Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational UseNASA invites eligible U.S. educational institutions and museums to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and other special items offered on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.There will be a nominal shipping fee that must be paid online with a credit card. To make a request for special items online, visithttp://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/Special_Item_Request_Procedure.pdf.Questions about this opportunity should be directed toGSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Unveils New Federal Agency Opportunity Bank

In order to increase Hispanic participation in all levels of government and in funding opportunities, the Federal Agency Opportunity Bank collects information from the Federal Interagency Working Group on Educational Excellence for Hispanics about the vast number of opportunities and investments supporting all youth, local and state agencies, nonprofits and other organizations supporting Hispanic educational excellence.Opportunities include but are not limited to federal employment, fellowships, internships, grant and peer review opportunities, and technical assistance workshops. In addition, there is information regarding partnerships, resources and tools, and federal award nominations. The Opportunity Bank will be updated quarterly with information from participating federal agencies. The goal is to continue highlighting opportunities and investments supporting all youth, local and state agencies, nonprofits and other organizations supporting Hispanic educational excellence. Users are encouraged to share this resource with their networks and congratulate agencies for their efforts on behalf of the Latino community.To view the Opportunity Bank, visithttp://www.ed.gov/edblogs/hispanic-initiative/federal-agency-opportunity-bank/.Questions about this resource should be directed towhieeh@ed.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional DevelopmentNASA Educator Professional Development is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.NASA Rockets 2 Racecars Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Jan. 8, 2015, at 5 p.m. ESTParticipants will learn about the NASA Rockets 2 Racecars program that offers opportunities for professional development at race tracks on the East Coast. Learn about the different NASA spinoffs related to car racing and how to participate at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 1, 2015.Magnetospheric Multiscale Mathematics Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-8Event Date:Jan. 8, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. ESTParticipants will learn about the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission set to launch in March 2015 and the mathematics-based educator guide associated with the mission. Participants will learn about the mission, get an overview of the lesson activities and engage in discussion about classroom implementation.For more information about these webinars and to register online, visithttps://paragon-tec.adobeconnect.com/admin/show-event-catalog.Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Clarence Jones atClarence.F.Jones@NASA.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 NASA Human Exploration Rover ChallengeNASA has opened team registration for the 2015 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Organized by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the event will be held April 16-18, 2015, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, also in Huntsville.The challenge engages high school, college and university students in hands-on, experiential learning activities, while also testing potential technologies needed for future deep space exploration. Both U.S. and international teams may register to participate. For U.S. teams, registration closesFeb. 6, 2015. Registration for international teams closesJan. 9, 2015.Student teams participating in the Rover Challenge must design, engineer and test a human-powered rover on a mock course designed to simulate the harsh and demanding terrains future NASA explorers may find on distant planets, moons and asteroids.For more information on the 2015 Human Exploration Rover Challenge and registration, visithttp://go.nasa.gov/14dikMF.

Follow the Rover Challenge on social media for the latest news and updates:https://www.facebook.com/roverchallenge?ref=hlhttps://twitter.com/RoverChallengehttp://instagram.com/nasa_marshall.

View images from the 2014 Rover Challenge athttp://go.nasa.gov/1iEjGRp.International teams with questions about this event or registration may email Amy McDowell atAmy.McDowell@nasa.gov. U.S. teams with questions may contact Diedra Williams atMSFC-RoverChallenge2015@mail.nasa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 RASC-AL Aerospace Concepts Design CompetitionNASA and the National Institute of Aerospace announce the 2015 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic Linkage, or RASC-AL, Aerospace Concepts competition. RASC-AL is a design project competition for university-level engineering students and faculty.The 2015 RASC-AL contest challenges participants to design projects based on real NASA problems, responding to one of four themes:-- Earth-Independent Mars Pioneering Architecture-- Earth-Independent Lunar Pioneering Architecture-- Mars' Moons Prospector Mission-- Large-Scale Mars Entry, Decent and Landing Pathfinder MissionConcepts derived from the design projects could potentially be implemented by NASA.Teams must submit an abstract for their proposed project byJan. 11, 2015. The RASC-AL Steering Committee of NASA and industry experts will evaluate the proposals and select as many as 11 undergraduate and five graduate teams to compete against each other at a forum in June 2015 in Florida.The RASC-AL competition is open to full-time undergraduate or graduate students majoring in engineering or science at an accredited university. University design teams must include one faculty or industry advisor with a university affiliation and two or more undergraduate or graduate students. A group of universities may also collaborate on a design project entry. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged.For more information about this competition, visithttp://nianet.org/RASCAL.If you have questions about this competition, please contact Stacy Dees atstacy.dees@nianet.orgor Shelley Spears atShelley.Spears@nianet.org.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2014-2015 NASA Goddard OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff ChallengeNASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is launching the 2014-2015 TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Challenge, hosted by the Innovative Technology Partnerships Office. The purpose of the challenge is to raise awareness of NASA's Technology Transfer Program and to inspire interest in all NASA missions, programs and projects.This year the scope of the contest is being expanded to include two challenges. In the first challenge, students in grades 3-12 are asked to submit a video describing their favorite NASA Goddard spinoff. In a new twist, participants in this years contest must also use the engineering design process to develop and propose a new spinoff application of their own for the technology. Spinoffs are technologies originally created for space and modified into everyday products used on Earth. Examples include memory foam, invisible braces and scratch-resistant lenses for eyeglasses.The second challenge, the TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME InWorld Challenge, offers students in grades 6-12 an opportunity to take their video spinoff ideas to another level. Interested teams must study James Webb Space Telescope spinoff technology and post their completed spinoff videos for review by college engineering students. Engineering college mentors will select 20 teams to continue the collaborative design process within a multiuser virtual world to build a 3-D model of the teams design solutions.Winning students from each grade category will be invited to Goddard to participate in a behind-the-scenes workshop, attend a VIP awards ceremony and meet actor Peter Cullen, the voice of OPTIMUS PRIME.The deadline to register and upload videos isJan. 12, 2015.For more information, visithttp://itpo.gsfc.nasa.gov/optimus/.Questions about this contest should be directed to Darryl Mitchell atDarryl.R.Mitchell@nasa.gov.TRANSFORMERS and OPTIMUS PRIME are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. 2014 Hasbro. All rights reserved.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Free Program -- Cubes in SpaceTMidoodlelearning is offering two flight opportunities as part of the Cubes in Space program. A free science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics, or STEAM, program for students ages 11-18, Cubes in Space provides opportunities for students to design and compete to launch experiments into space.In partnership with Colorado Space Grant Consortium as part of the RockSat-C program, experiments will be launched via a sounding rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, in late June 2015. This opportunity is open to U.S. and international students 11-14 years of age.Through partnership with NASA Langley Research Center, a second flight opportunity is offered on a zero-pressure scientific balloon to be launched from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, in September 2015. The Science Missions Directorate Astrophysics division manages the NASA scientific balloon program; Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia oversees Balloon Flight Operations. This opportunity is open to students 11-18 years of age who are U.S. citizens.Using formal or informal learning environments, students and educators will learn about the methodology for taking an idea from design through the review process. Throughout the experience, students will acquire key 21st century skills necessary for success in a highly connected, global society.The deadline for program registration isJan. 12, 2015.For more information, visithttp://www.CubesInSpace.com.Questions about this program should be directed toinfo@cubesinspace.com.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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NASA Education Express Message for Jan. 8, 2015