New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

1. New Jersey Space Grant ConsortiumConsortium Overview & New Jersey Astronomy Center for EducationH. BaruhMid-Atlantic Region Space Grant MeetingCharlottesville, VASeptember 15, 2006

2. New Jersey Space Grant Consortium The New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC) has the mission of advancing aerospace higher education, research and technology. NJSGC programs include: • Undergraduate and graduate level fellowships • Faculty enhancement and curriculum development • Industry-University Research Initiatives • K-12 Educator Training • Public Outreach Members • New Jersey Institute of Technology • Princeton University • Rutgers University • Stevens Institute of Technology (Lead Institution) • University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey Affiliates • New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education at RVCC • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center at GISS • Contact Science, Inc. • Georgian Court College (NASA Resource Center) New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

3. New Jersey Space Grant Consortium NJSGC (www.njsgc.org) is a Program Grant consortium with a current annual expenditure of about $600K. Funds received from NASA are matched at least one to one by industry, the state of New Jersey and nonprofit organizations. We are currently in realignment mode. New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

4. New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education • The New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education (NJACE) at Raritan Valley Community College is an affiliate of NJSGC. • NJACE is comprised of • State-of-the-art Planetarium • Teaching Institute • The Teaching Institute presents a variety of professional development opportunities to teachers throughout New Jersey and the nearby region. • Focus on astronomy, space science, and earth science and how these fields relate to physics, chemistry, history, and mathematics, as well as to other areas of K-12. • Project ASTRO: National Program which creates long-term partnerships between astronomers and teachers or youth group and community leaders. New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

5. New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education • New Jersey one of the first states to develop and implement a uniform astronomy (and space science) standards for K-12. • New Jersey does not have a well-established astronomy curriculum or teacher training program for K-12. • Starting next school year all New Jersey students will be tested in science in grades 4, 8 and 11 (15-20% of the tests will be on astronomy). • There about 6,000 science teachers in New Jersey, and about 20% of them will be involved in astronomy instruction • NJACE conducts 80-90% of all the teacher training in astronomy in N.J. • So far, only 15-20% of the teachers who are involved in astronomy instruction have been trained. Due to: • Lack of funding within districts to pay for those trainings • Personnel and resource limitations at NJACE New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

6. New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education • NJACE teaches concepts to teachers in the same way teachers are expected to teach them to their students: through hands-on inquiry-based activities. • NJACE workshops start with an appropriate focus question and an exploration of student ideas, followed by a carefully designed experiment or experience. • NJACE workshops are designed to help teachers increase their understanding of astronomy concepts such as • Moon Phases and Eclipses • Reasons for Seasons • Stellar Evolution • Expansion of the Universe New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

7. New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education • NJACE Summer Programs: • Three Summer Institutes • Two Starlab Portable Planetarium trainings • Two one-day workshops • The Summer Institutes cover all astronomy concepts students need to know before graduating high school • The Starlab trainings provides teachers with a tool that allows students to make their own astronomical observations during class New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

8. New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education • NJACE is the recipient of two recent NASA grants • ROSS-EPO:In collaboration with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJACE works with K-12 schools to develop a series of workshops and to provide teachers with ideas on how to integrate basic astronomy lessons into their curriculum. • IDEAS • Small teams from six N.J. school districts attend weeklong Summer Institute at RVCC. Various methods for teaching astronomy are discussed. • NJACE works with these teams, over a two year period, to examine their astronomy curriculum, developing timelines and methods for improving the way astronomy is taught. New Jersey Space Grant Consortium

9. NJACE, NJSGC, NASA, SNJ • Strong collaboration between RVCC-NJACE, NJSGC, NASA and State of New Jersey Department of Education • NJSGC support currently in the form of subsidizing tuition for teacher training workshops • NJSGC plans to increase its support of NJACE • State of N.J. has charged NJACE and NASA education specialists with improving the teaching of astronomy in K-12 and for developing course content (they also asked NJSGC for more support) • Recommendations of the NJACE and NASA education specialists to be implemented in the near future New Jersey Space Grant Consortium