NuSTAR E/PO program

NuSTAR The Sonoma State University NASA Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) group has extensive experience in designing successful education and public outreach programs for several high-energy astronomy NASA missions. The SSU group plans to create an exceptional E/PO program for the NuSTAR mission. As always, we plan to adhere to the recommendations of the NASA Office of Space Science and the educational community. We will partner with the NASA/JPL Space Place team, an established presence in the space science E/PO community.

The NuSTAR E/PO program will consist of the following elements:

• Educational Unit
  • We will create a series of hands-on student activities based on the technology and engineering of the NuSTAR satellite itself. These activities will adhere to the standards of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA), and will be promoted at nation, regional, and local educators conferences.
• Regular publications in educational periodicals
  • We will write educational articles for teacher and public magazines about NuSTAR science and technology. Regular articles will also appear in newspapers, both in English and Spanish.
• Informal Activities
  • We will create a series of educational and fun informal activities based on NuSTAR technology and science. These will include an animated interview with a NuSTAR scientist, a board game, and animations for use by the press and in the classroom. These will be distributed through youth groups, museums, clubs, and libraries, reaching a potential audience of tens of millions of people.
• Educator Ambassadors
  • Two highly-trained and top notch teachers will be designated "SEU NuSTAR Educator Ambassadors" (EAs), and will help develop, test, and disseminate activities and information about NuSTAR. These NuSTAR EAs will join the growing group of other EAs who represent seven other space science programs.
• NuSTAR Web Site
  • We will maintain this NuSTAR E/PO web site aimed at educators, students, and the general public. News, mission updates, and the educational activities will all be accessible through this portal.
• Evaluation
  • Our E/PO program is evaluated both formatively and summatively, including all formal educational products and teacher training. This will ensure that the program maximizes not only its audience but its effectiveness in reaching that audience.