NASA Science Events and Activities
Let NASA bring the universe to you!
We’re inviting every student, educator, and lifelong learner to share in the excitement of scientific discovery and space exploration through unique opportunities from NASA’s Science Activation Program – a community-based approach to connect NASA science with learners of all ages. Check out these events and activities for educators, families, and students in kindergarten and up.
Upcoming Events & Activities
Multiple Dates Through November: Artemis ROADS III Professional Development Opportunities for Formal/Informal Educators
Intended Audience: Formal and Informal Educators
Interested in engaging your students in a nationwide Moon-related NASA challenge? Want to infuse NASA science into your after-school activities? Need Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned science and engineering lesson plans?
The NASA Science Activation program’s Northwest Earth & Space Science Pathways project team invites formal and informal educators to participate in the Artemis ROADS (Rover Observation And Discoveries in Space) program, which helps learners explore Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) through hands-on activities (with lots of support for educators!).
This professional development opportunity offers flexible learning for formal and informal educators via Canvas coursework and three live sessions. Choose from various opportunities between August 24th, 2024 and November 2nd, 2024. Earn stipends, clock hours, and access to challenge materials!
![An astronaut steps down from a lunar lander onto the Moon. There is an Artemis logo on the bottom left of this image and the NASA Science Activation program’s Northwest Earth & Space Science Pathways Artemis ROADS (Rover Observation And Discoveries in Space) III National Student Challenge program logo on the right. The text below this image reads: Artemis Roads III Educator Professional Development.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/artemisroadsiii.png?w=4096&format=png)
Tuesday, September 17, 2024: Heliophysics Big Year & Math Enrichment: Solar Power and Sustainability, featuring Dr. Sten Odenwald
Intended Audience: Science & Math Educators
This webinar series for science and math educators focuses on heliophysics topics with related math problems at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school.
Topic of the Month:
The Sun is a powerful source of energy. In modern times, we now rely on the Sun to produce electricity. To make this work, we use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.
Heliophysics Concept: Sunlight is also a resource that can be used for growing plants and generating electricity. Unlike land, ocean, and atmosphere, sunlight is unlimited. (ESS3-6)
Math problems:
Beginning: Working with electrical power units.
Intermediate: Solar panels and CO2 savings
Advanced: CO2 savings with Electric Vehicles and solar homes. Using ChatGPT to solve a problem.
Time: 7 p.m. EST
It is sponsored by NASA's Heliophysics Education Activation Team. For more information, contact Dr. Hilarie Davis.
![This image from June 20, 2013, at 11:15 p.m. EDT shows the bright light of a solar flare on the left side of the sun and an eruption of solar material shooting through the sun’s atmosphere, called a prominence eruption.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/solar-power-sustainability.png?w=4096&format=png)
Tuesday, September 17th or October 22nd, 2024: Spark Curiosity with Infiniscope's Free Resources!
Target Audience: Middle & High School Educators
Infiniscope is a NASA-funded project focused on sparking curiosity, fostering exploration, and delivering digital content and tools that transform the learning experience. NGSS-Designed digital learning experiences are just the beginning. Whether you want classroom-ready content or the tools and support to build your own, we've got you covered.
If you're a middle school or high school educator, join the webinars below and discover the incredible FREE resources waiting for you at Infiniscope.org. In this guided tour, you'll learn how to: search for classroom-ready content on the website, find educator resources and detailed lesson information, enroll students in lessons and collections, sign up for future training events, access the virtual field trip creator, and get more information on our adaptive lesson builder. Learn more about Infiniscope.
![The silhouette of a person gazing up at a starry night sky in which the Milky way is visible. The text reads: Infiniscope, the future of learning online.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/stem-infiniscope-nec-2.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Saturday, September 21st, 2024: Aurorasaurus Report-A-Thon
Intended Audience: Citizen Scientists, Adult Learners, Informal Learners, Subject Matter Experts, Students
Did you see the aurora in May, August, or any other time? Gather up those photos, stories, and reports, and join Aurorasaurus on Zoom for the next Aurorasaurus Report-A-Thon!
Help gather data to advance aurora science, ask questions to experts, and hang out with a community of aurora lovers. There will be prizes (including handmade aurora altitude hats.) The program is built so that you can drop in and drop out as you are able. You do not need to have seen aurora, and there will be fun for everyone!
When: Saturday, September 21st, 1-4 p.m. EDT
![A text graphic with the Aurorasaurus logo and a photo by Christy Turner of a silhouetted woman gesturing joyfully at the Northern Lights reads: Love auroras? Report sightings and ask questions at the online Fall 2024 Aurorasaurus Report-A-Thon. Help advance aurora science! Sat. Sept. 21, 1:00-4:00 PM EDT, 5:00-8:00 PM UTC, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM PDT, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM AKDT. Register: bit.ly/reportfall24. Website: aurorasaurus.org.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/love-auroras.png?w=4096&format=png)
Wednesday, September 25th, 2024: Night Sky Network Webinar – Europa Clipper | First NASA Mission to an Ocean World with Dr. Bonnie Buratti
Intended Audience: Formal & Informal Educators, Amateur Astronomers, & Learners of All Ages
Join NASA’s Night Sky Network on Wednesday, September 25th, at 9:00 p.m. EDT with Dr. Bonnie Buratti and learn about Jupiter’s moon Europa and what NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will investigate upon arrival in 2030.
Europa is one of the four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo in 1610. It almost certainly harbors a salty ocean underneath a thick ice crust. This ocean has all the requirements for a habitable zone where primitive life could potentially thrive: liquid water, energy in the form of chemical potentials, and organic molecules. Although Europa Clipper isn’t a life-detection mission, it is NASA’s first detailed exploration of an ocean world with an overarching goal of searching for a habitable zone. It will also study the geology, interior, and composition of Europa.
When: Wednesday, September 25th, 9:00 p.m. EDT
![Artist’s rendition of the Europa Clipper probe with brown-striped Europa in the foreground and Jupiter in the far background. An image of the speaker, Dr. Bonnie Buratti, in the bottom right corner.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/europa-clipper-dr-bonnie-buratti.png?w=4096&format=png)
Monthly, Now through December: Heliophysics Big Year Webinars with NASA HEAT
Intended Audience: Formal and informal educators, science communicators, and other heliophysics enthusiasts
Once a month (usually on the first Tuesday), the Heliophysics Education Community meets online to share knowledge and opportunities. During the Heliophysics Big Year (HBY) – a global celebration of the Sun's influence on Earth and the entire solar system, beginning with the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023, continuing through the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024, and concluding with the Parker Solar Probe’s closest approach to the Sun in December, 2024 – the meetings are structured to include short presentations by subject matter experts both inside and outside NASA.
These short monthly presentations help promote the understanding of heliophysics in alignment with monthly HBY themes . Presenters and team members from the NASA Science Activation program's NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT) connect these themes with the Framework of Heliophysics Education in mind, mapping them directly to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) – a set of research-based science content standards for grades K–12.
Everyone is welcome to participate in upcoming presentations and topics on the following dates at 1 p.m. EDT:
- PASSED - 9/02/24 Environment and Sustainability – Solar Sail
- 10/15/24 Solar Cycle and Solar Max – National Solar Observatory
- 11/19/24 Bonus Science
- 12/03/24 Parker’s Perihelion
![Heliophysics Big Year logo, featuring artistic graphics showing the Sun and various planetary bodies in orbit around it.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/helio-big-year.png?w=4096&format=png)
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024: Website Accessibility Insights: A Student's Perspective
Intended Audience: College Students, Adult Learners, Formal Educators, Informal Educators, and Subject Matter Experts Interested in Web Accessibility
Join this webinar presented by the NASA Science Activation Program’s Diversability Action Group for a presentation by Jade Steele, a Sonoma State student volunteer with a certification in website accessibility. Jade will share her experience and insights from evaluating three websites—NASA’s Neurodiversity Network, the main EdEon group site, and afh.sonoma.edu—for accessibility.
This session is designed to provide valuable takeaways for anyone interested in web accessibility. Jade will present her findings over 15-20 minutes, followed by an open Q&A session where you can engage directly with her. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from a student's perspective on the importance of accessibility in web design.
The webinar is open to the public, and a recording will be shared with all registrants after the event. Don't miss this chance to listen, learn, and ask your questions about website accessibility!
When: Tuesday, October 22nd at 2 p.m. EDT
![a close-up of a young person smiling while wearing over-ear headphones. They have short, dark, wavy hair and a warm expression](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/jade-steele.png?w=4096&format=png)
On-Demand Events & Activities
Learning & Educational Activities & Resources from NASA Science
With the 2024 Back to School season upon us, we’d like to help educators launch into the school year with Learning and Educational Activities and Resources from NASA Science (LEARN Science)! Browse the grade-levels from early elementary through high school to discover awesome, ready-to-use activities and resources for educators.
![Student wearing a mask holds two electrodes in a beaker of water.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/learning-resources.png?w=4096&format=png)