Revisiting the 1986 Teacher in Space Program

We recently listened to the One Year, which covered 1986: The Ultimate Field Trip, describing the Teacher in Space program. Announced in 1984 by President Reagan as a way to boost science education, the Teacher in Space program invited teachers to apply to become the first citizen into space. Realizing that two teachers from Wisconsin were selected, we reached out […]

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What Students Can Learn from Perseverance

“If we can do this, then where do we go from here? We’re doing the impossible, every single time we land on Mars” -Brandon Rodriguez Our exploration into distance learning takes on new meaning this week, as we discover what’s next from the Perseverance rover that recently landed on Mars. To guide us in the conversation, we welcome Brandon Rodriguez […]

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Connect Students to NASA’s #LaunchAmerica with Online Resources and Activities

Our guest this week is Kris Brown from the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA. As a NASA engineer, Kris used to work with critical hardware used on numerous shuttle missions. Now, as Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, Kris works towards creating unique opportunities for students and the public to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration […]

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Download NASA’s Earth Observatory for Kids

We recently discovered EO Kids – a web publication that brings engaging science stories from NASA’s Earth Observatory to a younger audience. Published with support from NASA’s Landsat, Terra, and Aqua missions, EO Kids provides kid-friendly content in a PDF that can be easily downloaded or printed. Each issue of EO Kids also features hands-on activities, experiments and opportunities for students to […]

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First Crew To Mars Is Likely In Middle School Right Now – Help Prepare Them With Generation Beyond

Our guest this week is former astronaut Stephen Frick, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center. Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education have partnered to launch the next phase of Generation Beyond – an initiative to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to prepare today’s middle school students for deep space […]

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Talking Movies with Andy Howell

Our guest this week is Andy Howell, scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) and Adjunct Faculty in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Besides studying supernovae and working with robotic telescopes, Andy (with James Darling) has been working on a podcast to evaluate the scientific content in movies and the portrayal of scientists in media. Called […]

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Episode 95 – Helping Students Imagine Mars

This week we talk with David Delgado, lead of the Imagine Mars project from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  The Imagine Mars Project gives students a chance to work with scientists and engineers to build and design a future human community on Mars.  Listen to learn about the project and other educational outreach opportunities from JPL. Links Jet Propulsion Laboratory Imagine […]

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Episode 85 – NASA Wavelength

http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL85.mp3 This week we learn about a new digital resource called NASA Wavelength.  Organized by topic and audience level, NASA Wavelength delivers a powerful search of Earth and space science resources funded through NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. We were able to chat about NASA Wavelength with Theresa Schwerin (Vice President, Education; Lead, NASA Earth Science Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Forum; Institute for […]

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Episode 58 – Exploring New Worlds with Kepler

http://traffic.libsyn.com/wsst/LOL58.mp3   This week we talk with Dr. Natalie Batalha, co-investigator of NASA’s Kepler Team. Dr. Batalha talks to us about her love of science (especially physics), the Kepler mission, and the discovery of planet Kepler 10b. Links: Dr. Natalie Batalha, co-investigator of the Kepler Team Dr. Natalie Batalha, San Jose State University Bay Area Native Takes Road Less Traveled […]

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Episode 29 – We’re All Stellar Corpses

http://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/LOL29.mp3   Our guest this week is Dr. Michelle Thaller.  A research scientist at the California Institute of Technology, Thaller is currently the Manager of the Education and Public Outreach program for the Spitzer Space Telescope.  Thaller talks to us about Spitzer, infrared light, and our origins in stellar corpses. Profile from Spitzer Profile from Cool Cosmos SIRTF Profile NASA […]

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Episode 3 – Steve Squyres and Roving Mars

http://media.libsyn.com/media/wsst/nsta_lol3.mp3   This week we talk with Steve Squyres, principal investigator for the science payload on the Mars Exploration Rover Project, & Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Preview from the show: We have been so incredibly lucky with this mission. I mean, to have that dead wheel, which we thought was a catastrophe at the […]

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