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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

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

Fostering Belonging in Neurodiverse Teams

2022-09-15T12:07:45-06:00

By Jessica Santascoy  Library staff are committed to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in their communities (Fournier and Ostman). It’s often the case that people find a welcoming and safe environment at a library – a sense of belonging.  Understanding neurodiversity helps increase inclusion. “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits (Baumer and Freuh).” In the image below, What is Neurodiversity?, there are some examples of neurodivergence, including some that may surprise [...]

Fostering Belonging in Neurodiverse Teams2022-09-15T12:07:45-06:00

American Library Association Annual Conference – STAR Net Activities

2022-07-08T15:55:35-06:00

By Jessica Santascoy  The American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference was a lot of fun, and we were thrilled to see many of you in person.   We hope you got a lot out of the workshops, one-on-one conversations, and public presentations.  We’ve summarized our participation and have rounded up the activities and resources we shared.   NASA and SEAL Booths   We hosted two booths that were wildly popular.   SEAL – Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries  We are helping libraries prep for two beautiful eclipses that are coming up.   Annular Eclipse on Saturday, October 14, 2023  Total Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024  [...]

American Library Association Annual Conference – STAR Net Activities2022-07-08T15:55:35-06:00

Findings from the Colorado Health Program Survey

2022-05-06T09:21:56-06:00

April 22,2022 Written by Paul B. Dusenbery, Ph.D. Senior Educator Emeritus Space Science Institute Overview The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a seismic paradigm shift. It has changed how people socialize, communicate, work, eat, and care for one another. It revealed the need for an infrastructure at the ready to mobilize public health resources to respond to future unexpected health challenges. COVID-19 is not the first health crises we have seen that is wrought with misinformation and lack of effective educational outreach resources to help communities make appropriate science-based decisions. Examples include the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the AIDS [...]

Findings from the Colorado Health Program Survey2022-05-06T09:21:56-06:00

Our Blue Planet: EARTH Featured Activity – Investigating the Insides 

2022-05-31T10:20:33-06:00

                Photo credit: LPI. STAR Net’s Our Blue Planet: EARTH campaign is a celebration of NASA’s focus on Earth’s oceans, understanding how they are changing and their impact on sea life and our weather and climate systems. Participate in this event during the summer of 2022 by sharing activities and resources with your patrons! This month’s featured activity is Investigating the Insides, an activity to study models of Ocean Worlds.  Investigating the Insides is a 10 to 30minute activity in which teams investigate the composition of unseen materials using a variety of tools. This [...]

Our Blue Planet: EARTH Featured Activity – Investigating the Insides 2022-05-31T10:20:33-06:00

Creating a Perpetual Nature Journal: A Sketchbook With a Twist

2021-05-30T09:10:51-06:00

I've read about artists, especially botanical artists, that take years to finish a work of art, not because they were just super slow, but because they had to wait.  What did they have to wait for?  Nature. These artists would focus on a particular plant while it was in bloom or its fruit was ripe, or it was at some other particular stage in its yearly cycle that they wanted to portray.  Then, when the blooms faded, the fruit was gone, or the plant had moved on to another stage, that painting and its associated sketches were put away until the [...]

Creating a Perpetual Nature Journal: A Sketchbook With a Twist2021-05-30T09:10:51-06:00

STEAM Engines: Da Vinci Bridge

2021-07-20T13:00:34-06:00

A few years back, as the Youth Services department was thinking about programs and play opportunities for the library, I attended this talk about the benefits of nature play for children. Scholarly presentations on the benefits of forest schools, nature preschools, and the importance of nature play were in abundance as well as hands-on activities for practical application in a school or library setting. I love it, and I’m totally on board, but the point that stuck out the most for me was the educator who talked about kids’ play being their work - that they would naturally become builders, engineers, [...]

STEAM Engines: Da Vinci Bridge2021-07-20T13:00:34-06:00

Nature Journaling – Art, Science, Observation, and Fun!

2021-05-28T22:05:55-06:00

Folks know what Nature is. Folks know what a journal is. But Nature can't write... no thumbs, among other things. Sooo. . . what is a nature journal? That depends. If you are an adult, a nature journal is a fantastic way to get away from the hustle, bustle, and rush, and practice patience, observational skills, and art.  It can be an opportunity to get out and have an outdoor adventure.  Keeping a nature journal is a way to become acquainted or reacquainted with the natural world.  It can become the place where an artist or future artist takes notes and [...]

Nature Journaling – Art, Science, Observation, and Fun!2021-05-28T22:05:55-06:00
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