“STEM Explorations: Living in Space” McAuliffe Center Offers Robotics Workshop for Teachers!

How do you get your students excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? Two words - ROBOTS and SPACE!

The McAuliffe Center at Framingham State College is offering a week-long professional development workshop to upper elementary and middle school teachers, designed to turn your students into NASA aerospace engineers.

McAuliffe staff will prepare you to engage your class in a space-themed program of iterative design utilizing LEGO’s state-of-the-art Mindstorms NXT robotics building system. By designing, building, and testing robotic solutions to the real problems associated with planetary exploration, your students will gain confidence in STEM subject areas, experience the thrill of the creative process, and discover a range of new potential career paths.

Like all of the McAuliffe Center’s education programs, “STEM Explorations: Living in Space” is standards-based, and presents hand-on science education in a way that is both content rich and thoroughly engaging.

The first session workshop begins on Tuesday July 6, 2010, and concludes on Friday, July 9. A second session (repeat of the first session) will begin on July 12, 2010 and conclude on July 16. A stipend will be awarded to all teachers who complete the program.

“STEM Explorations: Living in Space” is funded in part by a grant from the NASA Summer of Innovation program. Call the McAuliffe Center at 508.626.4050 for more information.
 

"STEM Explorations: Living in Space", a week-long LEGO robotics program for middle school students!

Your child will engage in a NASA space-themed program of engineering design utilizing LEGO’s state of the art Mindstorms NXT robotics building system.

Students in grades 6-8 will design, build, program, and test robotic solutions to NASA inspired scenarios associated with planetary exploration! Your child will gain confidence in STEM subject areas, experience the thrill of the engineering design process, and discover a range of new and potential career paths!

This NASA sponsored program begins on Monday July 26, 2010 and concludes on Friday July 30, 2010. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Framingham State College. The registration fee is $25.00. (We can only accept payments of cash or check.)

The development of this program is funded in part by a NASA Summer of Innovation grant. To request a registration form, please call 508 626-4050.
 

The Challenger Learning Center's hands-on, minds-on middle school program...

...uses space flight simulation to demonstrate the importance of essential 21^st century work skills, including teamwork, problem solving, decision making, and communication

...empowers students while giving them a sense of real accomplishment

...provides middle school students with a unique opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom

...inspires students to become self-starters by placing them in an authentic, real world setting with real mission-critical goals

...awakens within students an entirely new outlook on science and its potential as a career choice

 

...gives middle school students a chance to experience a vibrant college campus

...directly addresses a number of concepts singled out by the Massachusetts Science Education Frameworks

As if that weren't enough, over
10,000 crewmembers per year tell us...

...it's a total BLAST!

Call Nanci Goguen at  508.626.4055
to schedule a mission for your class.

The McAuliffe Center at FSC is proud to introduce our unique learning experience, the Voyage to Mars Corporate Mission program.

Imagine your staff in the role of NASA's next Mars exploration crew.  As mission controllers and astronauts, they face mission-critical challenges that will push their communication skills to the limit, draw their individual strength's to the fore, and foster cooperation through a unified drive toward mission success.

This extraordinary three-hour event emphasizes teamwork, problem solving, decision making, communication, and leadership skills in a simulated space exploration environment.

Call Sheryn Carew at 508.626.4050 today to schedule a mission for your crew.
 

Explorer Richard Garriot takes time from his busy in-flight schedule to acknowledge the contribution of CLCs around the world. Watch the video HERE.

Beware the MARS HOAX...

...some variation on this message manages to get re-circulated every year or two. It's bad astronomy. Full story here...

Massachusetts Academy of Sciences

Their Mission is to promote public understanding and appreciation of the sciences, to support scientific research and education in areas relevant to the needs of the state, and to provide consultative or advisory services on matters of science to the Governor, and to local, state, and federal agencies.

Their Motto is:
Think, Explore, Learn!

Teachers' Domain

Teachers' Domain is an online educational service with two related components — Collections and Courses — that help teachers enhance their students' learning experiences and advance their own teaching skills.

Visit the website, complete the simple, safe, and free teacher registration, and take it for a test drive right away. 

Planetarium Program Addresses
Common Classroom Conundrum

Are we closer to the Sun in summer? The answer to that question surprises many students - and adults. 

Angles, not distances, cause winter snows to obscure the same sandy beaches that burn our feet in the blazing heat of summer.

How does it all work?

Come experience the McAuliffe Center's new multimedia planetarium presentation, The TILT, as we uncover the reasons behind the Earth's changing cycle of seasons.

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