1. Astrophysics Missions, Grants, and Forum Nuggets for December 2010

2. 2 Kepler’s Accomplishments Discoveries by the orbiting Kepler telescope include a system with a pair of Saturn-like planets. This system is profiled in the November 3 episode of StarDate radio. And the November 2010 podcast of the Spanish-language Universo series covers that system and many other Kepler discoveries. Dark Energy Scientists at the University of Texas are among the leaders in the effort to understand dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the universe to expand faster as it ages. A series of four StarDate programs discusses the work of Eiichiro Komatsu and his colleagues, which is supported in part by NASA. These programs reach a combined audience of more than 2 million listeners, and are archived on the StarDate and Universo web sites, where they will be accessible through at least 2013. StarDate is a daily 2-minute radio program on astronomy. Each month, StarDate offers a balance of astronomy and space-science topics. About half of each month's programs are related to skywatching: eclipses, meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, stars and constellations, and so on. Other topics are related to important anniversaries (the birthdays of important astronomers or anniversaries of key scientific discoveries or space-exploration accomplishments); recent discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, and physics; Earth's place in the cosmos; and a variety of topics that help place astronomy in a broader historical, scientific, and cultural perspective.

3. 3 December 7, 2010 SOFIA staff, Robert Brummett, was invited to participate in Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary school’s Flat Stanley Project (www.flatstanley.com).www.flatstanley.com The Flat Stanley Project is an “international literacy and community building activity for students of all ages, teachers, and families.” Professionals and individuals in significant world locations receive a Flat Stanley from a participating school interested in writing a story about the location. The receiver takes pictures of Flat Stanley in the location, and then students at the participating school write a story connecting all the pictures. Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary identified NASA Ames Research Center as their location. Mr. Brummett took pictures of Flat Stanley in front of several NASA Ames locations that highlight key programs and NASA history: the NASA Ames Welcome sign, Hangar 1, Wind Tunnel building, and in front of the SOFIA model. Stay-tuned to read Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School’s, Flat Stanley’s adventures at NASA Ames. Education and Public Outreach

4. 4 Sarah Eyermann Sarah.E.Eyermann@nasa.gov http://universe.nasa.gov/afterschool/ Afterschool Universe Train-the-Trainer Workshop December 6-8, 2010 Afterschool Universe is an astronomy curriculum for middle school students in out-of-school-time. Its 12 sessions bring the Universe down to earth through kinesthetics, hands-on activities, and more! This workshop was funded by an EPOESS grant and seeks to disseminate the Afterschool Universe program through an efficient model of training staff within competitively-selected afterschool networks to take advantage of their existing internal training efforts. The workshop also trained three “AU Ambassadors” who will serve as floating trainers to respond to nationwide training demands. The effort is being rigorously evaluated to measure impact and program integrity through each level of dissemination. Sarah Eyermann and Sara Mitchell (SP Systems, Inc.), along with Dr. Anita Krishnamurthi (Afterschool Alliance), hosted 30 members of the afterschool community at Goddard for a 3-day “train-the-trainer” workshop on the Goddard Astrophysics Science Division’s Afterschool Universe program. These workshop attendees will provide training on Afterschool Universe in their communities across the country.

5. 5 Sagan Day In honor of Carl Sagan’s birthday on November 9 th, NASA’s Kepler Mission and the SETI Institute invited the public to submit writings inspired by the imagery that he created for us in his allegory of The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean. Finalist: Echoes on the Shore: Reflections on the Legacy of Carl Sagan, by Christian Brown Christian Brown is a PhD Student at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Winner: The Cosmic Tour Guide, by Renee James Renee James is an associate professor in the Physics Department at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Finalist: Inspired by: The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean, by Sarah O’Sullivan Sarah O'Sullivan is a 24-year old graduate student at Montclair State University, East Hanover, New Jersey. Finalist and guest essays are published at kepler.nasa.gov/education/sagan.