Dawn Missions Imagine Ceres ProjectShare in the anticipation and excitement of NASAs Dawn spacecraft's arrival at Ceres in March 2015!Can you imagine what the Dawn mission might discover at Ceres in the next few weeks and months? What does this vast world hold for explorers and scientists today? What do you imagine the surface of Ceres will look like? How do you imagine that Ceres formed? When do you imagine Ceres came into being? Over what time frame?NASAs Dawn mission wants you to share your ideas! Send in your creations in the form of art, music, poetry or video. Selected submissions will be featured in the Imagine Ceres gallery.To learn more about the Imagine Ceres project, including how to submit your ideas, visithttp://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/dawncommunity/imagine_ceres_about.asp.For more information about the Dawn mission, visithttp://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/.Please email any questions about this opportunity to Joe Wise atjwise1972@gmail.com._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Museum Alliance Webcast -- Journey to Mars Museum Kit ResourcesAre you looking for resources and products to enhance your exhibits and education programs? TheJourney to Mars Museum Kitincludes a variety of digital resources designed to assist museums in sharing NASAs Journey to Mars story and can easily be found on theNASA Museum Alliance Website. This kit includes the top 5-10 best presentations, graphic files, videos, print products, activities and the most recent talking points available. The resources are selected and designed with museums in mind and can easily be incorporated into exhibits and programs.NASA invites you and your institution to join us on the Journey to Mars! Tune into the webcast onMarch 19, 2015, at 4 p.m. EDTto hear from NASA Museum Liaison, Patricia Moore, to learn more about how these resources can be used in museums, science centers, planetariums and other informal education institutions.To view the webcast from your computer, visithttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-jsc. Or dial in to the conference line at 1-888-323-4924, passcode museum.Questions for Patricia may be asked on the conference line or via email atPatricia.L.Moore@nasa.gov.After the webcast, presentation materials will be posted on the Museum Alliance member site athttps://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/Conversations. A downloadable copy of the webcast and transcript will be posted a week or so later at the same location. Username and password are required to access the member site.To learn how to become a Museum Alliance member, visithttps://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/About.

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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 that bring NASA into your classroom. Pre-registration is not required for these webinars. Simply go to the link provided for each webinar approximately 15 minutes before the session begins. Sign in as a guest using your first and last names.Weather and Climate: Exploring a Storm of STEM in Your Classroom Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-8Event Date:March 19, 2015, at 6 p.m. EDTThis webinar will explore our understanding and forecasting of weather, and how weather and climate differ. NASA missions, STEM resources, curriculum and integration of the Next Generation Science Standards will guide participants through a storm of classroom activities.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/stennisnasaepd/Our Solar System: Classifying, Graphing and Modeling the Neighborhood Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-8Event Date:March 23, 2015, at 5 p.m. EDTLearn about lessons involving classification, graphing and models that help students better understand and visualize our solar system. Next Generation Science Standards will be explored and integrated into this out-of-this-world webinar.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/stennisnasaepd/Art and the Cosmic Connection Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-CollegeEvent Date:March 24, 2015, at 7 p.m. EDTGeology meets art in this webinar featuring ways to inspire your inner geologist to use art to recreate craters, mountains, rivers, wind-driven landscapes and more. Learn how to read planetary images as well as Earth images. Activities featured meet Next Generation Science Standards.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/jplnasaepd/Solar System and the Periodic Table of Elements Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 3-CollegeEvent Date:March 25, 2015, at 7 p.m. EDTLearn about an engaging lesson that introduces the periodic table and why it is important to us. The lesson includes a game and a short writing prompt for understanding. Activities featured meet Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Participants need crayons or colored pencils and the following periodic table left blank (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/toe5.pdf).https://connect.its.txstate.edu/jplnasaepd/Robotics on a Budget Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-8Event Date:March 26, 2015, at 5 p.m. EDTWhat are robots and how are they used at NASA? Using NASA robotic missions, curricula and online resources, participants will explore how to use robotics economically in the classroom to enhance students understanding of STEM.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/stennisnasaepd/Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan atStephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NASA Request for Information: NASA Centennial Challenges -- Space Race ChallengeNASAs Centennial Challenges program is seeking input on a Space RACE (Rendezvous And Capture Experiment) Challenge concept being considered for a future prize competition. The challenge would require competitors to build vehicles capable of autonomous rendezvous, capture, and manipulation of small objects at high speeds with applications for the Mars Sample Return campaign, lunar sample return missions and many other commercial venues.The purposes of this request for information are (1) to gather feedback on the competition being considered, (2) to determine the level of interest in potentially competing in this challenge and (3) to understand the applicability of the technology developed by the competition for other nongovernment applications.NASA welcomes replies from all segments of industry, academia and government, including associations, innovators and enthusiasts. This request for information is for informational and planning purposes only, and the government will not be responsible for any cost associated with preparing information in support of this request. This request for information is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the government to enter into any agreement or other obligation, or to conduct a Space RACE challenge.Responses are requested byMarch 19, 2015.For more information, visithttp://go.usa.gov/33Zyw.For general information on the NASA Centennial Challenges Program, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/challenges.Please direct any questions about this opportunity to Sam Ortega atsam.ortega@nasa.gov.

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NASA Space Technology Grants for Early Career University FacultyNASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is seeking proposals from accredited U.S. universities on behalf of outstanding early career faculty members who are beginning their independent careers. The grants will sponsor research in specific, high-priority areas of interest to the U.S. space program.NASA expects to award approximately six to eight grants this fall, funded up to $200,000 each per year for as many as three years, based on the merit of proposals and availability of funds. Funded research will investigate unique, disruptive or transformational space technologies in areas such as dynamic tensegrity technologies for space science and exploration, high-temperature solar cells, fundamental aero-thermodynamic model development, and synthetic biology technologies for space exploration.Notices of intent to submit proposals to the Early Career Faculty Appendix of NASA's Research Announcement "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration and Infusion 2015 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2015)" are dueMarch 20, 2015. The deadline for submitting final proposals isApril 17, 2015.For information on the solicitation, including specific technology areas of interest and how to submit notices of intent and proposals, visithttp://go.nasa.gov/1vwtqZz.This solicitation is part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in future missions. For more information about the directorate and Space Technology Research Grants Program, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/spacetech.Please email any questions about this opportunity to Bonnie F. James atHQ-STMD-SpaceTech-REDDI@nasa.gov.

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Library of Congress 2015 Summer Institutes -- Teaching With Primary SourcesThe Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its week-long summer programs for K-12 educators. Held at the Library of Congress in the District of Columbia, this professional development opportunity provides educators with tools and resources to effectively integrate primary sources into K-12 classroom teaching, with an emphasis on student engagement, critical thinking and construction of knowledge.The Library is offering five programs this summer: three of the programs are open to teachers and librarians across all content areas, one focuses on civil rights, and another concentrates on primary sources in science. Tuition and materials are provided at no cost.General Institutes:Open to K-12 teachers and school librarians across the content areas-- Session 1: June 22-26, 2015-- Session 2: July 6-10, 2015-- Session 3: July 27-31, 2015Civil Rights Institute:Open to K-12 teachers and school librarians with teaching responsibilities related to civil rights-- Civil Rights Institute: August 3-7, 2015Science Institute:Recommended for K-12 educators who teach science or collaborate with science teachers-- Science Institute: July 20-24, 2015Applications are dueMarch 24, 2015, and require a letter of recommendation.For more information and to submit an application, visithttp://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/.Questions about this opportunity should be directed toteachinglcsummer@loc.gov.

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NASA Education Express Message -- March 19, 2015