This is an interview with 2 faculty members of the Physics Department at the University of Lethbridge about their intended OER adoption pilots for their Astronomy and Introductory Physics courses in 2017.

This is a booklet containing 37 space science mathematical problems, several of which use authentic science data. The problems involve math skills such as unit conversions, geometry, trigonometry, algebra, graph analysis, vectors, scientific notation, and many others. Learners will use mathematics to explore science topics related to Earth's magnetic field, space weather, the Sun, and other related concepts. This booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website.

Students study magnetic field by using a classroom-made magnetometer. They use iron filings to reveal the magnetic field lines and record their observations on a sketch map.

This OLogy activity gives kids a fun way to mesh their own thoughts with those of Albert Einstein. Three ready-to-print letterheads are provided as downloadable PDFs. They include colorful looks at:that most famous of equations, E=mc2the great web of existing scientific thought that Einstein built his ideas upon a thought experiment that asks the question, "What if you could ride on a beam of light?"

This OLogy activity provides insight into the phases of the Moon and why it looks a little different each night. The activity begins with an explanation about how the Moon itself doesn't really change, just our view of it. Then kids go to "See the Moon in Action," an interactive illustration of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, in which they can see what the Moon looks like from Earth at eight different positions in its orbit. The activity ends with a Moon Watch Log, a printable PDF file, that kids use to observe the Moon for 28 nights and then compile their illustrations into a flipbook.

In this adapted ZOOM video segment, cast members get hands-on in the recycling process by using old newspapers to make new paper.

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members make a seismometer and experiment with different ways to make it register movement.

The main aim of this lesson is to show students that distances may be determined without a meter stick—a concept fundamental to such measurements in astronomy. It introduces students to the main concepts behind the first rung of what astronomers call the distance ladder. The four main learning objectives are the following: 1) Explore, in practice, a means of measuring distances without what we most often consider the “direct” means: a meter stick; 2) Understand the limits of a method through the exploration of uncertainties; 3) Understand in the particular method used, the relationship between baseline and the accuracy of the measurement; and 4) Understand the astronomical applications and implications of the method and its limits. Students should be able to use trigonometry and know the relation between trigonometric functions and the triangle. A knowledge of derivatives is also needed to obtain the expression for the uncertainty on the distance measured. Students will need cardboard cut into disks. The number of disks is essentially equal to half the students in the class. Two straight drink straws and one pin per disk. Students will also need a protractor. The lesson should not take more than 50 minutes to complete if the students have the mathematical ability mentioned above. This lesson is complimentary to the BLOSSOMS lesson, "The Parallax Activity." The two lessons could be used sequentially - this one being more advanced - or they could be used separately.

Converting a visual to a tactile experience, this activity lets visually impaired students learn about and explore some of the characteristics of our home planet, the Earth.

This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they are introduced to gravity and the scope of its influence. The site has three sections:What Does Gravity Do?, an illustrated look at how gravity affects everything in the universe. What Would Happen if the Force of Gravity Were Turned Off?, a thought experiment that asks students to imagine a world without gravity's influence. A Closer Look at Mars, an introduction to Earth's closest neighbor, which has less gravity.

This lesson describes the history and basic operation of the metric system as well as scientific notation. The simplicity of the metric system stems from the fact that there is only one unit of measurement (or base unit) for each type of quantity measured (length, weight, etc.).

This module introduces students to minerals, crystals, and gems by using pictures and discussions of some of the extraordinary specimens residing in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. It includes three lessons in which they draw pictures of specimens, grow their own crystals of magnesium sulfate, and perform a scavenger hunt in which they look for minerals in commonly used objects and products.

Students simulate operating an iron mine, from choosing property to writing an environmental impact statement to setting up the mining operation. Chocolate chip cookies (with the chocolate chips representing iron ore) are used for this experiment. Students are challenged to operate the most profitable and environmentally sound mine they can.

In this Digital Universe activity, students learn about observation, representation, perspective, and modeling by working up from two-dimensional perspective drawings to constructing and examining three-dimensional models. The printable PDF activity includes illustrated step-by-step instructions for the following hands-on and computer-assisted activities: Rendering Perspective in Two Dimensions and Creating a Three-Dimensional View. The American Museum of Natural History‰'s ‰"Digital Universe" program, including the Partiview software and Milky Way Atlas data set are needed for this activity and can be downloaded.

In this activity, candy models are used to demonstrate the features of the Earth, including its internal structure and layers. Students learn why models are essential in Earth science and answer questions about how their candy models do and do not compare with the actual Earth.

This lesson is an introduction to the history and use of the scientific concept of the mole.

The goal of the Moon Zoo website is "to provide detailed crater counts for as much of the Moon's surface as possible." On the website, interested parties can help out with this effort by examining images of the moon's surface and providing feedback to be used by the team of researchers in charge of the Moon Zoo project. First-time visitors should click on the "How To Take Part" for a tutorial that will help determine which project they might be best suited for. Visitors who wish to take part in the project will need to register on the website, and that process only takes a few minutes. Moving on, the website has an online forum where users can trade information as well as a blog.

This video segment adapted from NOVA relates the dramatic story of vulcanologists trying to predict the timing of the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.

Dr. Tom Barclay is a senior research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. He spends his days studying stars and planets and how they formed.