American Astronomical Society Statement: Proposed Elimination of NASA Science Education & Public Outreach The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has issued a statement addressing the potential elimination of the education and public outreach (EPO) activities in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, as called for in President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget proposal. The AAS enthusiastically supports the Administration’s goals to increase the impact of federal education investments and to increase the […]

ROSES-13 Amendment 13: Education and Public Outreach removed from Appendix A.34, New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science “The New Investigator Program (NIP) in Earth Science is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. … NIP will not accept Education and Public Outreach Plans in 2013.” – NAC Committee Is Against NASA EPO Changes, earlier […]

NASA Advisory Council Astrophysics Subcommittee Letter 1 May 2013 Issue: Removal of EPO Functions from SMD: “Finding: The result of this long-term dedication to education and public outreach is an extremely efficient process where scientists and educators routinely collaborate on developing high-impact content for education and public engagement. In contrast, the proposed realignment shifts all education and outreach efforts far from the actual science being communicated. The end result may […]

Three winners selected in “Why Space Matters to the Future” national video contest “The Coalition for Space Exploration (Coalition) and the NASA Visitor Center Consortium are pleased to announce the winners of the “Why Space Matters to the Future” video contest: Addie Augsburger, Clyzzel Samson, and Elizabeth Paddock. The winning entries were selected for both their creative demonstrations of the importance of space exploration and their unique visions for the […]

Aerospace Industries Association Crowdfunding Campaign to Advertise for Space Program “The Aerospace Industries Association is leading a first-of-its-kind crowdfund campaign to showcase to students and young people the exciting new era of U.S. space exploration.” Please Support We Are The Explorers – A Movie Trailer for Our Space Program (With Video) “NASA recently made an inspiring new online video narrated by Mr. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime (see […]

Repeal the sequester’s cuts on NASA’s spending in public outreach and its STEM programs “Repeal the sequester’s cuts on NASA’s spending in public outreach and its STEM programs The Sequester’s recent cuts on NASA’s spending in public outreach and its STEM programs must not be allowed. These cuts would end the many programs NASA has for educating the children of our society, as well as many other forms of public […]

Education & Public Outreach, Lars Perkins, Chairman Education and Public Outreach Committee NASA Advisory Council 29 November 2012 Larger image NASA Says It Cannot Advertise – and Then Buys Advertisements, (NASA Watch posting referenced in this NASA Advisory Council Chart). Keith’s 25 August 2011 note: I have lost count how many times people at NASA have told me that they cannot self-promote, advertise, lobby, or otherwise try to use standard […]

Can Commercial Space Rescue NASA From Deadly Public Indifference?, Forbes “Sustainable public advocacy will depend upon around bold goals and clear plans that warrant substantial investments. Writing in Reason magazine, Gregory Benford correlated public interest in space exploration with a natural desire for vicarious adventure. Benford observed that: “Much of the passion in science fiction springs from a deep-rooted human need: to reach out, to prefer movement to stasis, to […]

Given Tablets but No Teachers, Ethiopian Children Teach Themselves, MIT “With 100 million first-grade-aged children worldwide having no access to schooling, the One Laptop Per Child organization is trying something new in two remote Ethiopian villages–simply dropping off tablet computers with preloaded programs and seeing what happens. … Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. “I thought the kids would […]

Keith’s note: The following is put at the bottom of most press releases issued regarding Mars Curiosity. “More information about Curiosity is online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.” Why does NASA pay to maintain three separate websites (two run by JPL) – all of which are out of synch with one another? NASA is constantly complaining that they never have enough money to run all of their EPO and […]