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Professional Development, Conferences and Resources

2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

(The author standing in the flame-trench of Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center. Directly behind me is the flame-deflector which diverts the exhaust from the SLS rocket's  four RS-25 engines and two solid-rocket boosters, equally to each side of the deflector. In the foreground on the left side of the image, stacked on the ground, are the steel panels that have been removed from the flame-deflector. These were damaged by the greater than anticipated energy from the November 2022 launch of Artemis 1. These will all be replaced with new and stronger panels before the launch of Artemis II, currently scheduled for the end [...]

Professional Development, Conferences and Resources2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

JWST Anniversary Activities

2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

(The primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope after being assembled at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Gunn) An amazing space telescope, that is rewriting astronomy books, has a big anniversary coming up! July 12, 2023 will be the 1-year anniversary of the first images release from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). There are many ways for libraries to participate, and there will be another special image release on July 12 to commemorate the anniversary. To find out information about hosting your own event in partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI) [...]

JWST Anniversary Activities2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

Summer is For Solar Systems

2023-06-18T10:39:31-06:00

(Christopher Mick pictured with adhesive sidewalk graphics that contained information on each planet and were applied at the appropriate distances from each other on the sidewalks starting at the Hudson library and continuing on for a 1-mile scale Solar System Walk, based on the Sun being 8-inches across)   The vast size of our Solar System can be a hard concept to get across to visitors at your library. Luckily there are several fun and interactive ways to represent the scale of our Solar System for multiple age groups, indoor and outdoor, from a strip of paper to a mile-long walking tour beginning at [...]

Summer is For Solar Systems2023-06-18T10:39:31-06:00

Bringing Space To Your Space

2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

(Patrons attending a NASA James Webb Space Telescope Community event in Hudson, WI. Photo by Christopher Mick)   It all started in 2014, with an idea to put together a STEM presentation for a local school that my son was attending at the time. The thinking was I would combine several interesting  STEM experiences I had had as a kid growing up in Northern California. I had been lucky enough to attend the United States Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama (www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCamp) during back to back Summers in the mid-eighties. My father was a retired pilot and gave me occasional flying lessons when [...]

Bringing Space To Your Space2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

Artemis II, More Than Just the Moon

2023-05-15T22:23:05-06:00

The Crew of Artemis II. (back row left to right) Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen I(n-front center) Reid Wiseman. The Artemis program is now moving beyond the years of testing hardware and systems, and with the successful completion of the un-crewed Artemis 1 mission in December of 2022, NASA has announced the crew of the first mission to begin returning astronauts to the Moon for a series of  ever more ambitious and complicated missions. Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Hammock Koch (Mission Specialist) and Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist) are scheduled for a 10-day mission in late 2024 to test all [...]

Artemis II, More Than Just the Moon2023-05-15T22:23:05-06:00

(Resource List) James Webb Space Telescope First Image – Toolkit Unboxing Webinar

2022-05-24T16:40:40-06:00

Link Bank Presenters  Claire Ratcliffe Adams Space Science Institute cratcliffe@spacescience.org  Christine Shupla Lunar and Planetary Institute shupla@lpi.usra.edu  Dillon Connelly Space Science Institute dconnelly@spacescience.org  JWST First Image Toolkit Resources Improv with the Stars! (Modification & Prep List) (Science Blog) Multiwavelength Bingo (Modification & Prep List) (Science Blog) Filtered Light (Modification & Prep List) (Science Blog) NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Model (Modification & Prep List) (Science Blog) James Webb Space Telescope Resources Look Up! Explore Our Universe Event Page: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/look-up/ Look Up! First Image Clearinghouse Activity Collection: http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/178-look-up-first-image James Webb Space Telescope Website for Public Engagement Materials: https://webbtelescope.org/ Follow Webb using #NASAWebb on [...]

(Resource List) James Webb Space Telescope First Image – Toolkit Unboxing Webinar2022-05-24T16:40:40-06:00

(Resource List) Celebrate Water During Earth Science Week

2022-05-23T20:53:20-06:00

Lake Powell photographed by Landsat 8 satellite, 2014 (credit: NASA) Celebrate Water During Earth Science Week - Link Bank Presenters Claire Ratcliffe Adams Space Science Institute cratcliffe@spacescience.org Dillon Connelly Space Science Institute dconnelly@spacescience.org Webinar Recording: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/development/webinars/ Follow We Are Water Newsletter Signup: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/about/our-projects/we-are-water/#newsletter-signup STAR Net We Are Water (website for libraries): https://www.starnetlibraries.org/about/our-projects/we-are-water/ We Are Water (website for patrons): https://wearewater.colorado.edu/ We Are Water Stories (images, videos, podcasts): https://wearewater.colorado.edu/stories Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreWaterSW Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeAreWaterSW Featured Activities: STAR Net Activity Clearinghouse “We Are Water” Collection: http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/167-we-are-water Adaptations: A Way of Life: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/2020/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Adaptations_-A-Way-of-Life.pdf Precipitation Towers: http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/activities/630-precipitation-towers.html Build-A-Bug: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/2020/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/build-a-bug.pdf SciStarter Citizen Science Projects: https://scistarter.org/ Take & Make: Be a Water [...]

(Resource List) Celebrate Water During Earth Science Week2022-05-23T20:53:20-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Multiwavelength Bingo

2022-05-27T13:50:34-06:00

Credit: Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics This content was written by Christine Shupla from the Lunar and Planetary Institute  Celebrate the first images of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: Multiwavelength Bingo  Engage your patrons in astronomical images taken by telescopes studying the universe in different wavelengths in this game of bingo, after first exploring the idea of different types of light through an activity like Filtered Light or through this ViewSpace Interactive.   Facilitate as an in-person program at your library or as a Take & Make activity; interactive files are also available to conduct this game virtually with [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Multiwavelength Bingo2022-05-27T13:50:34-06:00

All Washed Up Looking for Oceans STEAM Activities for Summer Reading? Check out the Our Blue Planet: EARTH STEAM Activity Toolkit!

2022-05-27T11:29:07-06:00

Summer reading is rapidly approaching! If your library is participating in the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s Oceans of Possibilities summer reading theme or you simply want to facilitate some awesome water-themed STEAM activities the summer, have we got the toolkit for you!  The NASA@ My Library Our Blue Planet: EARTH STEAM Activity toolkit containing five ready-to-deploy hands-on activities related to ocean and water science. Each activity has been selected to be low-cost, adaptable, and fun for you and your patrons!  This digital toolkit includes blog posts here on starnetlibraries.org to help program facilitators with additional information on the tools and concepts [...]

All Washed Up Looking for Oceans STEAM Activities for Summer Reading? Check out the Our Blue Planet: EARTH STEAM Activity Toolkit!2022-05-27T11:29:07-06:00

The concepts of inclusion and intersectionality; and employing them to grow our audiences

2022-05-06T13:05:18-06:00

The concepts of inclusion and intersectionality; and employing them to grow our audiences by Kevin Tolley, Supervising Librarian Suisun City Library Suisun City, CA We are libraries and because of that we include everyone. This is a matter of deep moral imperative. We also are libraries, and because of that we need to increase our market penetration and usage rates in underserved populations. This is a financial imperative if we’re going to continue to function as libraries and have patrons who enjoy our services into the future. It would seem that these two things dovetail beautifully, on the one hand a [...]

The concepts of inclusion and intersectionality; and employing them to grow our audiences2022-05-06T13:05:18-06:00
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