SEPTEMBER 2026
NETWORK NEWS
ASTC Conference
We are looking forward to seeing many NISE Network partners at the upcoming ASTC conference in Phoenix this September. We are planning a booth, sessions, and a networking event. Check out our list of NISE Network events at the conference:
nisenet.org/astc2026
NISE Network Networking Event
Please join fellow NISE Network members as we gather together informally. All are welcome! No need to RSVP:
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
5pm - 7pm Arizona time
Arizona Wilderness DTPHX Beer Garden
201 E Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ
Food and drinks available for purchase
We plan to be outside under the shade structure
15 minute walk from the Phoenix Convention Center
learn more
UPCOMING EVENTS
Online Workshops
The NISE Network hosts free online workshops as professional development opportunities for our partners to share with and learn from each other. Online workshops take place on select Tuesdays at 2pm-3pm Eastern. View upcoming online workshops at nisenet.org/events
• Inspiring Ideas for Interpreting Scientific Data with Artwork
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
2-3pm Eastern
Learn more and register
FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE
America at 250 Resources
As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, there are many opportunities for us all to be involved. The NISE Network has created a compilation of resources emphasizing connections to STEM learning and engagement.
nisenet.org/America250
Artemis Moon Joy
Looking for ways to keep that Moon joy feeling going? Check out these
Moon activities and resources
Roman Space Telescope Resources
Celebrate the successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
nisenet.org/roman
Online Workshop Recordings:
• Ready for Roman -
Resources for Celebrating the Launch of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (recorded 8-11-26)
Learn more
• Practical Approaches to Immersive Digital Experiences in Museums (recorded 7-21-26)
Learn more
• America at 250 - Just in time resources you can use at science centers and children's museums (recorded 6-9-26)
Learn more
• Library Collaborations to Engage Local Public Audiences
(recorded 5-19-26)
Learn more
• Finding and Collaborating with NASA Experts - Solar System Ambassadors and Night Sky Network
(recorded 4-14-26)
Learn more
• More online workshop recordings
Looking for an easy way to discover resources on the nisenet.org website?
Check out our “Browse by Themes and Topics,” featuring curated collections of hands-on activities and resources by themes and STEM topics:
nisenet.org/browse-topic
PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS
An Astronaut Walks Into the Symphony -
Keeping up with Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York
Trying to keep up with all the amazing programming coming out of the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) in Rochester, New York, is quite challenging. A recognized leader in immersive experiences, RMSC strives to create a better world through inspiring curiosity, exploration and engagement across history, science, culture and the natural world. Today, almost 115 years since inception, RMSC continues to raise the bar and push the limits of creativity and innovation to bring its community unique, out-of-this-world STEM experiences. Here is just a glimpse of the past year (August 2025-August 2026), featuring only some of the RMSC programs focusing on space.
Learn more
COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
International Observe the Moon Night 2026
Save-the-date for this year’s event taking place on Saturday, September 19.
• Learn more
• Moon activities and resources
Solar Storms
Planetarium & IMAX Show
To celebrate the NASA STEREO mission’s 20th anniversary this fall, NASA is encouraging planetariums and IMAX theaters to show the 20-minute Solar Storms. NASA is offering virtual or in-person subject matter experts and STEREO posters and 3D glasses. Contact [email protected] for details.
International Day of Scientific Culture, September 28
This celebration aims to highlight the importance of scientific culture in today's world; and celebrate activities and institutions that provide spaces for people to make science a relevant part of their lives.
• Learn more
Polar STEAM Summit,
October 1-3, Corvallis, OR
Where polar science, art, and education intersect and curiosity comes to life. Collaborate with educators, researchers, and artists to expand your toolkit and build lasting professional connections.
• Learn more
CAMZIE - a new community for informal educators
The Community of Aquarium, Museum, Zoo, and Informal Educators (CAMZIE) is a new community designed for those engaging in informal education with the public. Membership is free.
Learn more
NanoLab exhibit is looking for a new home
NanoLab explores how nanoscientists use special devices and laboratories to build and manipulate materials on the nanoscale. Visitors can dress up like a scientist, play with interactive exhibits, examine clothing and objects used in real labs, watch a video on nanoscale research, and explore the resource area for materials on nanotechnology and the basics of nanoscale science.
• Description and details
• More photos
• If you are interested, please contact Christina Leavell, NISE Network Community Manager Contact us
Interested in one of our exhibitions?
Join the waiting list!
If you are interested in hosting the Nano exhibition or the Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition, please reach out to Christina Leavell, NISE Network Community Manager, to be added to a waiting list.
Contact us
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
SCIENCE FUN NEWS
The Ig Nobels are a good-natured parody of the Nobel Prizes; they honor "achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think." This year’s award winners include an economics prize for research showing that wealthier people are more likely to take candy from a bowl meant for children; an olfaction prize for research finding that babies smell wonderful to their parents, but teenagers do not; and a physics prize for a splash-proof urinal.
Learn more
HEALTH NEWS
Dolly Parton’s life included a dedication to philanthropy and science. She helped to fund Moderna’s early-stage vaccine research and filmed herself being vaccinated to help dispel hesitancy. “Today is a sad day as we mourn an exceptional artist, a true champion of kindness, and ambassador of science and public health,” says Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
NEUROSCIENCE NEWS
A recent study has found that wildfire smoke can harm brain health with the smoke triggering inflammation in the brain and damaging neurons.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Brain and neuroscience resources
HEALTH NEWS
A company in Kentucky is growing a specific species of mosquito that carry a naturally occurring bacteria called Wolbachia, and shipping them to mosquito control districts across the country. The World Mosquito Program is using similar methods in 16 countries, including Brazil, where it produces 110 million Wolbachia mosquitoes each week. Some communities there have seen dengue cases fall by 89 percent.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Should We Engineer the Mosquito? Forum
• Building with Biology resources
GENETICS NEWS
Scientists have built SpudCell, a cell-like system constructed entirely from known chemical components that can perform a complete cell cycle. SpudCell is able to grow, replicate its genome, divide, and undergo selection and competition across multiple generations.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
SPACE NEWS
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched successfully and is now headed to its observation orbit. The telescope has a field of view 100 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope and is capable of capturing much more detail in a single glimpse.
Learn more
Stay tuned for news along the way
NASA's Roman blog posts
NISE Network resources:
• Roman Space Telescope resources
• Telescopes and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
ENGINEERING NEWS
At the second annual World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, a human-sized robot sprinted faster than any human has before, among other physical feats. However, some robots were seen crashing into barriers or falling, and others caught fire, highlighting that reliability is still an issue.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Engineering and robot resources
NANOTECHNOLOGY NEWS
Scientists have discovered that tiny, sharply curved wrinkles in graphene can alter its electrical behavior. The work points to a possible new way to control electricity in materials only a few atoms thick. Instead of changing a material by adding chemicals or combining it with something else, scientists may be able to adjust its electrical properties simply by changing its shape.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Carbon activities
QUANTUM NEWS
Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of subatomic particles like electrons, photons, and protons. In contrast to classical physics that we can observe with our senses, particles in the quantum realm have unusual behaviors. In 2025, scientists were awarded a Nobel prize for their 1985 work demonstrating quantum behavior. Scientists have built on this Nobel Prize-winning research to turn superconducting qubits into one of the most promising approaches to quantum computing.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Quantum resources
WEATHER NEWS
Wildfires can have a profound impact on society through their effects on air quality and harm to human health. Locally, wildfires can also cause water contamination, habitat loss, and property destruction. NASA visualizations reveal dramatic smoke transport.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
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: nisenet.org/seasons
Year-long 2026
FALL
SEPTEMBER
- What’s Up Skywatching Tips from NASA
- Read a New Book Month (September)
- National Workforce Development Month (September)
- National Preparedness Month (September)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15)
- Cloud Appreciation Day (September 12)
- National Coloring Day (September 14)
- International Microorganism Day (September 17)
- International Observe the Moon Night (September 19, 2026)
- National Pollution Prevention Week (P2 Week) (third week in September)
- International Coastal Cleanup Day (third Saturday in September)
- Fall Equinox (September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere)
- Solstices and equinoxes provide opportunities for planning quarterly programs related to the Earth, Sun, and Moon (astronomical seasons) or your local environment (meteorological seasons)
- NISE Network Moon resources
- NASA Space Place seasons resources
- International Day of Scientific Culture / Día Internacional de la Cultura Científica (September 28)
- Worldwide Day of Play (September 26, 2026)
- National Public Lands Day (September 26, 2026)
OCTOBER
- Campus Sustainability Month (October)
- Walk Bike & Roll to School (early October)
- Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) (October 2)
- World Space Week (October 4-10)
- Commemorates the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957
- NISE Network Explore Science: Earth & Space activities
- NISE Network astronomy resources
- Public Power Week (October 4-10)
- Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10)
- Commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871 FireNational Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- FEMA Fire Prevention
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) - World AI Week (October 5-9)
- Ada Lovelace Day (October 8)
- National Nano Day (October 9)
- National Nanotechnology Day is an annual celebration and pays homage to the nanometer scale, 10–9 meters
- NISE Network NanoDays activities and resources
- NISE Network size, scale, & measurement resources
- Metric Day (October 10)
- Indigenous Peoples' Day (October 12) - celebrate people in STEM
- Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures
- Night Sky Storytelling resources
- Indigenous Education Institute (IEI)
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES
- SACNAS – Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
- International Day of the Girl Child (October 11)
- Earth Science Week (October 11-17)
- National Fossil Day (October 14)
- Annual celebration held to highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations
- Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills (October 15)
- World CRISPR Day (October 20)
- National Chemistry Week (October 18-24)
- Mole Day (October 23) commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 1023), which is a measuring unit in chemistry
- NISE Network chemistry resources
- NISE Network National Chemistry Week resources
- Imagine a Day Without Water (October 15)
- International Archeology Day (October 17)
- Nuclear Science Week (October 19-23)
- Take Me Outside Day celebration of outdoor learning (October 21)
- Lights On Afterschool (October 22)
- National showcase for afterschool programs Afterschool Alliance resources
- World Origami Days (October 24 - November 11)
- October 24 is the birthday of Lillian Oppenheimer (1898-1992), who founded the first origami group in America; November 11 is Origami Day in Japan where the paper crane has become a symbol of peace
- Exploring the Universe: Pack a Space Telescope activity
- Nano Future Tellers activity
- NASA Origami Universe
- NASA Space Origami: Make Your Own Starshade
- Dark Matter Day (on or around October 31)
- Halloween (October 31)
NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
- ASTC List of Conferences in the Community
Learn more - ASTC Conference, September 16-19, 2026, Phoenix, AZ
Learn more - Polar STEAM Summit, October 1-3, 2026, Corvallis, OR
Learn more - Association of Children's Museums (ACM) InterActivity, May 12-14, 2027, Tulsa, OK
Learn more - National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences
Learn more