Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students (ExMASS) High School Research Program

Written by Nathan Smith on April 10, 2015. Posted in STEM and STEAM.

The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration at the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA’s Johnson Space Center are looking for 10 teams of motivated high school students and their teachers to participate in a national standards-based lunar/asteroid research program for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Supervised by their teacher and aided by a scientist advisor, students undertake open-inquiry research projects that engage them in the process of science and support the goals of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. At the end of the year, four teams compete for a chance to present their research at the Exploration Science Forum held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in July 2016.

Participation in the Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students, or ExMASS, program is free. Applications must be completed by a teacher and are due April 19, 2015.

For more information and to apply for the ExMASS program, visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/education/hsResearch/.

Questions about the ExMASS program should be directed to Andy Shaner at shaner@lpi.usra.edu.

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is Director of Technology for the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. In that role, he also directs The Adele & Dale Young Education Technology Center (The YETC) located in room 170 of the Education Building on Utah State University's Logan campus. The YETC is a combination student openaccess computer facility, a K12 curriculum materials library, a NASA Educator Resource Center for Utah, and a technology training center. Nathan served eight years (20042012) on the Board of Directors for the Utah Coalition for Education Technology (UCET) He was reelected in 2014 to serve another two year term on the board. A former elementary school teacher, Nathan has taught students every age from young children to senior citizens. He has had the opportunity beginning in 2011 to train international high school teachers from all over the world about technology in education, through the U.S. State