Who: Science and Technology Teachers 3 - 8
When: Tuesday, March 4 at the Environmental Outpost
Time: 4:30 P.M. – 7:40 P.M.
Where: Environmental Outpost on Big Oak Road in Smyrna, Delaware
Hours: 6 clock hours
www.dasef.org 
(302) 454-2432
Light supper included

Directions:

From North
Take Route 1 south to Exit 114. (Second Smyrna exit). You will exit to a light at Route 13. Turn left onto Rt. 13 heading south. (Pass Food Lion, Mike’s Harley) At the next light (Ocean Pro on your left), turn left onto Big Oak Road. Go under Route 1 Turn left into Big Oak Park - Henhar Drive. Turn right onto Wright Way; follow to Dino Drive through gate and to the Environmental Outpost and Mountjoy Observatory.

From South
Take Route 1 north to Exit 114. (Second Smyrna exit). You will exit to a light at Route 13. Turn left onto Rt. 13 heading south. (Pass Food Lion, Mike’s Harley) At the next light (Ocean Pro on your left), turn left onto Big Oak Road. Go under Route 1 Turn left into Big Oak Park - Henhar Drive. Turn right onto Wright Way; follow to Dino Drive through gate and to the Environmental Outpost and Mountjoy Observatory. If you are coming up Route 13, follow 13 from Dover until you get to the Willis Dealership on your right. At the next light, turn right onto Big Oak Road and then follow the same directions.

Coordinator/Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Wright, DASEF
Instructors: Goddard Space Flight Center – Sonya Lawrence

Plants in Space
During this session, learn how NASA is experimenting with plant growth in microgravity, how particular plant systems adapt to spaceflight, especially the production of the plants structural elements, secondary products that are often used as pharmaceuticals, and the alterations in sugars and starches. The teacher guide “Plants in Space” will be reviewed. This guide investigates the effects of corn plants grown onboard the Space Shuttle in orbit. Elementary students assist in the experiment by growing control plants in a one gravity environment on Earth. Plant growth terms such as geotropism and phototropism are explained. Students viewing the program can participate in the experiment by growing similar plants in their classroom. Teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in the “NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber”. Teachers and students are challenged to design, analyze, build and assess plant growth chambers as part of a standards-based activity related to the STS-118 space shuttle mission. Growth chambers, much like the space plant chambers students will design and build, was a part of the education payload on STS-118. The first Educator Astronaut, Barbara Morgan, and her fellow crewmates took up two growth chambers along with 10 million basil seeds. These seeds have been exposed to microgravity and brought back to Earth to use in your classroom’s growth chamber.