Oregon Space Grant STEM Resources

The Kepler Mission is set to launch in March 2009 on a search for habitable planets. The Kepler spacecraft will look at the very slight dimming of starlight as a planet passes in front of it. The spacecraft could find hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets. The following opportunities are planned for educators.

NASA Kepler Mission — A Search for Habitable Planets Workshop
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Jan. 24, 2009

Join Kepler Mission deputy principal investigator Dr. David Koch for an exciting day of science and hands-on activities for middle and high school teachers. This event will take place on Jan. 24, 2009, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dr. Koch will discuss the science behind NASA’s Kepler Mission. Each participant will receive a complete transit model that includes a LEGO orrery, a Vernier light sensor, interface and graphing software, and a lamp and light bulb. A letter verifying eight hours of professional development can be provided.

Pre-registration is required. To learn more about this workshop, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html

NASA Kepler Mission — A Search for Habitable Planets Workshop
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jan. 31, 2009

Join Kepler Mission co-investigator Dr. Nick Gautier for an exciting day of science and hands-on activities for middle and high school teachers. This event will take place on Jan. 31, 2009, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Gautier will discuss the science behind NASA’s Kepler Mission. Participants will take part in standards-based, classroom-ready activities. Each participant will receive a complete transit model that includes a LEGO orrery, a Vernier light sensor, and interface and graphing software. A letter verifying eight hours of professional development can be provided.

Pre-registration is required. To learn more about this workshop, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html

NASA Kepler Mission Videoconference
Online Professional Development, March 25, 2009

NASA’s Digital Learning Network presents a videoconference for educators to stay current on the latest developments in NASA’s Kepler Mission. The Kepler Mission will allow scientists to search the galaxy for Earth-size or smaller planets orbiting sun-like stars. With this cutting-edge capability, Kepler may help to answer one of the most enduring questions humans have asked throughout history: Are there others like us in the universe? This event will take place on March 25, 2009, from 4-5 p.m. EST.

To learn more, visit http://kepler.nasa.gov/ed/workshops.html

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