Astrobiology 101 for NASA Nationwide Consortium Members
n November 26, 2008, volunteers in programs within the NASA Nationwide Consortium participated in a two-hour, introductory training telecon covering the basic principles of astrobiology, sponsored by NAI's WISC team and JPL. The Consortium includes many of NASA's volunteer-based organizations such as the Solar System Ambassadors, the Night Sky Network, the Aerospace Education Services Project, the Explorer Schools, and the Educator Astronauts. These volunteers reach many thousands of teachers, students, and public audiences every year in assemblies and other presentations.
The speakers were Dr. Max Coleman (JPL), Dr. Margaret Race (SETI Institute), and Jon Rask (ARC). The Astrobiology Primer, a resource document authored from within the NAI/astrobiology community, was used in this training, as were other NAI E/PO resources. Over the next few years, NAI's WISC team will partner with NAI's two new JPL teams to continue to train volunteers from these programs in NAI science and educational materials.
[Source: NAI Newsletter]