When:

Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where:

Von Karman Auditorium, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Target Audience:

Teachers for grades 6-12

Overview:

Update: Feb. 20, 2020 – This workshop is full. See below for online resources related to this workshop.

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In this workshop, we will explore what the science of light can teach us about our universe. We will look at data from Hubble, Spitzer and other space- and ground-based telescopes that have provided insight about how stars form and where we might find planets similar to our own. Participants will learn how to pair this real-world science with lessons from NASA-JPL Education to make exciting chemistry, physics and space-science connections.

• This workshop is not available online; you must be physically present to participate.
• This workshop is limited to educators at U.S.-based institutions and organizations.

Questions? Call the Educator Resource Center at 818-393-5917.

Can't attend the workshop? Explore these standards-aligned lessons online.

• 
  Using Light to Study Planets

  Students build a spectrometer using basic materials as a model for how NASA uses spectroscopy to determine the nature of elements found on Earth and other planets.

  Grades 6-11

  Time > 2 hrs

• 
  Collecting Light: Inverse Square Law Demo

  In this activity, students learn how light and energy are spread throughout space. The rate of change can be expressed mathematically, demonstrating why spacecraft like NASA’s Juno need so many solar panels.

  Grades 6-12

  Time < 30 mins

• 
  Robotics: Creating a Roving Science Lab

  In this challenge, students will program a rover to use a color sensor on several rock samples, allowing them to simulate how the Mars Curiosity rover uses its ChemCam instrument to analyze light emitted from geological samples on Mars.

  Grades 6-9

  Time > 2 hrs

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This free workshop is offered through the NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center, which provides formal and informal educators with NASA resources and materials that support STEM learning. For more information, visit the Educator Resource Center page.