Education

The Division for Planetary Sciences is committed to enriching educational experiences for students, teachers, and the general public in the multiple disciplines of planetary science and supporting disciplines of math and technology. We wish to use our wealth of space science expertise to excite and inspire the next generation of space scientists and to demonstrate the value of planetary exploration and discovery to the nation. Our membership are involved in a wide array of education and public outreach activities including classroom visits, training for formal and informal educators, product and curriculum review, systemic education reform, science content advisors, after school clubs, as well as public outreach through books, journals, and radio and TV interviews.

 

Trick or Treat and Telescopes!

Join your fellow DPS members in hosting a telescope viewing on Halloween, during Trick-or-Treat time. Click on the link for more details and resources. Please send comments and pictures of your events to bonnie(dot)buratti(at)jpl.nasa.gov

 

DPS Discovery Slide Sets

In an effort to keep the astronomy classroom apprised of the fast moving field of planetary science, the DPS has developed these 3-slide presentations that can be incorporated into college lectures. The slide sets are targeted at the Introductory Astronomy undergraduate level. Each slide set consists of three slides which cover a description of the discovery, a discussion of the underlying science, and a presentation of the big picture implications of the discovery, with a fourth slide includes links to associated press releases, images, and primary sources. Sets are available in Farsi and Spanish.

 

Getting Involved in Effective Outreach guides

The NASA SMD E/PO Forums have created two, one-page guides to assist scientists interested in E/PO.  http://smdepo.org/post/7202

  1. The first is “The Quick Introduction to Education and Public Outreach,” which offers suggestions to first-timers about how they might start reaching out. 

  2. The second is the “Making the Most of Your E/PO Time – Increasing Your Efficiency and Impact,” which suggests leveraging existing materials and programs and provides other ideas for scientists to make the best use of their time.   

 

Graduate Programs List

Because of the great diversity in represented fields, we have attempted to compile a list of the graduate programs which can lead to a PhD with a planetary science focus. List is searchable and includes links to listed departments for more information.

 

REU Programs List

Trying to find an REU program that caters to those interested in planetary science is a difficult task because planetary science is an interdisciplinary study covering traditional fields such as geology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, and so on. Because of this diversity we have attempted to compile a list of REU programs where students can work on research program in planetary science.

 

Public Outreach Programming

The DPS hosts a society meeting each year at a different city in the US (and often outside the US). In addition to scientific presentations, these meetings also involve public outreach programming — stargazing events, public lectures, etc. Visit the Future Meetings Page  to see where future meetings will take place.

2022 Sagan Talk & Star Party

 

What is a Planet?