The project "Microetching of the Human Brain" endeavors to create the most comprehensive illustration of the human brain that has ever existed. Investigators will utilize reflective microetching, a process combining mathematics and optics to create an art piece that evolves based on the position of the viewer. Microetching allows the depiction of very complex brain activity at incredibly fine detail. The final piece will be a wall-sized piece of fine art experienced by a diverse population of thousands daily at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Additionally, this project is an educational opportunity for undergraduate students through direct involvement in the creation of the piece. As this project spans many scientific and artistic disciplines, students will be given an opportunity to learn about fields apart from their own, to broaden their skill set, and to learn how to communicate scientific concepts effectively. This project is a collaboration between neuroscientists, engineers, physicists, and artists to address the question of whether art can be used in the dissemination of scientific understanding to new audiences in a way that gives a visceral sense of the underlying concepts. The human brain is massively complex and challenging to portray clearly. Conveying a sense of its complexity through art may inspire an interest in the brain's scientific content and inspire a new generation of neuroscientists. To produce a piece of fine art capable of sufficient detail to depict the brain at near full complexity, the piece will be executed by a technique called reflective microetching. Microetching is a high-resolution lithographic process that patterns a microtopography of periodic ridges into the surface. These ridges are engineered to reflect a point-source illumination toward a viewer when standing at a specific angle relative to the painting. Similar to darkfield microscopy, this can yield incredibly fine detail. Additionally, the angular dependence of the light adds an extra dimension that can be used to convey time, depth, or motion as the viewer walks past. The piece will feature neurons, glia, vasculature, white and gray matter, and reflectively animated circuit dynamics between areas of the brain corresponding to neural processes involved in visual self-recognition. This will infuse the piece with additional meaning, as the circuits activated within viewers' brains will be the same that are depicted in the artwork.
Virtual Missions and Exoplanets (vMAX) will develop and test a three-dimensional, virtual world environment that will engage middle school students and educators from high-poverty schools in NASA-related exoplanet mission simulations. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science will serve as the lead institution, in partnership with the following institutions: U.S. Space and Rocket Center, New York Hall of Science, Chabot Space & Science Center, and Sci-Port: Louisiana¹s Science Center; Aimee Weber Studios will be responsible for virtual exhibit fabrication, and WestEd will serve as the project¹s formative and summative evaluator. The overall goal of the project is to create a NASA resource on exoplanet astronomy that will engage students, educators, and the general public in NASA¹s search for worlds beyond our own. The project aims to increase underserved students¹ engagement in STEM, knowledge of exoplanet missions, and awareness of NASA-related careers; and advance the growing body of knowledge on the use of virtual world technologies to provide opportunities for students to participate in NASA Mission-related science teaching and learning. The project will result in the development of vMAX world, a virtual world with simulations related to exoplanet astronomy designed for use as the core content of a 30-hour out-of-school learning experience for middle school students. An Educator Implementation Guide will be developed and made available online for download by secondary school teachers and science museum educators. In addition, an interactive, multiuser exhibit kiosk, utilizing the simulations created for vMAX world, will be developed and made available to interested Visitor Centers, museums and planetariums.
STEMtastic: NASA in Our Community is a two-year project designed to educate and inspire teachers, students and life-long learners to embrace NASA STEM content. The project will increase awareness of NASA activities, while educating and inspiring students to train for careers that are critical to future economic growth of the country in general, and NASA’s future missions in particular. The Virginia Air & Space Center (VASC) will partner with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. to accomplish this project. VASC will deliver NASA STEM content through (1) STEMtastic Teacher Institutes and Education Modules: (a) a series of two five-day professional development institutes for educators which will result in the (b) development and dissemination of new education modules for grades 4-9; and (2) STEMtastic Exhibits and Demonstrations: new interactive exhibits to used for live demonstrations at VASC; those demonstrations will also be delivered to traditionally underserved schools in the region. All classroom and teaching materials—educator institutes, education modules, exhibit software and demonstration modules—will be developed using NASA content and shared with other institutions to promote the expansion of knowledge about best practices in providing STEM education in both formal and informal education settings. STEMevals, a robust evaluation plan, will be implemented to assess success in each project area. Adjustments will be made along the pipeline to increase effectiveness in reaching the target audience. The project has the potential to reach countless educators, students and museum visitors throughout the U.S."
Pipeline for Remote Sensing Education and Application (PRSEA), will increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of remote sensing technologies and associated disciplines, and their relevance to NASA, through a combination of activities that build a “pipeline” to STEM and remote sensing careers, for a continuum of audiences from third grade through adulthood. This program will be led by Pacific Science Center. The first objective is to engage 50 teens from groups underrepresented in STEM fields in a four-year career ladder program; participants will increase knowledge and understanding of remote sensing as well as educational pathways that lead to careers in remote sensing fields at NASA and other relevant organizations. The second objective is to serve 2,000 children in grades 3-5, in a remote sensing-based out-of school time outreach program that will increase the participant’s content knowledge of remote sensing concepts and applications and awareness and interest in remote sensing disciplines. PRSEA’s third objective is to engage 180 youth, grades 6-8, in remote sensing-themed summer intensive programs through which youth will increase knowledge of remote sensing concepts and applications and increase awareness and interest in educational and career pathways associated with remote sensing and NASA’s role in this field. The final objective is to engage 10,000 visitors of all ages with a remote sensing-themed Discovery Cart on Pacific Science Center’s exhibit floor. By engaging in cart activities, we anticipate visitors will increase their level of awareness and interest in the topic of remote sensing and NASA’s role in contributing to this field.
Girlstart will implement a comprehensive suite of informal STEM education programs that directly reach 2,500 4th-8th grade girls and their parents. This project will increase interest in and understanding of STEM disciplines by inspiring and engaging girls and their parents; it will establish linkages between formal and informal STEM education; and it will stimulate parents to support girls’ STEM learning endeavors by becoming informed proponents for high-quality STEM education. Over the course of 48 months—from fall 2012 to fall 2016—Girlstart seeks to develop new, robust, NASA-rich curriculum for its nationally-replicated Girlstart Summer Camp program, as well as year-long curriculum for its recognized Girlstart After School program. Curricula will be prepared for a range of ages and abilities and include links to electives, higher education majors, and careers. Girlstart will also conduct public and community STEM education programs throughout the region in NASA content areas. In addition, Girlstart will develop relevant, hands-on exhibits at the Girlstart STEM Center in Austin, Texas. Through this project, Girlstart will: (1) Increase facility and mastery in STEM skills. (2) Increase participants’ interest in pursuing STEM subjects and careers. (3) Increase participants’ understanding and mastery of the scientific method and the engineering design process as systems for problem solving and scientific discovery. (4) Increase participants’ understanding that there are multiple applications of STEM in everyday life. (5) Increase participants’ understanding of higher education as key to expanding career options. (6) Increase participants’ confidence and interest in conducting STEM activities. (7) Increase participants’ awareness of STEM careers.
Exoplanets Exploration is an interactive exhibition to explore exoplanets for the primary audience of students grades 5th through 12th with a secondary audience of younger children and adults. The exhibition is located in the astronomy wing of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (Dayton, Ohio). The project goals are to provide a STEM base for visitors from which to explore exoplanet discoveries; for them to have a basic understanding of exoplanet missions, instruments used in the discoveries, and the science knowledge necessary to understand the discoveries; to learn about the exoplanet discoveries through hands-on tactile, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic interactive exhibition components; and to challenge visitors to contemplate the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. Aspects of the exhibition are integrated into space-related programming by linking to school visits, Distance Learning programs, summer Discovery Camps, FIRST LEGO league, and homeschool programming. Components of the exhibition addresse relevant Ohio Academic Content Standards for Earth and Space Science and will evolve to incorporate new Next Generation Science Standards. With the STEM career information presented along with scientific learning, students will be able to visualize the possibilities that NASA and space science represents.
Engineering for Space Exploration will comprise three major sections of Journey to Space, a 12,000 square foot traveling exhibition about crewed space exploration for families and adults that will travel to more than nine large science centers and museums across North America over 6-1/2 years. The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will develop and circulate the exhibition in collaboration with the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Museum of Science in Boston, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. SMM will also collaborate with NASA visitor centers such as the US Space & Rocket Center. The project will develop compelling exhibit experiences that make personal connections to space exploration for a large audience and help them understand the nature of space and the engineering development that is needed to support and sustain humans in exploring space beyond low earth orbit.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Eric Jolly
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Engage and Equip to Empower: Building a S-STEM Generation (E³) is a two-part program that seeks to educate the public about living, working, and doing science aboard the International Space Station and to provide professional development in STEM for formal and informal educators. Working with Science Museum of Minnesota, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will create a new interactive exhibition, Space Station: Science in Orbit, that will give more than 500,000 annual museum visitors an immersive experience of what daily and professional life is like aboard the ISS, and how the ISS is supported by NASA back on earth, using the real voices of astronauts and engineers. In addition, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will host STEMcon, an annual four-day STEM professional development program for educators, focused on best practices and innovation in hands-on, experiential STEM learning. Funds from this award will be used to provide tuition and travel to 70 educators per year for four years from the five-state service area of Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center aims to recruit at least 40% of these educators from underserved/underprivileged schools. Both elements of the program seek to improve public knowledge of NASA’s work in science research and human spaceflight, as well as inform the public about the myriad careers involved in NASA missions. STEMcon aims to foster communication and teamwork between formal and informal educators across the country, while informing educators of resources that are available for curriculum development or classroom use.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (Museum) is creating Curious Scientific Investigator (CSI): Beyond Spaceship Earth, a project geared towards immersing children and families in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, which will be launched in 2016.
As the lead institution, the Museum is partnering with NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Purdue University, and SpaceX to implement the project in Indianapolis.
CSI: Beyond Spaceship Earth will introduce children and families to the science of human space exploration in the 21st century. Through an array of informal learning experiences aimed at promoting STEM concepts and NASA’s educational outcomes the project will pursue the following objectives:
Immerse visitors in the ISS and laboratory environments;
Provide an environment to allow performing and manipulating experiments to understand the importance of NASA’s research and exploration; and
Engage in real-life and simulated experiences, including interactions with university students studying STEM disciplines, which encourage children and youth to explore STEM skills and careers through NASA’s research and exploration.
The Museum has designed an immersive International Space Station-themed exhibit along with contextual and authentic activities for children and families, with production set to begin in late 2015. Museum teams are currently completing front-end research, prototyping and exhibit design. Leveraging family and informal learning expertise and incorporating the experiences of real astronauts, this project will support understanding of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) research and operations. This exhibit will also promote interest, engagement, and awareness of NASA’s achievements in space exploration and how these benefit life on Earth.
The goal of this project is to advance STEM education in Hawaii by creating a series of educational products, based on NASA Earth Systems Science, for students (grades 3-5) and general public. Bishop Museum (Honolulu HI) is the lead institution. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is the primary NASA center involved in the project. Partners include Hawaii Department of Education and a volunteer advisory board. The evaluation team includes Doris Ash Associates (UC Santa Cruz) and Wendy Meluch of Visitor Studies Inc. Key to this project: the NASA STEM Cohort, a team of six current classroom teachers whom the Museum will hire. The cohort will not only develop curricula on NASA earth science systems but also provide guidance to Bishop Museum on creating museum educational programming that best meets the needs of teachers and students. The overall goal of Celestial Islands is to advance STEM education in Hawaii through the use of NASA Earth Science Systems content. Products include: 1) combined digital planetarium/Science on a Sphere® program; 2) traveling version of that program, using a digital planetarium and Magic Planet; 3) curricula; 4) new exhibit at Bishop Museum on NASA ESS; 5) 24 teacher workshops to distribute curricula; 6) 12 community science events. The project's target audience is teachers and students in grades 3-5. Secondary audiences include families and other members of the general public. A total of 545,000 people will be served, including at least 44,000 students.
Bridging Earth and Mars (BEAM): Engineering Robots to Explore the Red Planet engages the general public and K-8 students in exhibits and programs designed to foster awareness of robotic technology, computer programming, and the challenges and opportunities inherent in NASA missions and S-STEM careers. The Saint Louis Science Center (SLSC) of St. Louis, Missouri is the lead institution and project site; partners include Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, the St. Louis regional FIRST Robotics organization, and the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis. Project goals are to: 1) inform, engage, and inspire the public to appreciate NASA’s Mission by sharing findings and information about NASA’s missions to Mars; 2) ignite interest in S-STEM topics and careers for diverse K-8 students; and, 3) encourage students in grades 6-8 to sustain participation in educational experiences along the S-STEM careers pipeline. The SLSC will design and build a Martian surface and panorama where two rovers can be remotely controlled. Visitors in the McDonnell Planetarium will use controllers to program rover exploration of the Martian landscape in real-time. Visitors in SLSC’s Cyberville gallery, located one-quarter mile away across a highway-spanning enclosed bridge, will program the second rover with simulated time lag and view its movements via a two-way camera system. SLSC will organize and host a series of Innovation Workshops for K-8 students, each featuring teamwork-building engineering challenges from current and updated NASA-based science curricula. Participants will be recruited from SLSC community partners, which include community centers and faith-based programs for underserved families.
The Mars Exploration Exhibit is a new public exhibition designed to provide experiential learning opportunities for students, educators and the public while inspiring greater excitement about space science. The exhibit emphasizes the importance of STEM education and careers through practical application and inquiry-based learning. Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of Johnson Space Center, is creating the new Mars landscape simulation in partnership with the Houston Independent School District and University of Houston Clear Lake. The exhibit will offer interactive science education activities that will be delivered through distance learning and onsite instruction at Space Center Houston. Utilizing research-based practices in both formal and informal learning environments, the project will help to attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It will also foster life-long learning and enthusiasm toward the promise of space science and innovation. This unique exhibit will enable students and Space Center Houston’s more than 800,000 annual visitors to increase their knowledge of Earth science and apply their learning to the Mars environment. The exhibit will also highlight the role NASA missions serve in scientific innovation. The project will build the capacity of the Greater Houston community and school-based organizations to engage girls, minorities and other underrepresented students in STEM learning. It will offer in-depth science education for low-performing and gifted/talented students, ultimately bridging achievement gaps, increasing student performance and cultivating greater interest in science. Project outcomes will include: a 1,500-square-foot Mars landscape exhibition; interactive video presentations highlighting water recovery and other environmental processes; a standards-based learning curriculum aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS ) and National Science Standards; and a menu of K-12 experiential learning activities focused on water, air, renewable energy and other critical science topics.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Janet BrownMelanie JohnsonPaul SpanaMeg Naumann