Epo's Chronicles is a weekly Web comic series which takes place in the distant future. It is about a sentient spaceship called Epo, and its humanoid companion, Alkina, who explore the universe and try to discover their origins. The comic follows a... (View More) fictional story line incorporating both recent and classic scientific discoveries from NASA missions. Accompanying each episode are explanatory notes and glossary entries to help explain the science subjects discussed each week. Additional resources such as web links with lesson plans, and multimedia clips are also frequently available. (View Less)

The Maryland Science Center is working with formal education providers in local underserved schools around a combined project including an interactive exhibit, a Davis Planetarium program and associated Educator Workshops, and will provide outreach... (View More) to the informal science education community to explore the subject of Astrobiology. Topics covered in both the exhibit and the Davis Planetarium program will include Earthly extremophiles (organisms that survive in extreme conditions), potential other life in the Solar System, locations on nearby worlds where life may exist, the search for exoplanets, the techniques used to discover them, and the NASA missions engaged in the hunt. With an engaging, interactive approach, the exhibit will detail the challenges, questions and techniques of the search for exoplanets, especially Earth-like worlds. The exhibit will help visitors understand the scale of both the Milky Way galaxy and the Universe, and by doing so comprehend the difficulty in searching for other worlds, especially smaller Earth-like worlds. (View Less)

In this lesson, learners will discover how certain snakes (pit-vipers) can find prey using a natural infrared sensor and will extend their understandings by exploring infrared technology applications. The lesson features background information for... (View More) the teacher, pre-requisite skills and knowledge for the student, a mini-exploration of infrared image technology, multiple image sets, assessment information, student worksheets, extension and transfer activities, and additional resources. This is lesson 2 on the Infrared Zoo website. (View Less)

In this multi-day activity, students use infrared and visible images of animals and sort them into broad categories based upon the learner's own reasoning and observations of the images. Further explorations reveal that warm and cold-blooded animals... (View More) can be identified and characterized using infrared images. The lesson features background information for the teacher, pre-requisite skills and knowledge for the student, a mini-exploration of Infrared Image Technology, multiple image sets, assessment information, student worksheets, extension and transfer activities, and additional resources. This is lesson 1 on the Infrared Zoo website. (View Less)

This collection of activities presents learners with intriguing questions about the universe and provides an opportunity to explore topics related to the search for life beyond our own planet. The collection includes eight existing classroom... (View More) activities that have been adapted for after school school settings. Each activity can be completed in one hour, however some activities require advance preparation. The activities also require materials that may need to be gathered by the instructor. However, these include commonly available supplies. The activities in this collection are targeted for 5-12 year olds. Separate instructions for the different age groups are provided as appropriate. (View Less)

In this activity, students survey other people to find out their thoughts about life beyond Earth and compare their ideas with visitors to the Cosmic Questions exhibit. Students can also analyze their survey data to see whether there is any... (View More) variation or patterns in answers from men and women or people of different ages. To do this, students will need to design their own method for tracking demographic data. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions Educator's Guide" that was developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. Activities in the guide can be used in conjunction with or independently of the exhibit. (View Less)

This lesson is comprised of three parts grouped to enable student understanding of classifying organisms. In part one of the lesson, students classify imaginary organisms represented by a mix of breakfast cereals, candies, nuts, raisins, etc.... (View More) according to similar characteristics. Students use a flow chart to show the characteristics by which they divided the imaginary organisms into groups. In part two, students classify a series of single-celled organisms using a dichotomous key. In part 3, students apply skills acquired from the previous activities to create a dichotomous key for their specimens from the first activity. These activities are part of an astrobiology guide called the "Fingerprints of Life" which contains background information for the student, worksheets, extension activities, suggested assessments, and alignment to standards. (View Less)

Size and shape are important in astrobiology. In this activity and slideshow, students observe the importance of relative size and morphology in identifying microscopic structures when viewed with the scanning electron microscope. This activity is... (View More) part of an astrobiology guide called the "Fingerprints of Life" which contains background information for students, worksheets, extension activities, suggested assessments, and alignment to standards. (View Less)

This series of six activities encourages students to think about the characteristics of life and the possibility of looking for life on Mars. The first three activities from Destination: Mars establish the criteria for recognizing life. The other... (View More) activities use the criteria for more advanced investigations. These activities are part of an astrobiology guide called the "Fingerprints of Life" which contains background information for students, worksheets, extension activities, suggested assessments, and alignment to standards. (View Less)

In this activity, students develop a timeline relating technological advances, particularly in microscopy, to how scientists have classified living organisms throughout history. Students use Internet and/or library resources to investigate important... (View More) discoveries in biology, and their links to these technological advances. The timeline will range from Aristotle's two-kingdom system of classification, to the system of using three domains of life, which is currently favored by a number of scientists. This activity is part of an astrobiology guide called the "Fingerprints of Life" which contains background information for students, worksheets, extension activities, suggested assessments, and alignment to standards. (View Less)