean; it's one of the most promising candidates in the search for signs of extraterrestrial life in our solar system.

 

Chemistry News

Watch the American Chemical Society's Reaction video: What does the Moon smell like?
After walking on the Moon astronauts hopped back into their lunar lander, bringing Moon dust with them. They were surprised, and perplexed, to find that it smelled like spent gunpowder.

How crustacean shells could help solve the plastic waste problem
Only 10% of plastic packaging gets successfully recycled, the rest sits in landfills taking up to 450 years for some plastics to breakdown, or escapes into the environment sickening animals. Some scientists believe its possible to make bio-based plastics out of chitin, the material that makes up crustaceans' hard shells, providing many of plastics desirable properties but taking only only weeks to months to biodegrade.


Synthetic Biology News

Watch a short video by Quartz News: Will your next burger come from a lab, not a farm?
It's meat, but no animals were harmed in the making of this burger.


Nano News

Researchers use magnetically actuated microbots to deliver stem cells to tissue targets
Prior research has shown that it's possible to deliver drugs to a specific location in the human body using tiny robots injected into the bloodstream directing them to the target using external magnets. In new research, scientists have shown the same should be possible for stem cells. 


NATIONAL CONFERENCES


Visitor Studies Association (VSA) Conference

July 10-13, 2019
Detroit, Michigan

Learn more


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

August 25-29, 2019

San Diego, California
Registration now open


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

September 21-24, 2019
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Registration now open