Proposals for NASA Summer of Innovation Mini-Grants Due June 8 & 29

The National Space Grant Foundation is working with the NASA Summer of Innovation office to administer the awarding of approximately 200 mini-grants to community and school based organizations that inspire and engage middle school students in STEM disciplines during the summer or in after school programs.   NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden has identified improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning as a national need.  To that end the Summer of Innovation Project was established.

We are very pleased to invite you to participate in this opportunity.  Eligible organizations include but are not limited to Boy Scout troupes, Girl Scout troupes, YMCA programs, science centers, museums, libraries, school clubs and any other community or school based organizations.  The target audience is middle school students and/or teachers of middle school students especially those involved with underrepresented and underserved populations.

This project is designed to support student interest in STEM by strengthening the capacity of organizations or schools that inspire and engage middle school students particularly female, minority, or high poverty students and enable these previously overlooked organizations to present Summer of Innovation content and themes in an efficient and cost effective manner.

The mini-grants will be awarded at about $2,000 – $2,500 per grant.  The awarded organizations will be expected to present 6 hours of NASA STEM content to middle school students or deliver an educator workshop (for certified teachers, pre-service teachers, or informal education community) featuring NASA Summer of Innovation content or themes.    This can be done through modification of an existing event or through planning a new event.  Awards will be made in as geographically diverse manner as possible.  The time line for these activities is to be during the summer or early fall of 2012.

Complete details and the application for these grants are located at http://soi.spacegrant.org/  There will be two rounds of awards made within the next two months.  The first deadline for applications will be June 8, 2012; the second deadline is June 29, 2012.

We are looking forward to this opportunity to work with you.
Mark Fischer
Executive Director
National Space Grant Foundation
4500 Williams Drive MS 212-325
Georgetown, TX 78633
512-869-3343
202-536-3089 (fax)
http://www.spacegrant.org/

NASA Seeks Reviewers for “Summer of Innovation” Proposals

NOTE:  This email is for information gathering purposes. Willingness to participate in the SOI review does not guarantee a proposal will be assigned. The number of available qualified reviewers may exceed the number of reviewers needed.

NASA Research and Education Support Services (NRESS) is seeking persons to evaluate proposals submitted in response to the NASA Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) titled, “2011 Summer of Innovation Project” announced by NASA Glenn Research Center Office of Educational Programs on January 19, 2011. Specifically, NASA is interested in reviewers with expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas: education reform and policy, evidence-based summer learning programs, innovative and scalable program design, partnerships, grant management and/or federal education proposal review. NASA is seeking reviewers with various backgrounds and professional affiliation including Pre-K – 12 teachers and principals, college and university educators, researchers and evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, grant makers and managers, and others with education expertise.

The Summer of Innovation is a solicitation-driven project that supports student interest in STEM by strengthening the capacity of community- and school-based organizations that inspire and engage middle school students in STEM content during the summer. SoI then continues to support follow-on and extended learning efforts designed to keep students involved in NASA-themed STEM activities during the academic year.

The project will expand both the breadth and depth of school- and community-based partners’ ability to provide meaningful, educational and exciting STEM experiences to students in grades 4-9 who traditionally have been underrepresented in STEM fields. SoI will leverage NASA funding and content in partnership with proven community- and school-based summer and extended learning organizations to support projects that are seeking to strengthen current STEM education

Detailed information regarding NASA critical research opportunities, proposal requirements and evaluation criteria are contained in the solicitation that can be viewed in NASA’s master proposal data base system, the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES).  To view the solicitation and determine your interest in serving as a Summer of Innovation peer reviewer, please access the solicitation at NSPIRES at http://nspires.nasaprs.com, or alternately, you may view it at Grants.gov ( http://www.grants.gov/).

The online review period is scheduled for March 1-March 8, 2011. It is anticipated that reviewers will be asked to review three to five proposals approximately 15 pages in length, plus budget, biographical sketches, and other standard appendices. It is imperative that reviewers agree to strict adherence to the proposal review period. Reviewers are expected to have access to the Internet, a phone, a printer and have the ability to interact with a web-based environment. Non-civil servants will receive an honorarium of $75 for each proposal fully reviewed and submitted online by the close of the review period.

If you determine you would like to be a reviewer, please respond by e-mail to NASASOIP2011@nasaprs.com by COB February 18, 2011. Be sure to include contact information, resume/vita, and a summary of your expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas: current education reform and policy, summer learning programs, innovative and scalable program design, partnerships, grant management, and/or federal education proposal review.

For consideration as a reviewer, you will be required to register within the NSPIRES system prior to February 18, 2011.  If you do not have an account, please follow the instructions on the NSPIRES website ( http://nspires.nasaprs.com).

If you have questions about this process, goals of the NRA, or NASA requirements, please contact:

Summer of Innovation Project Manager
Rob Lasalvia (Acting)
Educational Programs Office
NASA Glenn Research Center
21000 Brookpark Rd MS 7-4
Cleveland, OH 44135
Email: grc-2011summerofinnovation@mail.nasa.gov

For questions regarding the Conflict Of Interest form, viewing the CAN, or general help with the NSPIRES website and registering as a potential reviewer, please contact:

Solicitation Support Manager
Sam Johnson
NASA Research and Education Support Services (NRESS)
2345 Crystal Drive – Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22202
Telephone: (202) 479-9030, ext. 221
Fax: (202) 479-0511
Email: NASASOIP2011@nasaprs.com

We hope to receive a response about your interest and willingness to review no later Wednesday, February 18, 2011.

Thank you for considering acting as a peer reviewer for this important effort.

Professional Development in Space Science for Middle School Mentor Teachers

Helping Student-Teachers Teach Space Science – Travel Costs & Stipend Provided

We have an exciting opportunity for middle school science teachers who will have a student teacher in their class in each of the next two years with the NASA-sponsored AMANTISS (Advancing Mentor and Novice Teachers in Space Science) project.

Our project goal is to help future teachers learn how to effectively include space science topics in their future classes by supporting supervising teachers by providing training and classroom-ready materials.

We are sponsoring 32 teachers to attend AMANTISS training in August, 10-12, 2010 at Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California, featuring the new GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8!  We invite you to submit an application, or send this advertisement on to an interested colleague.

The grant provides the following for each selected mentor teacher:

• workshop fees and travel expenses paid to attend the August 2010 workshop in Berkeley
• one complete GEMS materials kit and teacher’s guide for the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8 participants to keep
• another complete GEMS materials kit and teachers guide for the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8 for their pre-service teachers to take with them to their future classrooms
• travel expenses to attend the 2012 NSTA National Conference joining other AMANTISS teachers
• a $300 stipend for their final year of participation
• a supportive network of other supervising teachers

You can find an informational flyer and application here: http://lhsgems.org/AMANTISS.html

Here is the small print. The requirements of selected participants are as follows:

1. Must be a supervising (mentor) teacher for a pre-service student (novice) teacher in their charge at the middle school level in each of the two years, 2010/11 and 2011/12.
2. Attend the mandatory summer institute, August 10-12, 2010 at Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California
3. Commit to teaching the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8 in its entirety while guiding their student teacher(s) through the use of these materials during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years.  We imagine you will have a different pre-service teacher for one semester in each of the two years.
4. Commit to participation in the evaluation component of the project, which may include surveys, site visits, and pre-post questionnaires.
5. Must be willing to remain involved over the life of this 2-year project, with a culminating trip to the National Science Teachers Association Conference in March of 2012 where you will be a part of a Symposium sharing lessons learned throughout the life of the project. A stipend of up to $1,250 to cover travel costs to attend the conference will be provided.

** Note: teachers who work with under-served and under-represented students will have an advantage in the selection process.

Application spaces are open until filled, so act quickly!

For questions or additional information, please contact:

Laura Tucker, GEMS Network and Professional Development Coordinator

ltucker@berkeley.edu

360/379-5235

NASA Online Professional Development Courses Examine Technology Integration

Offerings from NASA’s Electronic Professional Development Network (ePDN):

Technology Integration

This course will address issues of distance learning and the incorporation of electronic programming, such as the use of simulations, virtual worlds, games, video field trips and podcasts into classrooms. It will range from modules aimed at classroom teachers, to help them overcome the fear factor associated with new technologies, to modules designed for school system personnel to help them with the broader IT issues that are associated with distance learning.

Course 1 – Engage & Educate – Podcasts In the Classroom (20 hrs.)

Participants will examine how podcasts can be integrated in classroom lessons to engage students in STEM disciplines. In this course the benefits as well as obstacles to podcasts will be discussed and participants will be introduced to the tools and techniques of creating podcasts. Participants will finish by creating their own podcasts using NASA resources. For beginners who have little or no experience with podcasts.

Course 2 – Advanced Podcasts – Vodcasts (20 hrs.)

In this course participants will use audio and video editing tools to create new content for vodcasts that can be used in classroom lessons. Serial vodcasts will be created to present material in short increments.

To apply, visit http://nasaepdn.gatech.edu/nasaepdn_application.php