Earth Science Opportunity Using Data from NASA

As you may have noticed, ScienceAndKids is back online after the server and moved to our new home in St. Louis, Missouri.

A few weeks ago, I came across a NASA educational resource called MY NASA DATA (Mentoring and inquirY using NASA Data on Atmospheric and earth science for Teachers and Amateurs). Like the Mars Student Imaging Project, which I blogged about in March, MY NASA DATA allows students to use real satellite data to try and answer scientific questions. What NASA has done is publish small portions ("microsets") of data from different earth observing satellites online created teacher-directed and student-directed plans for using these real datasets to study surficial and atmospheric phenomena.

The teacher-directed portion of the site consists of lesson plans designed to use certain NASA microsets in order to answer a particular question, such as "Does cloud type affect rainfall?" or "How much water is available in the atmosphere for precipitation?" While many of the lesson plans were developed at NASA, a section of MY NASA DATA includes lesson plans submitted by other teachers. These lesson plans are reviewed either by MND or NASA's Earth Science Education wing of the Science Mission Directorate. Each lesson plan is consitstent with National Science Education Standards and Virginia Standards of Learning.

The student-directed portion of the site contains a small number of science project ideas for inquiry-based research. These projects are best described as loose guidelines for types of atmospheric observations that are important to scientists. The sites give students suggestions of ways to go about recording their atmospheric observations and comparing their observations to related NASA microsets. It appears that this section is fertile ground for science fair project ideas to grow.

I'm all in favor of giving students real data and the tools to go about answering scientific questions. If you or anyone you know has incorporated MY NASA DATA lessons into a science curriculum, I'd love to hear about it!

Technorati Tags: education, NASA, teaching

Site Outage Notice 14 August - 18 August 2007

ScienceAndKids.com will be offline for most of this week while the server and I move to the Midwest. Upon arrival, my new network configuration may necessitate some tweaks that will keep the site down beyond the 18th, but I will do my best to get it back online shortly. As always, this blog will still be up and I will read any and all comments that are left here :-)

A Very Brief Introduction to Google Earth for Educators

As promised, here is a small introduction on Google Earth directed at educators. This is intended mostly as an introduction to people who don't know what Google Earth is or what it can do for students.

Google Earth is a 3D, interactive digital globe that allows users to do everything from search for homes and businesses to find driving directions. The program is free and very easy to use.


What makes the program a valuable tool for teachers and students is the ability to add layers of data into Google Earth, or create your own. Layers can be saved as files and shared with others. Users can add placemarks, overlay more detailed maps/aerial photos onto sections of the globe in order to help students better visualize geographic features or trace the movement of people/resources geographically.

A large online community has developed around Google Earth, consisting of people who work to create interesting and useful layers of information for Google Earth. I have personally been impressed by the Google Earth Education Community, maintained by a high school teacher from Arizona. Contributors to GEEC have posted thoroughly researched and well-organized data layers on scientific topics ranging from chimpanzees at the Jane Googall Institute, real-time earthquake location data and a map of North American watersheds. My personal favorite is the extensive layer chronicling Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expeditions. This layer includes photographs taken in the field, locations of his diary entries and overlays of maps that Shackelton developed in the field or later based on his recollections of the area. Clicking on a placemark in this layer will open a pop-up window containing excerpts from Shackelton's diary and photographs taken during the expedition.

For teachers and students, Google Earth's strength is its usefulness as a tool for organizing geographic data, visualizing the locations of events and providing links to additional information. A map that pulls down in front of the chalkboard is probably still a better tool for teaching basic geography. However, at the upper primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, Google Earth gives students a different way to visualize information disseminated in the classroom and enable them to create data sets on their own.

The Links:
Google Earth

Google Earth Community (Official)

Google Earth Education Community

Technorati Tags: Antarctica, education, Google Earth, teaching

Geology Photos and Map from Ireland

After a 2 month hiatus, ScienceAndKids is back online. I was taking a geology field course in western Ireland where I learned how map the geology of different areas based on observations and measurements that I took after being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. The country itself is quite beautiful and while we had our share of the usual Irish rain, there were also many sunny days that made for very pleasant mapping.

I have posted 152 photos from field camp online and used Google Maps to build an interactive map that shows where each photo was taken based on GPS coordinates that I took in the field. The content of the photos ranges from the strictly scientific to the strictly scenic. Topics include rocks (of course), castles, caves, fossils and ancient ruins. You can view the map of photographs here.

I will try to post more information on the usefulness of Google Earth as an educational tool sometime within the next week.

Technorati Tags: geology, Ireland

Classroom Opportunity to Study Mars

During the Thursday poster session at LPSC, I learned about an educational program designed for students in grades 5 and up to early college. The Mars Student Imaging Project was created by Arizona State University with help from NASA in 2002 as a way for teams of students to participate in research being conducted by the THEMIS instrument onboard the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Basically, THEMIS is a camera that can take pictures of Mars in visible and infrared light.

Students work with scientists and mission planners to:

1. Propose a research question that relates to features on the surface of Mars
2. Use free software to identify an area on Mars for THEMIS to take a picture of
3. Analyze the THEMIS image in order to answer the research question
4. Write a report of the findings and possibly post it on the MSIP webpage.

These are the same steps that THEMIS mission planners follow when they target the camera to image Mars. Student teams can participate by either conducting research on-site at ASU, using web/teleconferences from their classrooms or by using archived data to explore their research questions.

MSIP is consistent with National Science Education Standards and can fit into an existing science curriculum or be done as part of an extra-curricular program. There is absolutely no cost to participate in MSIP and the only major requirement for participation is an internet connection at school (if a school lacks internet access, students can still participate in the program and have their results posted using archived data).

You can download a PDF file of the abstract that MSIP submitted to LPSC here.
This program sounds amazing but underexposed. If anyone has participated in or knows anyone who has participated in MSIP, I encourage you to comment below.

Is this something that could help capture the imaginations of middle schoolers and turn them on to science?

Technorati Tags: education, Mars, NASA