Through two complementary NASA-funded projects, the NISE Network increased the capacity of informal educators to work with local communities to co-create opportunities to learn about NASA science in ways that are locally relevant and inclusive of everyone. Teams in seven locations across the United States are working with subject matter experts, community groups, and educational organizations.
Project Description
The nationwide initiative will create resources and opportunities for families to engage in learning about Earth and space science in community settings, creating a foundation for lifelong learning—and in some cases, studies and careers—in STEM. Hands-on learning materials will showcase authentic NASA science, data, and personnel; educator resources will share successful practices in informal STEM learning and engagement.
Project activities include:
- Co-creating STEM engagement materials with communities in several US states to connect learners with authentic Earth and space science and NASA assets
- Disseminating and implementing resources through national networks and local partnerships
- Building capacity among educators and scientists to engage local communities and use a co-creation process by providing resources and professional development
One page project description (PDF)
Professional Learning
Reflecting on Your Partnership Journey
Professional learning activity that can be used with a group of partners to reflect on collaborative partnerships.
- Online Workshop Recordings
- Engaging Hispanic/Latinx Communities - Forming Community Partnerships & the Co-creation Process (Part 1) (Recorded 9-10-24)
- Engaging Hispanic/Latinx Communities - Resources for Public Engagement (Part 2) (Recorded 10-8-24)
- Co-Creating with Communities - Inspiring Partner Stories (Recorded on 10-28-25)
- More collaboration and co-creation resources
Co-creating with Communities Project Videos
- All videos
- Overview
This four-minute video provides a brief overview of Co-creating with Communities project.
Youth Summit on the Future with Explora and Horizons Albuquerque in New Mexico
This one-minute video explores the Youth Summit on the Future, hosted in 2024 at Explora in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Part of a community co-creation effort led by Explora and Horizons Albuquerque, the event emphasized the importance of supporting youth as leaders in their communities.Día de los Muertos with STEAMBrando Futuros in Mesa, Arizona
This two-minute video highlights the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) community engagement programs co-created by the Mesa community and the STEAMBrando Futuros team for a Día de los Muertos event in October 2024 in Mesa, Arizona.. Partners reflect on the event as a culmination of their work, talking about the importance of the community seeing themselves as practitioners of STEAM and identifying the many ways STEAM shows up in our daily lives.Día de los Niños with Community Family Centers and the Children's Museum of Houston in Texas
This two-minute video explores inspiring co-creation work led by Community Family Centers and the Children's Museum of Houston during their 2025 Día de los Niños event. By working closely with their community, they have created ways to deeply engage families and create paths to lifelong learning.Space Fest with the Children's Museum of Brownsville in Texas
This two-and-a-half-minute video captures the excitement of Space Fest, hosted by the city of Brownsville, Texas. The 2025 event featured robotics, virtual reality (VR), and other STEM and space science experiences created by the Children's Museum of Brownsville and local partners.
Family Engagement Night at Antioch Middle School in Antioch, California
This two-minute video showcases a 2025 family engagement night hosted at Antioch Middle School in Antioch, California, that focused on NASA Earth and space science. Through community co-creation led by the Lawrence Hall of Science and Bay Area Community Resources, the community was also able to make valuable connections to Indigenous culture in STEM.San Ysidro STEM Fair at La Mirada Elementary School in San Ysidro, California
This two-minute video spotlights the 2025 San Ysidro STEM Fair at La Mirada Elementary School in San Ysidro, California. Co-creators in this work, including San Ysidro School District and the Fleet Science Center, discuss the importance of helping students see themselves in STEM and spark curiosity for future careers in the sciences.
Opportunities for NISE Network Partners
The NISE Network has an existing selection of relevant resources, with more to come in 2025:
- Inclusive Audiences https://www.nisenet.org/Audiences
- Early Learners https://www.nisenet.org/earlylearners
- Spanish Language Resources https://www.nisenet.org/spanish
- Collaboration Resources https://nisenet.org/collaborations
- Hands-on Activities more coming in 2026
- Ancestral Astronomy https://www.nisenet.org/ancestralastronomy
Timeline
- 2023: planning and development
- 2024: continued development and evaluation
- 2025 & 2026: dissemination of public engagement materials and professional development
Reports and Publications
Co-Creating with Communities project
Sparking Interest in STEM project
- Ayala Chávez, R. (2025). Let’s Have a Plática – Tengamos Una Plática: Practical Considerations and Lessons Learned From Conducting Pláticas in Three Different Settings. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251353451
https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/lets-have-platica
Project Partners
Co-Creating with Communities project
- Leadership
- Arizona State University Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning, Tempe, AZ
- Garibay Group, Chicago, IL
- Museum of Science, Boston, MA (project evaluator)
- Arizona
- Arizona State University, Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning, Tempe, AZ
- Patchwork Community Inclusion, Mesa, AZ
- RAIL CDC, Mesa, AZ
- Creative Community, Mesa, AZ
- Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ
- California
- Fleet Science Center, San Diego, CA
- San Ysidro Education Collaborative, San Diego, CA
- San Ysidro STEM Committee, San Diego, CA
- Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA
- Bay Area Community Resources, Fairfield, CA
- New Mexico
- Explora Science Center and Children's Museum, Albuquerque, NM
- Horizons Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
- Texas
- Children's Museum of Houston, Houston, TX
- Community Family Centers, Houston, TX
- Children’s Museum of Brownsville, Brownsville, TX
- 9th St Company, Brownsville, TX
- Reybotics, Brownsville, TX
- Contractors
- Swift Creek Media
- Futuremundo
- Emily Maletz Design
- Yellow Cow Consulting LLC
- Advisors
- Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
- Funding
Sparking Interest in STEM project
- Leadership
- North Carolina
- Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC
- El Futuro, Durham, NC
- El Centro Hispano, Durham, NC
- Duke University, Ignite, Durham, NC
- Swift Creek Media, Raleigh, NC
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Raleigh, NC
- Catalyst Consulting Group, Durham, NC (project evaluator)
- Advisors
- NASA JPL, CA
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, AL
- NASA Langley Research Center, VA
- Children's Creativity Museum, San Francisco, CA
- Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY
- Universidad Ana G. Méndez (UAGM), San Juan, PR
- Contractors
- Swift Creek Media
- Emily Maletz Design
- Funding
Acknowledgements
Co-creating with Communities project
This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22M0122. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Sparking Interest in STEM project
This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22M0100. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).