University of Colorado at
Boulder Programs:
Fiske
Planetarium: On the CU Boulder campus. They have several events every
week, including laser shows and star talks. When MESA students come tour
Space Grant, they end their day here.
Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITLL) Program: Space Grant's affiliate
and next-door neighbor here at the CU Boulder Engineering Center. Contains
lots of great resources for K-12 engineering activities including
TeachEngineering.com, a digital
library of standard-based curricula for use in science and math classrooms.
CU 4 K12: A searchable database containing educator resources (covering
all subject areas) at CU Boulder.
CU Upward Bound: A
great way for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to get a leg up
in high school and college classes during the summer. Space Grant teaches a
class on Nanosatellites, and we always have a blast!
High School Honors
Institute: The High School Honors Institute is an intensive and
exciting 4-day campus residential program that introduces the creative
nature of engineering to students with strong academic records in math and
science and who are interested in cultivating their creativity to solve
problems. High school juniors and seniors have an opportunity to experience
college life as an engineering student by attending sessions of two
engineering majors, participating in curricular and extra-curricular
activities, and exploring career opportunities.
Colorado Community & K-12
Programs
St.
Vrain Valley MESA: COSGC's primary outreach program during the school
year. You see us mentioned in their newsbox every so often.
Expanding Your Horizons:
Nationwide program that encourages young women in grades 6-12 to pursue math
and science.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science: The Denver Museum of Nature &
Science is the Rocky Mountain region's leading resource for informal science
education. A variety of exhibitions, program, and activities help
Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the
universe. We like to take our students there when we get the
opportunity!
Educational Space Websites:
NASA's home page: A great
place to go if you're looking for the latest in space exploration and
research, space-related images, or activities.
Astronomy Picture of the Day:
Beautiful astronomy images; a different one each day! Includes educational
links.
CINDI in
Space Comic Book: Manga-style comic book detailing the adventures of the
science instrument CINDI aboard the C/NOFS satellite, and her quest to
record information about the Earth's ionosphere! A fun way to explain a
relatively complex science mission in easy-to-understand terms. Produced by
the University of Texas Dallas and NASA.
Space News:
What happened to Pluto?
The International Astronomical
Union, wrapping up its meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, has resolved one
of the most hotly-debated topics in the cosmos by approving a specific
definition that gives our solar system eight planets, instead of the nine
most of us grew up memorizing. Pluto is no longer a planet. For more
information visit
NASA's website.
What is a planet?
The discovery of a number of large objects in the outer solar system has
sparked the debate about what the precise definition of a "planet" should
be. Should they be restricted to the nine that everyone knows and loves?
Could we come up with a definition based off of size or shape? The
International Astronomical Union is
deciding right now!
Mike Brown's Website:
Astronomer at Caltech who helped discover many of these potential planets.
His website has links to information about each one, plus the specifics of
the planet debate.
Universe Today: One space enthusiasts' website. Contains recent
space news and other space related information and articles.
