Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational UseNASA invites eligible U.S. educational institutions and museums to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and other special items offered on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.There will be a nominal shipping fee that must be paid online with a credit card. To make a request for special items online, visithttp://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/Special_Item_Request_Procedure.pdf.Questions about this opportunity should be directed toGSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NASA Wavelength Resource Simplifies Teaching About the SolsticeSolstices and equinoxes are seasonal astronomical events that foster teachable moments. The next chance to bring these natural events into your classroom is the winter solstice, coming up on Dec. 21, 2014. Unfortunately, explanations of these events often seem obscure and technical to many learners.Prepare yourself to teach about the solstice by following these step-by-step instructions to create a suntrack model customized to your location. With a simple visual representation, your learners can more easily grasp the notion of solstices and equinoxes.The resource is available athttp://nasawavelength.org/resource/nw-000-000-003-836.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NASA's ESTEEM "Ask US" Online Professional Development SeriesNASA's Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP, is sponsoring a series of Google Plus Hangout professional development events for K-12 educators. The Earth Systems, Technology and Energy Education for MUREP, or ESTEEM, team will lead the monthly sessions that will cover a variety of climate topics. This month's webinar topic is:Change Over Time: Investigate Climate Change Impacts in the Midwest -- Dec. 11, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. ESTThe National Climate Assessment, released in May of 2014, summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, touching on many disciplines: earth science, biology, human health, engineering, technology, economics and policy. Explore the document with Dr. Fred Lipschultz from the United States Global Change Research Project, and then learn about educator resources with Kristen Poppleton from the Will Steger Foundation. Discover resources that will enable you to bring this topic into classroom lessons, engage students in data collection and analysis, and share visualizations and citizen science projects. The focus this month will be on the Midwest region. Watch for additional regions of the U.S. to be featured in upcoming Ask US sessions.Certificates of professional development hours are available upon request.For more information on this event and upcoming webinar sessions, visithttps://nice.larc.nasa.gov/asknice/. Questions about this series should be sent to Bonnie Murray atbonnie.murray@nasa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional DevelopmentNASA Educator Professional Development is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.NASA Engineering Design Challenges Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 11, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore engineering design the NASA way. Learn about NASA Engineering Design Challenges that can be used to integrate the engineering design process into existing curricula.Scale of Discovery Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 12, 2014, at 4 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore the applications of scale with hands-on, standards-aligned science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities and interactive multimedia. Engage with examples from our universe as you apply scale to distance, time, size, models and more.Solar System Scale: Modeling and Kinesthetic Inquiry Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 16, 2014, at 6 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore the misconceptions about the scale of the solar system by physically creating a model of the Earth-moon system. Prediction, estimation, measuring, debate and research are featured in this lesson.Solar System and the Periodic Table Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 18, 2014, at 7 p.m. ESTParticipants will learn about our solar system and how it relates to the periodic table of elements. This standards-based workshop will teach you basic principles of what the table represents using our solar system as an exciting basis for understanding.For more information about these webinars and to register online, visithttps://paragon-tec.adobeconnect.com/admin/show-event-catalog.Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Clarence Jones atClarence.F.Jones@NASA.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pre-Proposal Teleconference for NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO)

A pre-proposal teleconference will be held to discuss NASA Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO) [Announcement Number: NNH14ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008]. The teleconference will provide an in-depth overview of the MIRO opportunity and proposal requirements. Please visit theMIRO page in NSPIRESfor information regarding this NASA opportunity.After the presentations, there will be a brief Q&A session. In order to address as many participants as possible, you are asked to limit your questions togeneral topics only. If you have a question pertaining to your specific organization or institution, it should be submitted in writing toNASAMIRO@nasaprs.com. This will give NASA the time to respond, in detail, to your individual needs. We also ask that your questions be concise and clearly stated because the call is being recorded and will be transcribed.Please note:It is strongly suggested that you read through the FAQ document, foundhereby clicking on the Frequently Asked Questions-MIRO link, prior to the teleconference. It is possible that your question(s) may have already been answered.

Also, any changes regarding this workshop will be posted on theMIRO page in NSPIRES. This is the only way to be notified of any updates, so it is very important that you check the webpage prior to the session.

Instructions on how to connect to the teleconference are listed below. The call will start on time, so everyone is encouraged to connect 10-15 minutes prior to the session to address any technical difficulties you may encounter. Upon logging in, you might be prompted to install the WebEx software before joining the online session. It should take less than 5 minutes to install the software.TO JOIN THE MIRO PRE PROPOSAL TELECONFERENCE, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH THE WEBEX AND CONFERENCE NUMBERWebEx will be used for the slide presentationonly.For audio and to participate in the Q&A session, you must use the telecon number.CONNECT TO WEBEX (for slide presentation)

Meeting Number: 994 734 5471. Go tohttps://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID=mf9fb45bd9f3645c10915aff49a53e6be.2. If requested, enter your name and email address.3. Enter the meeting password:EONSMIRO123$to join.4. Click "Join".For assistance go tohttps://nasa.webex.com/nasa/mcand on the left navigation bar, click "Support".

CONNECT TO TELECONFERENCE (for audio)

Call-in number: 1-844-467-4685Participant passcode: 5362715988This call will be recorded and transcribed. For the sake of accuracy, be sure to speak slowly and clearly, and please spell anything that might be recorded incorrectly.Cell phones are not recommended for use for this call due to the possibility of disconnection and static.If you are unable to attend, presentation slides and a written transcript of the teleconference will be posted to the NSPIRES website. Questions asked during the call will be part of the MIRO FAQ document.Any questions regarding this session should be sent toNASAMIRO@nasaprs.com.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Host a Real-Time Conversation With Crew Members Aboard the International Space StationARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contact between May 1 - Dec. 31, 2015. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS-US is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are dueDec. 15, 2014.

Using amateur radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an amateur radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crew member on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. ARISS provides experienced mentors and relies on local amateur radio volunteers to help organizations obtain the technology required to host this once in a lifetime opportunity for students.Interested parties should visithttp://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contactto obtain complete information including how the technology works, what is expected of the host organization and how to submit the proposal form.Questions about this opportunity should be emailed toariss@arrl.org.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read more:

NASA Education Express Message -- Dec. 11, 2014