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Newsletter: November 2023

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NOVEMBER 2023     


2023 Annular Eclipse_Child Viewing Outside The Bell Museum StPaul MN.jpg

NETWORK NEWS

Partners Celebrate the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse 
We are thrilled to hear so much positivity from partners about their events to celebrate the October 14, 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse! It’s wonderful to hear stories and see photos that capture the excitement you brought audiences. Even for those who experienced clouds and rain, it seems everyone was prepared and adapted in order to create safe, successful, and memorable events for participants. We are also incredibly grateful to the many who brought out their Explore Science: Voyage through the Solar System kit and other NISE Network Explore Science: Earth and Space resources for the occasion. We are honored to have had the chance to be a part of these unforgettable events with you and your audiences.

ASTC 2023 NISE Network booth in Charlotte, NC

Read more about highlights from partner events and see what’s coming next with our
January 2024 online workshop to prepare for the April 2024 total solar eclipse! 

 

 

ASTC Conference 
It was wonderful to see so many of our partners in person at the ASTC Conference in Charlotte, NC. We always enjoy learning from each other.
If you weren’t able to attend, we have our booth materials available and slides from many of our concurrent session posted at nisenet.org/astc2023

 

 

Explore Science Voyage through the solar system logo within icon of planets reflected in astronaut helmet

Online Report for the Explore Science: Voyage through the Solar System Kit Now Available - Due December 1, 2023
The online report for the Voyage through the Solar System kit is now available. All partners receiving physical kits are required to submit an online report to the NISE Network about their experiences. The report asks about public engagement efforts in 2023, as well as plans for 2024. Some of the questions will also ask about other NISE Network Earth and Space content. You can learn more on our site, preview a PDF and Word Doc template, and find the link to submit completed reports online.

Learn more

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

NISE Net Online Workshop logo

Online Workshops
The NISE Network hosts free online workshops as professional development opportunities for our partners to share with and learn from each other. Online workshops take place on select Tuesdays at 2pm-3pm Eastern. View upcoming online workshops at nisenet.org/events

Online Workshop:
Totality or Bust! Partners Talk Planning for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Tuesday, January 9, 2024
2-3pm Eastern

Many of us have barely taken a breath after events celebrating the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse, but believe it or not it is time to start planning for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse! Join us for this online workshop to hear from partners on and off the path of totality about their plans for events in 2024.
Learn more and register

NASA solar eclipse diagram showing positions of Earth Moon and the Sun

2024 Total Solar Eclipse - Monday, April 8, 2024 
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be seen in the US from Texas to Maine. States on the path of totality include: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. All of North America will have at least a partial solar eclipse (if skies are clear).

• Compilation of resources: nisenet.org/solareclipse

Slideshow presentation

Online workshop recording (recorded 9/12)

• Online workshop registration (1/9/24)

• DIY Sun Science app

AGU Logo Advancing Earth and Space Science

 

AGU Conference December 11-15, San Francisco 
If you are planning to attend AGU this year, please see NISE Network presentations and sessions:
nisenet.org/AGU2023


 


PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

 

Greensboro Science Center family science night with families crowded around an hands-on activity table

Partner Highlight: Family Science Nights in Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Science Center recently conducted Family Science Nights at two local Title 1 schools: Jefferson Elementary School and Guilford Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Greensboro Science Center provided 12 hands-on activity stations set up both inside and outside the schools. 
Learn more

 

NanoDays activities at Arizona Science Center October 2023 with visitors waiting at a table

Partner Highlight: Nanotechnology Day Activities in Arizona

To celebrate Nanotechnology Day and the 20th anniversary of the federal act authorizing the creation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, public engagement events were held at both the Arizona Science Center and Arizona State University (ASU) during the month of October. 
Learn more


FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE

Talking with Children about Tragic Events in the News
Parents, caregivers, and educators can all play an important role in helping children recover from exposure to tragic events in the news as well as traumatic experiences. Below is a compilation of resources for talking with children about tragic events in the news including war, violence, racism, and natural disasters. Navigating these conversations isn't easy, but these resources can be helpful for both children and adults.
nisenet.org/tragic-events
 

An artist’s concept of asteroid Psyche. Credit: Maxar/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech

Meteorites and Asteroids
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx successfully returned to Earth on September 24, 2023 with material from asteroid Bennu, the Psyche mission to a metal asteroid successfully launched in October 2023, and the Lucy spacecraft will encounter its first target November 1, 2023.
nisenet.org/asteroids

 

Solar eclipse hero without text overlay

Solar eclipse resources for planning your 2024 eclipse community engagement event
Many of us have barely taken a breath after events celebrating the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse, but now it’s time to start planning for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse! On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be seen in the US from Texas to Maine. States on the path of totality include: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. All of North America will have at least a partial solar eclipse (if skies are clear).
nisenet.org/solareclipse

Looking for an easy way to discover resources on the nisenet.org website?
Check out our “Browse by Themes and Topics,” featuring curated collections of hands-on activities and resources by themes and STEM topics: nisenet.org/browse-topic

 


COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Science Near Me logo

Science Near Me
Science Near Me is a free resource to help the public engage with STEM opportunities. The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), in partnership with Science Near Me, is looking for new partners to share their events and programs through the database. New partners are eligible for a $1,000 stipend to join this initiative.
Learn more

 

ASTC Cultivating Community Science Stipends
Stipends to support established teams of science center/museum and community-based partners in using community science approaches to make demonstrable progress on community priorities. Applications due December 4, 2023.
Learn more

 

NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador
Do you know an astronomy enthusiast or undergraduate student with a passion for sharing space science? Learn how they can become an official NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador and help engage your community in the awe and wonder of the upcoming solar eclipse.
Learn more

 

A Million Miles Away film poster showing astronaut and child

A Million Miles Away Film Viewing Guide
The new film "A Million Miles Away" chronicles the inspiring story of José Hernandez from migrant farmworker to astronaut. The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) has developed a companion educational STEM viewing guide to support families and educators.
Learn more

 

 



SCIENCE IN THE NEWS


CHEMISTRY AND NANOTECHNOLOGY NEWS

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 was awarded for the discovery and development of quantum dots.These tiny particles have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps. In the early 1980s, Louis Brus and Aleksey Yekimov succeeded in creating quantum dots, which are nanoparticles so tiny that quantum effects determine their characteristics

Learn more

Popular science background

NISE Network resources: 

• NanoDays resources

• Quantum resources

• Size & scale resources


GENETICS NEWS

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 was awarded for discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Learn more

NISE Network resources: 

• Genetics resources

• Health resources

• Vaccine resources

• Coronavirus COVID-19 resources


SPACE NEWS

OSIRIS-REx, the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid returned to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023 bringing material from asteroid Bennu. Initial studies of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample show evidence of high-carbon content and water, which together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock. 

Learn more

NISE Network resources: 

• Asteroid resources


NEUROSCIENCE NEWS

A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of neuroscientists, neurosurgeons and engineers can translate a person's brain signals into what they're trying to say. The new technology might one day help people unable to talk due to neurological disorders regain the ability to communicate through a brain-computer interface.

Learn more

NISE Network resources: 

• Brain and Neuroscience resources


PHYSICS NEWS

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 was awarded for experiments which have given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules. These scientists demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to measure which electrons move or change energy.

Learn more

Popular science background

NISE Network resources: 

• NanoDays resources

• Size & scale resources


RADIO WAVES NEWS

On October 14, as most Californians were treated to a partial solar eclipse, researchers at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) took in a different view. The observatory measured radio wavelengths between 20 and 88 megahertz (MHz) to create an image of the "radio eclipse." 

Learn more

NISE Network resources: 

• Making Waves with Radio kit

• Engineering and robot resources

• Electromagnetic spectrum resources


CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP28 is taking place November 30-December 12 in Dubai. The ultimate goal of COP is to reach global agreements and commitments to combat climate change. To help Connecting to COP28, an online portal has been created for citizen engagement. 

Learn more

NISE Network resources: 

• Climate change resources

 


STEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Discover activity ideas for incorporating current science, engineering, and technology content into events, special programming, holidays, and seasonal activities by visiting: nisenet.org/seasons

November

 

December


 

NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES​​​

  • AGU Conference December 11-15, San Francisco 
    Learn more

  • Association of Children's Museums InterActivity, May 15-17, 2024, Madison, WI
    Learn more

  • International Symposium on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST), April 10-12, 2024, Zacateca, Mexico

    Learn more

  • REVISE InformalScience.org conference calendar

    Learn more

  • National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences

    Learn more