Click on the image and feel the magic. Astronaut Rick Mastracchio on EVA outside the International Space Station, August 15, 2007. Visit the NASA Human Spaceflight Image Gallery for more information.

Those of you following this blog know that a core philosophy I embrace is that science education—indeed all education—should be about exploration owned by the learner, and as teachers and parents our charge is to light their way. It is something I believe deeply.

I’ve had the distinct honor of sharing that philosphy this past year with thousands of educators at conferences, e.g., the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference. In order to reach an even wider audience, I’m grateful that John Boswell at Symphony of Science was able to turn my thoughts and words at NSTA into a music video We’ve Got to Be That Light. How he took a guy speaking in the front of an audience and turned it into something you’d want to upload to your music library is pretty magical. If you’ve not seen the music video yet, take a look. If you have seen it, and you’re a teacher that needs to decompress a bit over Thanksgiving and a shot in the arm before returning to work might help, take another look.

Those that preach have an obligation to put their words into practice. It’s the “put up or shut up” argument. If one complains about something, in this case the state of education, then either demonstrate a fix or don’t complain. So I’m listening … to myself. If education is about ownership in learning, then science education ought to be about ownership in science—experiences that allow students the ability to truly be scientists. And I firmly believe that if you give a 5th grader the ability to do real science, all you need do is gently guide, get out of the way … and be amazed.

So I created the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), a true STEM education initiative that is designed to immerse students in real science, and along the way, engage their entire community. In this context, there is another deeply held belief at work—it takes a community to educate a child and a network of communities to reach a generation.

I’ve been working on SSEP pretty intensely for the last 3 months with an incredible team at the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) and NanoRacks, and with the most amazing local teams of educators in communities across America. We began the program in June 2010, with two SSEP missions on the final two Space Shuttle flights where thousands of grade 5-14 students were engaged in real experiment design, over 1,000 student team proposals for experiments were received, and 27 experiments were selected and flew—one for each of the participating communities. We then set our sights on routine operations on the International Space Station (ISS). The program transition to ISS was completed by the beginning of August 2011 when we announced the third SSEP flight opportunity “SSEP Mission 1 to ISS” and 12 communities came aboard giving over 40,000 students the ability to participate. Student Team proposals are due next week, and we expect nearly 1,000. Pretty cool.

Then on November 15, 2011, we released the national announcement of opportunity for SSEP Mission 2 to ISS, distributing it to 54,000 superintendents and principals. I wanted to share the announcement with you (it’s provided below) in the hope that someone reading this post might say, “hey I want my community to be part of this!” If you do, you can send me an email, or hey, call me: 301-395-0770. We’d like to see 100,000 students given the ability to be real scientists as part of Mission 2 to ISS.

Best wishes,

Dr. Jeff

For Immediate Release

November 15, 2011
Program Description Video Clip
Download a PDF of this Press Release

92 Schools in 12 U.S. Communities Participating in Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS)

Announcing New Flight Opportunity – SSEP Mission 2 to ISS

Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), in partnership with NanoRacks LLC, has selected 12 communities across the U.S. to participate in the third Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) flight opportunity – SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS) – reflecting involvement by 92 elementary, middle and high schools. The Center and NanoRacks are also proud to announce the fourth SSEP flight opportunity, Mission 2 to ISS.

Launched in June 2010, SSEP immerses typically 300 students across a community in real scientific research of their own design, using a highly captivating spaceflight opportunity on ISS, America’s newest National Laboratory. The community-focused program is open to schools and school districts serving grade 5 through 12 students, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, informal science education organizations, and internationally through the Center’s new Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education.

Mirroring the proposal process for professional researchers, each participating community solicits proposals for a microgravity experiment from their students, with student teams vying for use of a real research mini-laboratory reserved to fly for their community. A suite of programs leverages the experience to engage the entire community, embracing a Learning Community Model for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

SSEP is a true STEM education program, with students proposing experiments over a wide range of biological and physical science disciplines, and designed to the technology and engineering constraints imposed by the mini-laboratory and flight operations to and from Earth orbit.

The SSEP Mission 1 communities are providing 41,200 students the opportunity to participate, and nearly 1,000 student team proposals are expected. The 12 communities are in California, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and the District of Columbia. Half of the communities participated in SSEP on the final two flights of the Space Shuttle. The Mission 1 experiment design competition takes place October through December 2011, with the 12 selected flight experiments scheduled to fly to ISS on Soyuz 30 in March 2012.

Mission 1 Communities:
1. San Marino, California
2. West Hills, California
3. Hartford, Connecticut
4. Washington, DC
5. Lake County, Indiana
6. Ida County, Iowa
7. Charles County, Maryland
8. Fitchburg, Massachusetts
9. Pleasanton and Norris, Nebraska
10. Cincinnati, Ohio
11. Houston, Texas
12. El Paso, Texas

“SSEP is designed to empower the student as scientist, and within the real-world context of science. Student teams design a real experiment, propose for a real flight opportunity, experience a formal proposal review process, and go through a NASA flight safety review. They even have their own science conference, where they are immersed in their community of researchers”, said Dr. Jeff Goldstein, creator of SSEP and NCESSE Center Director. “The 2011 SSEP conference was held at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which was a fantastic setting for the next generation of America’s scientists and engineers – some just 10 years old – to report on their experiment results. SSEP is about introducing real science to our children.”

The first two SSEP flight opportunities on the final flights of Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis (STS-134 and STS-135), engaged 27 communities, providing a combined 30,700 grade 5-14 students in 101 schools the opportunity to participate; 1,027 student team proposals were received; and 27 experiments were selected and flown on the Shuttles – one for each participating community.

New SSEP Mission 2 Flight Opportunity:
SSEP Mission 2 to ISS includes an experiment design competition March though May 2012, with selected flight experiments flying to ISS aboard Soyuz 32 in September 2012 – a great way to start the new school year. All communities interested in participating in Mission 2 should contact the Center as soon as possible.

SSEP is the first pre-college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture. SSEP is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

If interested in SSEP for your community, go to: SSEP Home Page

Other Links of Interest:
SSEP 3-Page Overview PDF
SSEP Participating Communities
Student Flight Experiments on Final Two Space Shuttle Flights
SSEP In the News
Program Impact from Teachers, Students, and Community Leaders
SSEP Conference, Team from Zachary, LA, National Air and Space Museum

About NCESSE
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) creates and oversees national initiatives addressing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with a focus on earth and space. Programs are designed to provide an authentic window on science as a human endeavor. Central objectives of the Center’s programs are to help ensure a scientifically literate public and a next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers – both of which are of national importance in an age of high technology. NCESSE is a Project of the Tides Center. http://ncesse.org

About NanoRacks, LLC
NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. NanoRacks now has two research platforms onboard the U.S. National Laboratory that can house plug and play payloads using the Cube-Sat form factor. Our current signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads, including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations, has propelled NanoRacks into a leadership position in understanding the emerging commercial market for low-earth orbit utilization. Visit us at www.nanoracks.com and @nanoracks

Media Contact
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director, NCESSE
301-395-0770 jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org

Jordi (from Driving with Jordi fame) learning how to skate a few years ago. He could count on his dad. He showed me when I should lead, and when he needed me to get out of his way. Now they call him rocket man.

This is crossposted at the Huffington Post HERE.

This essay “The Art of Teaching” was originally published April 15, 2009. I just revised it in support of the release of the music video  ’We’ve Got to be That Light – A Gift For America’s Teachers”, which was the subject of the last post here at Blog on the Universe.

Let me know what you think of this essay! Leave a comment below or send me an email at jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org

-dr. jeff

So here’s a thought. Track down an old teacher
that meant the world to you and tell them just that.

It’s a new school year and teachers are now back in classrooms across America. During these tough times I wanted to write something that might help inspire the new teacher, reaffirm to the seasoned professional why we went into teaching in the first place, and recognize the remarkable gift that teachers in our lives give to us all.

My thinking actually began with a question that appeared one day on LinkedIn in the “Education and Schools” category:

What early-school teacher do you remember most vividly? Why?“

It’s a question that got me thinking about not just my early school teachers, but teachers that affected me throughout my education, from Little Red Train Nursery School, to my Ph.D. classwork in astrophysics.

Good teachers in our lives are not characterized by the grade level at which you encounter them but by the learning environment they foster. The teachers that made a difference in my life, and helped me empower myself to blaze a trail, had something in common. They recognized that it was MY journey, and they were there to help guide the way. Through a love of teaching, and a passion for exploration, they did not impose their authority, or credentials, or ego. They gently, patiently guided my interactions with a brave new world, whether it was the world of reading, or an understanding of the very laws of nature that govern the universe.

The great teachers knew when to first lead and guide—to get you walking in a new direction, and then … knew when to get out of the way. Conversely my worst teachers were those that treated learning as a one way flow of information from them to us, did not get emotionally involved in the experience, and sometimes in college, were professors who felt they could come down from the mountain of knowledge and we would bow before them. Now that I’m older and wiser (hah) I wish I could take some of those classes over again, and let the great teachers know how much they truly meant to me in that very moment of learning, and let the bad teachers know they were doing damage to their students, creating misconceptions about science, exploration, and the teaching profession that could last a lifetime.

Teaching is wonderfully human, and for lack of a better word, pure. It is important to preserve this noble profession, with good paying jobs, treatment of teachers—at all grade levels—as the professionals they are, and ensuring there is a system of rewards that recognizes the great teacher, encourages the good to become great, and removes the bad teacher from the classroom they do not deserve.

This is actually pretty serious stuff. We are talking about a profession that nurtures our children, the next generation, so that they may take their rightful place at the helm of the human race, and steer it in the right direction.

So, to answer the original question (but with my own twist), and recognizing that teachers are meant to arrive on the scene long before you first experience a classroom, here are just a handful of moments that stand out…

710 Tower Court, Uniondale Long Island—A Place Called Home, 1964

Thank you mom and dad for making my life an adventure. You taught me so much, It would take a book to do justice to your gifts to me. So let me say that I still have the book you gave to me when I was 7, Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. It taught me a person’s a person no matter how small, even the Whos in Whoville. That book opened for me a profound understanding of Earth’s place—MY PLACE—in a greater universe. Please know that I’ve shared that book with tens of thousands of children, parents, and teachers. You threw a stone in a pond that day and the ripple seems destined to go on forever.

Smith Street Elementary School, Uniondale Long Island, 1966

Thank you Mrs. Peterson for what you did for me in 4th grade. I remember that special moment when you were teaching us about maps of the world. You pointed to a river and said it flowed north, and then moved on to other things on the map. Everyone else seemed to get it, but I didn’t. How could a river flow ‘up’? Don’t rivers only flow ‘down’? In frustration I raised my hand. You didn’t dismiss me. You didn’t tell me I’ll talk to you later. You embraced my question and worked me through it with the rest of the class in tow. You helped me see in three dimensions. You made my problem a teachable moment for the class. I hope the smile on my face gave you joy. I became an astrophysicist … and a teacher. Please know that long after that special moment back in 1966, a piece of you lives on in me.

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY 1974

Thank you Ms. Strauss. In 10th grade you showed me the world of geometry and gave me an understanding of the framework of the universe. I LOVED your class. You also gave me an “E/N” on my quarterly report card. ‘E” for excellence in academics, but “N” for needs improvement in behavior. To this day it seems like one is in conflict with the other. How can poor behavior go hand-in-hand with excellence in academics? I know I was a handful. But you recognized it was just me pushing for ownership in learning. Everything you said took my mind in different directions, each path screaming to be explored. You did your thing with the grade, and then embraced my spirit and my uniqueness just like you did with everyone else in the class. I know it was like herding cats, and it took a great deal of energy, but I can only imagine the profound effects you’ve had on thousands of students. So for all of them … thank you.

Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, 1979

Thank you Professor Hoffmann. Your class in Theoretical Mechanics when I was a college senior meant the world to me. I hung on your every word. You spoke of Einstein as if you knew him, because … you worked with him at Princeton. And the way that you embraced your students—gently guiding us through a brave new world—allowed us to feel we knew Einstein too. At the end of class I made sure to shake your hand to thank you for the great adventure, and through that touch, I felt connected to a legacy of exploration.

To my parents, and my teachers—thank you for showing me the way. As my gift to you, please know that I’ve tried to continue your legacy.

P.S.

I emailed Bronx Science to see if I could contact Ms. Strauss. I wanted to make sure it was okay to use her name for this post. Turns out she is still teaching at this national treasure of a high school. So I wrote her, and asked if she remembered me. After all, it’s been 37 years. She wrote back:

Dear Jeff,
Of course I remember you…row 4 seat 5.

I read that and I got pretty teary-eyed. That’s exactly where I sat. Teachers like her are a national treasure. So here’s a thought. Track down an old teacher that meant the world to you and tell them just that.

If you’ve not seen it yet, take 4 minutes and watch the music video We’ve Got to Be The Light – A Gift to America’s Teachers. If you think you’d like to embed the video in your school or school district blog, go for it:)

A heartfelt thank you to

teachers across America

for their unwavering dedication

to the next generation.

Teaching is the eternal bond between young and old that is at its heart—joy.

-drjeff

Symphony of Science Remix
Keynote Address “Science – It’s Not a Book of Knowledge … It’s a Journey”
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference
March 2011, San Francisco, CA

Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director
National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
http://ncesse.org

John Boswell
Symphony of Science
http://symphonyofscience.com

Is YouTube Blocked For You?
The video below is ported from YouTube, which is the best way to view it. But if you’re blocked from watching YouTube, you can download the video to your computer.
Download mp4 file (87.5 MB):
http://blogontheuniverse.org/downloads/DoctorJeff-SymphonyOfScience.mp4
 

 

If this video moves you, and you have a desire to say how, you’re invited to leave a comment at the bottom of the page:)

Accompanying essay The Art of Teaching

Why We Made We’ve Got To Be That Light
America, what has happened to joyful learning for our children? Should that not be their birthright? What has happened to joyful teaching for our teachers? Have we as a nation lost sight of this noblest of professions, and its selfless calling?

From shore to shore it seems clear that we as a nation are in the midst of an educational transformation away from joyful learning for students—and teachers. The national strategic need to increase student performance is now following the path of educational least resistance, and with education becoming the slave to testing. Couple this with the economic contraction at state and local levels, and the burden on our teachers is becoming unbearable. These remarkable professionals—to whom we entrust our children and therefore our nation—are losing their passion. They are leaving teaching. Speaking as both an educator and parent, this causes me immeasurable anguish. I need to ask … is there anyone at the helm of this great ship? Is the iceberg not in plain sight?

On a greater stage, Americans now live with an uncertain future about our nation’s role in the 21st century, and how that role will impact the way we live. But the future is not yet written (do you feel me shaking you right now?), and I firmly believe that the future resides in how well we teach our children.

For all these reasons, John and I created this video to herald in the new school year. Right now, in this very moment, we wanted to poetically and passionately reaffirm to teachers why they went into teaching, and for the millions of teachers across America, recognize their selfless and noble dedication to lighting the way.

We also wanted to help our nation recognize that teaching wells from what it means to be human, and the need to link past generations to the next. Learning is not driven by the need to get a good job or to earn money. it is driven by biology. And for those that cannot see beyond jobs and money as the motivation for education, and testing as the means to get there as a nation, I say loudly and clearly, let us embrace joyful education leading to joyful employment. Let us embrace student ownership in learning and exploration. Let us embrace the notion that our children are born to learn, and the gift of teaching is to patiently and artfully help our children in their journey.

This is why we tell stories. Ths is why we teach.

To pass a piece of ourselves to the next generation—

so that the young can aspire to cross frontiers none have crossed before.

- drjeff

About This Music Video and Future Projects
I had the distinct honor of delivering the Keynote Address at the NSTA National Conference in March 2011, and I am indebted to NSTA for both inviting me, and providing the video footage. You might want to read my earlier Blog Post on the Keynote, which provides a description of the talk, and what I was trying to accomplish.

I knew of John Boswell’s work at Symphony of Science, and was stunned by the magic he performs on just raw video of people talking. I was just off to graduate school in astrophysics at Penn when Carl Sagan’s Cosmos aired. Sagan reaffirmed why I wanted to study the universe, and why I also wanted to have a hand in national science education. What John has done through his music videos to bring Sagan to a new generation is remarkable.

John wants to bring science as symphony to the public … and so do I. This music video is the first of a number of collaborations between us. Rarely does one get to work with an artist of this caliber, and John, thanks for taking that first phone call!

John and I ask you to stay tuned in the coming weeks, right here at Blog on the Universe, for  the next video—A Sense of Majesty—addressing the nature of our existence in a greater Universe, and which is also a remix of the NSTA Keynote (I covered a great deal of ground in San Francisco.)  We will also be releasing the planet-wide version of We’ve Got To Be That Light, for teachers across the globe, as well as the NSTA Keynote Address broken into multiple chapters on YouTube. You might consider subscribing to this blog for notification of new posts.

I’ll also be putting up a video of a memorable Family Science Night presentation I did at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum for 400 students, parents, and teachers in front of Apollo 11 (part of the footage is in the video above.)  I think I’ve done at least 100 of these after-hours presentations in this most visited museum on the planet—I love the place (read this). Finally, my plan is to tape an entire library of videos based on my essays found in this Blog’s posts and resources pages—a library addressing Earth and space science topics with the goal of conceptual understanding at an emotional level. See, e.g., the following posts:

How big is the Moon? (You’ll never look at the Moon the same way again.)
If I Could Gift Wrap the Moon

How can we make Solar System sizes and distances (like the size of Earth, the size of the Sun, and distances to the Moon and Sun) understandable?
My Really Long Drive with Jordi

How many stars are there?
The Milky Way: Our City of Stars

To Teachers—Make Your Own Slideshow
We’ve Got To Be That Light almost has the look and feel of a slide show. The images of joyful learning will seem very familiar, but these are not images of joyful learning in your classroom, in your school, and in your community.  If this video moves you, and you want a hand in owning the story, you can download just the audio file for the song below, and create a personal slideshow around it using, e.g., powerpoint. It might be a slideshow reflective of just your classroom, or maybe something school district-wide to share with all teachers. When it comes to education we are all in this together, and from Seattle Washington, to Tampa Florida, this is our story.

If you’d like to send me your powerpoint as a .pps file, together with a jpg that captures one of your moments of joyful learning, email it via the Contact Dr. Jeff page, and I’ll see about getting it posted at this Blog.

Download the audio file:
http://blogontheuniverse.org/downloads/WeveGotToBeThatLight.mp3

Join Me on Twitter
If you want to join me in a conversation about education, and see what we can do together, follow me on Twitter:
@DoctorJeff (http://twitter.com/doctorjeff)

This Blog
Blog on the Universe is dedicated to science education as conceptual understanding at an emotional level. All posts and resource pages are designed to be central content for a lesson in the classroom. Many of the posts even have hands-on activities. Read About This Blog, and explore the Teacher’s Lesson Planner with essential questions for most of the blog posts.

You should also visit the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education page that provides a comprehensive list of Blog on the Universe posts listed by category.

Follow This Blog
You’re invited to subscribe to this Blog for email updates of new posts, including notifications of new videos.

Dr. Jeff on the Road?
I also wanted to pass along, schedule permitting, I’m always open to travel to communities across the nation and address audiences of teachers, and deliver programs for families and the public. My time for travel is limited, so it makes sense to travel for large audiences. That said, I’m a firm believer in community-wide engagement, and these programs involve audience participation—by the entire audience—regardless of size. One possible approach might be to fly in, conduct a family/public program in the evening, the next morning talk to teachers, and then … fly back to the nation’s capital.

If you’re interested in exploring the possibility, you can read about a great number of presentations, and see what folks thought about the experience. The family/public program is really the “road show” of the family program we do at the National Air and Space Museum, and through my Center’s Journey through the Universe initiative. It can be advertised as a school-district wide event, and you can read about recipes for success in hosting such a program, and assessment results.

Continue the Journey
Here are some essays for teachers that I’m pretty sure you will enjoy:

A very personal thank you to teachers everywhere.

The Art of Teaching

Our place in the greater universe and the sacred role of teachers.

The Nature of Our Existence

I’m obviously biased, but here’s an essay I think every teacher of science should read.

Dr. Jeff on mathematics education.

Let’s Ban English in School … Except in English Class

What is it like to meet your hero? What is the nature of human exploration?

An Apollo 11 Personal Story

How will the next generation view the era of the space shuttle?

Shuttle Endeavour About to Blast Off on its Second to Last Mission, Make it a Teachable Moment
Cross-posted at Huffington Post.

Do Americans understand what is at risk if we don’t take science and tech education seriously? (At Huffington Post)

Troubled about America’s Future

I come up with some cool stuff with a cup of coffee in hand.

Jeffisms

We need many flavors of heroes, and not just athletes, musicians, and movie stars. How about …

Scientists and Engineers as Heroes

Maybe the human race needs some humility. (at Huffington Post)

The Address of a Self-Important World: Humanity Needs a Reality Check

In my mind, education is the answer to many things. (at Huffington Post)

September 8 and September 11: Joy, Pain , and Hope

Social Media, a powerful tool for education. School districts across America – we need to bring education into the 21st Century. (at Huffington Post)

The Remarkable Power of Twitter: A Water Cooler for the 21st Century

STEM Education Programs for Your Community?
As Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, I oversee a number of national programs that embrace science education as journey, student as scientist, a Learning Community Model for community-wide engagement, and the means to tailor a program to a community’s strategic needs in STEM education. You might like to explore a program for your community! In tough financial times, these programs do indeed cost money (I learned long ago that vision without funding is hallucination). To address this, we have relationships with funders across the nation, and have a great track record of finding underwriting for interested communities. As a non-profit, our program costs reflect just full cost recovery. I invite you to explore the Center’s website, and some of its programs.

National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE)
http://ncesse.org

Our Center’s YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/ncesse

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program
grade 5-12 students across a community designing a real microgravity experiment to fly on the International Space Station
http://ssep.ncesse.org

Journey through the Universe
programming in the Earth and space sciences for an entire community
http://journeythroughtheuniverse.org

Wishing you and your students the most wonderful academic year!

Dr. Jeff

Lyrics—We’ve Got to be That Light

Every generation must pass on
The wisdom of the previous generations
If we don’t keep the next chain connected to the ones that came before it
It’s all gone

And who’s the glue between those chains?
It’s you, it’s you

This is a sacred trust
As educators and parents
A sacred trust
We’ve got to be that light

We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way
We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way

A classroom is a sacred place
It’s not a room in a school
It’s any place
Any place where a teacher helps a child
Patiently and artfully
In their journey

In this sacred place
We must nurture the gift of a question
In this sacred place
The teacher lights the way

This is a sacred trust
As educators and parents
A sacred trust
We’ve got to be that light

We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way
We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way

We have to ensure
That testing serves education
We have to ensure
That education does not serve testing

We as a nation now
Are teaching to the test
We as a nation now
Are beating all of the joy out of our classrooms

The book of knowledge is not written in our genes
What’s written in our genes is the journey
We should be nurturing that gift of a question
We should help frame that pathway to an answer

The teacher’s the guide
It’s a student’s classroom
It’s a student’s classroom
They are remarkable explorers

This is a sacred trust
As educators and parents
A sacred trust
We’ve got to be that light

We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way
We’ve got to be that light
That shining light that guides the way

Click on the image and feel the magic. The International Space Station (ISS) with Endeavour (STS-135) docked. 16 SSEP Experiments are aboard. ISS dwarfs Endeavour.

As Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, I’m proud to share a new program opportunity for real student research in orbit—for students in your community. The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), which we launched in June 2010, saw 27 student-designed flight experiments on STS-134 and STS-135, the culmination of 31,000 students engaged, and 1,027 student team proposals for experiments. For the past month, we’ve been working hard to reconfigure the program for routine operations on America’s newest National Laboratory—the International Space Station. Today, we just announced the opportunity! I wanted to let folks know about it here, and invite you to think about this program for YOUR community:)

-dj

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Private Sector Effort Offers Real Research Opportunity for Grade 5-16 Students aboard International Space Station, 50,000 Expected to Participate

Next Phase of Bold New STEM Education Program that Attracted National Attention with Student Experiments on Final Flights of Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis, and Provided Participation to 30,700 Students

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION (NCESSE) ANNOUNCES AN IMMEDIATE AND HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST STUDENT SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIMENTS PROGRAM (SSEP) MISSION TO AMERICA’S NATIONAL LABORATORY IN SPACE—THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS). THE PROGRAM IS ALSO OPEN TO ISS PARTNER NATIONS.

SSEP is a keystone Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education program launched as a U.S. National initiative in June 2010. More broadly, SSEP is about a commitment to student ownership in exploration, to science as journey, and to the joys of learning. For school districts—even individual schools—it provides an opportunity to implement a systemic, high caliber, and historic STEM education program that is tailored to a community’s strategic needs in STEM education.

Deadline for Letters of Commitment from Interested Communities:
September 15, 2011

Jump to: SSEP MIssion 1 on the International Space Station Announcement of Opportunity

The SSEP on-orbit research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Photocaption: Vehicle Asembly Building (VAB) during the final mission of the Space Shuttle program (STS-135).  Photo by Eric S. Ackerman. CLICK FOR ZOOM

This past year has been a humbling experience for me, the staff of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the thousands of students and teachers in the 27 communities participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Enabled by a Space Act Agreement between NASA and NanoRacks, LLC, we’ve all had the adventure of a lifetime. We’ve had the distinct honor of being part of history, and part of the 30 year legacy of the United States Space Shuttle program. The Space Shuttle, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—both national treasures—stand for what is a fundamental regarding the nature of our existence—our need to know, to question, to push the boundaries of what is familiar, and to broaden our understanding of ourselves. Anyone witnessing the final Shuttle launch on July 8 at Kennedy Space Center (I was lucky enough) could not help but be overwhelmed by what we have done as a nation of spacefarers, and realize that the dawn of a new era is at hand. To all those that are participating in SSEP, you need to know that you are helping to blaze a trail into that new era, and there has been no bigger supporter of your achievements than NASA. With the 27 experiments aboard Endeavour and Atlantis, selected from over 1,000 student team proposals, you, the next generation, are the link between a celebrated past and a future in space exploration that is only now being written. And this remarkable journey we’ve been on together? It has really been about celebrating the past, embracing the present, and inspiring the future. Isn’t that what learning and exploration are all about?

To all the men and women that have dedicated their lives to the exploration of space, and to knowing Earth’s place in a greater cosmos, thank you. Know that your legacy lives on in myriad education programs like SSEP that give voice to the dreams of the next generation so that they may take their rightful place at the helm of the human race. It is only fitting … for the journey is written in our genes, and all the countless thousands that built Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station were children once that dared to dream.

I am very very proud to pass along that NASA has again honored the communities participating in SSEP, this time with feature articles for the 11 communities aboard STS-135. I have provided the links below.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to NASA, and to three individuals that have provided unwavering support for SSEP: Mark Severance, International Space Station National Laboratory Education projects manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center; Leland Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education, NASA Headquarters; and James Stofan, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Integration, NASA Education, NASA Headquarters. I would also like to extend a very special thanks to Flint Wild, NASA Portal Associate Editor, NASA Education; Kathy Forsythe, Content Manager/NASA Education Web Team, NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center; and Jessica Nimon, Research Communications Specialist, ISS Program Science, NASA Johnson Space Center for overseeing the feature story development for the features posted on two main landing pages at the NASA Education Portal and also on the ISS Research News page. Finally a special thank you to Kristina Brink, Lead for K-12 Projects, NASA Kennedy Space Center; and Annette Dittmer, NASA Exchange Manager, NASA Kennedy Space Center, for making the KARS Park launch experiences for STS-134 and STS-135 something that the 600 combined attendees will never forget.

I am very much looking forward to the next chapter of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, and its promise to inspire and engage hundreds of thousands of student scientists, starting with SSEP Mission 1 to the International Space Station (ISS). We are on-boarding participating communities now for a Fall 2011 real experiment design competition engaging hundreds to thousands of grade 5-12 students across each community, selection of a flight experiment for each community by mid-December 2011, and the flight experiments integrated into the SSEP Mission 1 Payload and ferried to ISS aboard Soyuz 30 on April 1 ,2012.

See if your community might want to be part of the adventure! For more information, see the new SSEP Mission 1 Critical TImeline page, and don’t hesitate to Contact me. I will move heaven and Earth to try and find funding for any community that wants to come aboard. We found funding for 21 of the 27 communities that participated on the final flights of Endeavour and Atlantis, and engaged a combined 29,700 students.

-dj

Links to the SSEP on STS-135 Feature Articles at NASA.gov—

For Student main landing page – In the Spotlight area
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

For Educators main landing page – Educator Features and Articles area
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html

STS-135 Educator Resources page – second item
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/sts135-index.html

International Space Station Research News page
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news.html

Direct URL
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/eleven-more.html

The SSEP on-orbit research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Photocaption: Endeavour (STS-134) and ISS as seen by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli in a Soyuz capsule.

We were eagerly awaiting Endeavour’s return to Earth on June 1. Student teams across the nation had experiments aboard. It was the culmination of a many months long process where 19,700 grade 5-12 students across America were given the opportunity to design experiments to be placed aboard Endeavour on her final flight, and they all felt like they were part of history.

It’s also been a very special program for me. It has been a labor of love (and one which has taken me away from another labor of love—this Blog.) I still remember sitting in that restaurant sketching out the program structure on a napkin. You know, napkins are pretty important tools for anyone who wants to craft vision. I suspect some of the greatest accomplishments of the human race started on napkins. I wouldn’t be surprised if John F. Kennedy one day sat down for lunch with his advisors and sketched out a plan to land a man on the Moon before the decade was out. Then that historic napkin was likely left on the table, and tossed in a trash can by an unsuspecting waiter. But I’m willing to bet there was a napkin.

Well Endeavour landed and there was euphoria in the participating communities. We even had a live video feed from the payload processing lab where technicians were harvesting the precious experiments (and we’ll have it again for the 11 experiments on STS-135.)

Then the stunning video below was broadcast to the world. I am so proud to say that aboard Endeavour in this video are the 16 experiments of Our Center’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). It offers a dramatic new perspective of this keystone U.S. National STEM education initiative that is engaging tens of thousands of grade 5-12 students in real science on orbit—their science.

Imagine watching this video, as a member of a 5th grade student team with your science experiment aboard Endeavour, that you designed, and it’s in orbit … right there! If that doesn’t inspire America’s next generation of scientists and engineers, and teachers of science across the nation, well, I’m not sure what will. And we’ve got 11 more experiments ready for launch on the final flight of Atlantis and of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.
 

Truth be told, I wrote this post with another motivation in mind. It’s an invitation to you. How about … YOUR community coming aboard SSEP (yes YOU reading this). Normal program operations on the International Space Station (the big thing dwarfing the Shuttle in the video below) begin in Fall 2011. We’re a 501c3 non-profit, but this program does cost money. Yet I personally found funding for 21 of the 27 communities that are currently participating. And I promise you that I will work hard to get your community aboard too, as long as you can provide an appropriate implementation plan (I can walk you through that) and you have a coalition of the willing in terms of science educators and administrators.

Want to know more? SSEP was recently showcased at NASA.gov, along with feature articles from the participating communities, written by these communities. SSEP was also featured at the NASA International Space Station Research News webpage (that’s *RESEARCH* News). Remember that these students, maybe students in your community, are working as true scientists doing real research. You can also read a moving essay about what SSEP means to students, teachers, and families. You might also want to watch a video clip of me being interviewed about the program, and download a 2-page program overview as a PDF.

If you would like your community—300 to 3,200 grade 5-12 students, and students in 2-year and 4-year colleges—to come aboard the International Space Station for a true adventure in science on the high frontier, well I just dare you to contact me.

You’re also invited to follow along with breaking SSEP program news by subscribing to the SSEP National Blog at the SSEP main website.

Uploaded to YouTube by NASA Television

Newly released video shows the International Space Station together with the space shuttle, the vehicle that helped build the complex over the last decade. The video was shot by European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli from the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that undocked from the station on May 23. He, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman were departing the station for a return to Earth after five months on the station. Nespoli documented the station from a distance of 600 feet as it was rotated 130 degrees.

Photo Caption: SSEP Team from Galva-Holstein, Iowa

I wanted to share a major milestone on a program that I created a year ago, the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Over 30,000 grade 5-12 students in 27 communities were given the opportunity to design REAL experiments to fly aboard the final two flights of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program, the flights of Endeavour and Atlantis. Over 1,000 student team proposals were received! And a formal 2-step review process de-selected to 27 experiments to fly—one for each of the 27 communities participating—with 16 on STS-134, and 11 on STS-135.

There has been a great deal of coverage by the media including featured articles at NASA.gov. Visit the SSEP In the News page to see the coverage.

Below is a message I just sent to the student teams flying on Atlantis in July. Again, I wanted to share:) You might also want to read the National Announcement of Selected Experiments.

And by the way, if any of your schools or school districts want to engage grade 5-12 students in REAL SCIENCE – REAL RESEARCH – we are about to announce the start of routine operations on the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. Let me know … if you are interested!

Finally, if you want to stay on top of breaking new on the SSEP and the flight of Atlantis, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to the SSEP National Blog. You subscribe in the lower right column on the SSEP Home Page.

From: Dr. Jeff Goldstein, SSEP National Program Director
Center Director, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education

To: America’s Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers Participating in SSEP on STS-135

To all SSEP student flight experiment teams, this is what you’ve been waiting for! We have now officially entered the SSEP Launch Phase for the final flight of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, and the historic flight of your experiments. Congratulations to all students, their teachers, their schools, their families, and their communities.

NCESSE has just received approval from NanoRacks and ITA for our proposed Critical Timeline for submission of your experiment samples (fluids and solids). We have therefore just put up the new STS-135 Submission of Experiment Samples for Flight page. You will see that the requirements for your submissions are precise and have critical deadlines. This is …. VERY REAL SCIENCE, and you are VERY REAL SCIENTISTS on this mission. We have also updated the main STS-135 Critical Timeline page to reflect sample submission milestones.

I am now advising you that you are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through holidays, and through Shuttle landing. This is VERY REAL …. (ok I said it already.)

To all Community Program Directors and Co-Directors on STS-134 and STS-135—that’s 27! communities across America— FIRE UP YOUR COMMUNITY BLOGS.  We will be showcasing all the active Community Blogs on this SSEP National Blog next week. In addition, if you have not already, consider having your community participate in the Student Voices of Mission Control (SVoMC) coverage of the final flight of Atlantis. Hopefully you can arrange for some students to work with you on this early in your summer break, so they can be part of history. We also strongly urge you to spread the word in your communities that anybody is invited to subscribe to this SSEP National Blog to get breaking news on SSEP and the launch of Atlantis.

This is also an appropriate time to honor and reflect on the legacy of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program. We have put together a Resource Page to do just that, and we will be updating it very soon for STS-135.

Finally, let me leave you with a favorite essay that I wrote last year which addresses the question: How will the next generation view the era of the space shuttle?

Keep your dreams alive …. always

The SSEP on-orbit research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

At a time when it should be the birthright of all students to an education

that allows them to successfully enter the job markets of the 21st century…

At a time when America must inspire its next generation of scientists and

engineers if we as a nation are to compete in the technology markets

of the 21st century…

Are we rising to the challenge?

I have been asked to give the keynote address for the 2011 NSTA National Conference. There is no higher honor for a science educator than to be invited to address one’s peers at NSTA, and share both one’s love of learning and how it can be imparted to the next generation.

I am very aware that I’ve been asked to address possibly 10,000 teachers of science at a sobering time for both U.S. science education and the general education community. There is significant national emphasis being placed on science, and more generally STEM education, due to a recognition that our success is critical to America’s ability to compete in the 21st century marketplace. I agree deeply with this assessment (see , e.g., Troubled About America’s Future). Yet a significant systemic response has been to elevate testing to the point where one has to question whether testing still serves education, or education now serves testing. I am absolutely convinced that denying a joyful classroom to students AND teachers is not the road to success. And at this critical time for American education, there is a perfect storm. Severe budget cuts at the State and local levels have placed great stress on our school systems … and caused deep anxiety for our educators.

I believe the best thing I can do with this keynote, at a conference whose theme is Celebrating the Joy of Science, is to reaffirm that teaching is the noblest profession, that teachers are truly our future, and the joy of learning must always be the wellspring of our childrens’ experiences in our classrooms and our schools. And that the joy of teaching must always be the wellspring for all of our teachers who are so dedicated to passing a piece of themselves to the next generation.

We are a family … a family of educators. And in trying times, families come together so that the moral support of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. An NSTA conference is about family.

Finally, I need to repeat something that I said at the keynote for the NSTA Regional Conference in Kansas City last year. The future of America rests in our ability to train the next generation of scientists and engineers, make sure we open high technology job sectors that embrace graduates with good jobs, and work toward a more scientifically literate public so that we the people can make informed decisions. Science education is key, and the National Science Teachers Association provides coherence and common ground for this nation’s teachers of science. When it comes to America’s Future, I look upon NSTA as a national treasure.

Below is the full description of my keynote address for NSTA in San Francisco. And for anyone that would like to read more, I’ve provided numerous links to essays I have written on teaching, human exploration, and the nature of our existence.

I’ve also provided a link to a raft of posts that were designed to be used as lessons by teachers in the classroom. The aim is science education as conceptual understanding at an emotional level (read About this Blog.) And these essays address a range of topics across the Earth and space strand, including: climate change, solar system studies, history of exploration, and studies of the greater universe.

So … I invite you to grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and read some essays that I hope will provide brave new insights into our world, and how to joyfully bring them into the classroom. I also invite you, if you are so moved, to leave a comment below!

(And if you are going to NSTA in SF, come say hello:)

-Jeff

ps- you might want to follow me on Twitter: @doctorjeff and/or subscribe to this Blog on the Universe.

Keynote Address: Science – It’s Not a Book of Knowledge … It’s a Journey

Dr. Jeff Goldstein

Center Director

National Center for Earth and Space Science Education

Every parent remembers that magical time when our children first began to speak, that moment marking the beginning of an unending flow of questions. In our children we can see our humanity — our innate curiosity — and recognize the obvious … that we are born to explore!

Science, in all its seeming complexity, is nothing but a means to organize curiosity. A way to empower one’s self to ask the gift of a question, and to hone the art that allows navigation through the noise of the universe around us in quest of an answer. It is an emotional, joyful, and wondrous journey that hopefully allows the traveler to pull back the veil of nature just a little, see how she operates, and celebrate the accomplishment.

Science education is no different. It is the means by which we immerse our children in the act of journey by letting them do science, and acknowledging it is their journey. As teachers, our sweet reward is seeing the joys of learning wash over them. And as teachers, we are charged with nothing less than patiently and gently launching the explorations of an entire generation.

The journey is written in our genes … the book of knowledge is not.

What should that reveal about both science and science education?

—Dr. Jeff

Links to some relevant essays:

A very personal thank you to teachers everywhere.

The Art of Teaching (at Huffington Post)

Our place in the greater universe and the sacred role of teachers.

The Nature of Our Existence

I’m obviously biased, but here’s an essay I think teachers of science should read.

Do Americans understand what is at risk if we don’t take science and tech education seriously? (At Huffington Post)

Troubled about America’s Future

I come up with some cool stuff with a cup of coffee in hand.

Jeffisms

We need many flavors of heroes, and not just athletes, musicians, and movie stars. How about …

Scientists and Engineers as Heroes

Maybe the human race needs some humility.

The Address of a Self-Important World: Humanity Needs a Reality Check

In my mind, education is the answer to many things.

September 8 and September 11: Joy, Pain , and Hope

Social Media, a powerful tool for education. School districts across America – we need to bring education into the 21st Century.

The Remarkable Power of Twitter: A Water Cooler for the 21st Century

LOTS and LOTS of Dr. Jeff essays on space, space exploration, science, and the universe:

Visit: http://ncesse.org/content/engaging-reading/

Links to the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education:

Home Page

About Us

Core Beliefs

Embraced Pedagogy

Our Learning Community Model

A very good read: Testimonials

A Summary of Our Programs, with links to the individual program web pages and main websites.

NEW - March 15 2011 Critical Deadline

Student Experiments aboard the FINAL FLIGHT OF THE U.S. Space Shuttle Program

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program

You think you might want to bring a program to your community that could change the way students, teachers, and families look at science and human exploration?  Contact us!

info@ncesse.org

I wanted to share—

In our classrooms, the experience should mirror the interdisciplinary nature of life, and not the subject of the hour. 

In our classrooms, the joys of learning should wash over student AND teacher. 

In our classrooms, a teacher passes a piece of themselves to the next generation, so our children may go where none have gone before.

In our classrooms, every child must learn that the power of one can move the world. 

In our classrooms, it should not be about the acquisition of knowledge, but what we may do with knowledge in the face of …. a question.

In our classrooms, we must celebrate the past, embrace the present, and inspire the future. 

In our classrooms, curiosity must flourish, and organizing that curiosity is the goal.

What do you think of the sentiment? You’re invited to leave a comment!

-dj

I’m now back from the intensity of months spent creating and launching the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), with 25,000 students across the U.S. now designing real experiments to fly aboard the second to last Space Shuttle flight, STS-134, the flight of Endeavour in February 2011. Pretty cool, huh. The SSEP is designed to provide regular student access to SPACE for grades 5-12, and leverage that exciting opportunity across entire school districts. SSEP embraces the notion of STUDENT AS SCIENTIST.

A big favor to ask—PLEASE help us spread the word on the SSEP via your social networks. We want to make sure that the nation knows about this bold new national STEM education initiative. If you’re on Twitter, here are two Tweets you can just cut and paste!

UPDATE: Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Now in Full Swing, GO FOR LAUNCH – http://ssep.ncesse.org

How do you get kids excited about #science? LET THEM *BE* SCIENTISTS. And why not on the #SPACE SHUTTLE. http://ssep.ncesse.org #nasa

Speaking of Twitter, and to help me ease back into Blog on the Universe, below is a steady stream of consciousness on education that I unleashed on my PLN (Personal Learning Network) last night (October 4, 2010). I thought I’d share. If you’re a Tweep, by all means feel free to Re-Tweet any and all to your PLN. And if you think Twitter is not about education, and really just for folks that want to broadcast what they had for lunch (I call them lunchies), read my post at Huffington Post titled The Remarkable Power of Twitter—A Water Cooler for the 21st Century. I think it does a great job of providing a real understanding of social media for education, and the means by which these online environments allows us to reach out in meaningful ways to the world.

One review: “Kudos, Jeff. This is one of the best posts about Twitter I’ve read in a long time. You really describe it well, especially the best that it has to offer.”

Here now my Tweets last night—

In our classrooms, let’s not lecture, but instead, entice the gift of a question. #education #teacher #science #school

In our classrooms, let’s not talk ABOUT science or teach the book of knowledge, let kids DO science and embrace …. journey. #teacher

In our classrooms, let’s not kill inquiry and exploration, let’s nurture it … for it’s in our genes. #education #teacher #space #science

In our #science classrooms, let’s embrace personality and uniqueness of thought, and not teach the scientific method as rigid scripture.

In our classrooms, let’s recognize that #teachers are the link between the legacy of human exploration and what awaits the next generation.

In our classrooms, there should be ….. magic. #education #teacher #science #school #principal

In our classrooms, the power of the one should be nurtured to flourish, and the power of the many … to shout from the towers. #education

In our classrooms, let’s foster an understanding that inquiry is an art, and practitioners are artists.

In our classrooms, we need joy … for is not empowering oneself to learn something new … joyful? #education #teacher #principal

In our classrooms, let’s not teach to the test so that we extinguish that which is innately human. #education #teacher #science #school

In our classrooms we have precious minds, and we need teachers to gently lead the way.

After that flurry of deeply felt beliefs on education, I invited my PLN to some relevant essays here at BotU and at Huffington Post. Let me invite you as well. Grab a  cup of coffee—

A heartfelt thank you to teachers EVERYWHERE. The Art of Teaching: http://bit.ly/ai6hzW

A window on the nature of our existence, and the role of teachers: http://bit.ly/u5RrD

In my mind, education and 9/11 – from a New Yorker and Educator- Sept 8 and Sept 11 Joy Pain, and Hope http://bit.ly/h9PTA #teacher

If you’re not on Twitter, think about coming aboard. For those of you that are, I’m inviting you to Follow me, and I’ll follow you back. I’m at http://twitter.com/doctorjeff