NASA Invites Schools to Apply for Free Space Shuttle Artifacts

NASA invites eligible educational institutions, museums and other organizations to register, screen and request potential space shuttle artifacts. Included are small items such as astronaut helmets, gloves, and boots, and large items such as shuttle Motion Based Simulators and Crew Compartment Trainers.

NASA will retire the Space Shuttle Program at the end of 2010 and is eager to share the wonders of space exploration through donations to museum and library exhibitions. This is your opportunity to own and display Space Shuttle artifacts!

In order to receive an ID and password to access the web site, schools and universities must register using their IPED or NCES number. Information on registering and links to find the IPED and NCES numbers are available on the U.S. General Services Administration website.

The artifacts are free, but recipients must cover shipping and special handling fees.

For the latest information about NASA shuttle transition and artifacts, visit www.nasa.gov/transition.

EngineerGirl Essay Contest

Every year the National Academy of Engineering sponsors an engineering essay contest on the EngineerGirl website for students across the nation. The contest for this year is entitled “Survival Design Challenge". Students in grades 3-12 can compete for cash prizes, and we would like to get the word out to as many young people as possible!

You can find the announcement, guidelines, and related information about the contest on the EngineerGirl website: http://www.engineergirl.org/CMS/Contest.aspx

The deadline for this year is March 1, 2010.

Great News from Carolina Biological!

Have you heard the good news? You can now receive living material orders from Carolina Biological on Mondays & Tuesdays! This could make lesson planning with those critters somewhat easier to manage.
If you are ordering online (www.carolina.com/livingform), use the Notes field to enter that you want your order to arrive on Monday or Tuesday. Give the specific date as well so there is less chance of confusion.
If you order by fax or phone, simply tell the customer service representative.

They have also supplied us with a VIP phone number to avoid the automated menu you have to go through when calling. The VIP number is 866-938-5245 and will connect you directly to a customer service representative who is familiar with AMSTI orders. Way to go!!

Happy ordering!
Carrie Lin

Leonid Meteor Shower 11/17

The 2009 Leonid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17th with a sprinkling of meteors over North America and a possible outburst over Asia.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/10nov_leonids2009.htm?list1281984

Free Learning Opportunity from NSTA

FREE SciPack – The Ocean's Effect on Weather and Climate, for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

If you’d like to polish your content knowledge to help your students understand this topic correlated to state standards, take advantage of this 10-hour online learning experience. Teachers can access NSTA’s online Learning Center (open a free account) and explore concepts related to Earth’s weather and climate. The focus is on standards and benchmarks related to weather and climate, the water cycle, climate change, and the role of solar energy and its affect on the atmosphere and oceans. The unique role oceans play in defining Earth’s weather and climate patterns is also specifically addressed. In addition to comprehensive inquiry-based learning materials tied to Science Education Standards and Benchmarks, the SciPack includes the following:
Pedagogical implications addressing common misconceptions, teaching resources and strand maps linking grade-band appropriate content to standards.
Access to one-on-one support via e-mail to content “Wizards.”
Final assessment which can be used to certify mastery of the concepts.

Visit the NSTA Learning Center at http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/scipacks.aspx?lid=exp for all details.

New PBS series--Design Squad

Design Squad, PBS' engineering reality competition series, has a new Teacher's Guide. Order your free copy today!

Developed for middle school science and technology teachers, Design Squad's latest guide blends hands-on engineering challenges with 3 core science concepts:

Force - students build their own blimps

Electricity - students design electronic games

Sound - students make and play instruments

The challenges use low cost, readily available materials and are linked to national science and technology standards.

To learn more about the guide, register for the NSTA webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 4th.
For additional classroom resources from Design Squad, check out Teachers' Domain.