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The NASA/JPL Education Office offers a wide range of student opportunities and classroom resources that teach concepts in Earth and space science. Image credit: NASA/JPL
Welcome to the Education Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In case you are not familiar with JPL, we are a federally funded research center, staffed and managed by the California Institute of Technology. Most of our work is in support of NASA's robotic exploration of the solar system and universe.
You may have heard about Spirit and Opportunity, the twin Mars Exploration Rovers. JPL built the rovers and manages the mission for NASA. JPL is currently building the next Mars rover, the Mars Science Laboratory. The Lab also manages the Cassini mission at Saturn and many other spacecraft, including some that use space telescopes to peer into the universe and others on missions to study asteroids and comets. Closer to home, JPL has spacecraft and instruments that monitor the lands, ocean and atmosphere of Earth.
About NASA/JPL Education
The purpose of the Education Office is twofold. We work with educators -- both classroom teachers and informal educators -- to provide tools, resources and ideas for teaching Earth science, space science, mathematics and robotics. We also run a wide range of student programs, sponsored by NASA, JPL and Caltech. These programs are geared to students who are interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Several of our student programs are designed to target students with interests in these fields who are in under-represented or under-served populations. Students accepted into all of our programs come to JPL to conduct research projects and work closely with scientists and engineers. The main goal of these programs, depending on a student's level, is to introduce them to, or further their pursuit of, careers in fields that involve science and engineering.
How to Use This Site
Our site is broken down into categories that serve as navigation buttons:
Students: We want to show young people a variety of ways to explore and learn about Earth, our solar system and the universe. We have games for kids of all ages. We also provide information about competitions for students who take a shine to the natural sciences, computer science and engineering. There are also tips for how to pursue careers in these fields. One of our biggest tips is to look at our internship page and see the wide range of student opportunities we offer to undergraduates, graduates and post doctoral students. We also have a limited number of internships for high school students who are 16 or older.
Teachers: NASA and JPL offer a wide range of free resources and teacher training to elementary, middle and high school teachers. There are an endless number of Web sites devoted to giving teachers advice and tips. We want to help teachers find the best activities and resources so we put up only those items that we truly recommend. Our Staff Picks page features activities our staff uses when they visit classrooms or workshops.
Internships & Fellowships: This page lists the wide range of student and faculty programs JPL sponsors with NASA and Caltech. If you're not sure if an internship is right for you, check out the profiles of other interns linked from this page.
Minority Initiatives: This page contains student programs targeted at under-served and under-represented populations. There are opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as high school students 16 or older. Again, we link to profiles of other students, possibly like you, who have participated in these programs.
Informal Education: If you work for, or are a member of, a museum, science center, library, after school program or club, this section is for you. NASA and JPL have a wide range of resources and programs for groups that want to explore science, engineering and space. We also have activities for all levels of space enthusiasts.
Video & Features: Our wide-ranging video collection features profiles of interns, classroom ideas for teachers and highlights of student robotic competitions. We also have written stories that provide tips, resources and announcements for teachers, as well as intern profiles.
Education Contacts
Below is a list of contacts. Please be advised that due to the amount of work, we cannot guarantee a response to all questions.
Elementary and Secondary Education
David Seidel, Manager
818-354-9313
Higher Education
Adrian Ponce, Manager
818-354-8196
Informal Education
Anita Sohus, Project Manager
818-354-6613
