NASA STEAM Innovation Lab ED TECH Showcase - Explore, Create, Share!

Abstract:

The STEAM Innovation Lab aims to bring NASA’s universe of knowledge into educational spaces and to increase scientific literacy and interest. We’re a hybrid think-tank and makerspace where NASA scientists, engineers, and educators may explore and share ideas using educational technology. This presentation exhibits how we bring these ideas to people outside NASA and explore with them how to incubate those ideas into their spaces. The lab’s multiple interchangeable STEAM exploration stations are placed within close proximity to so that users may blend them together for greater impact and integrate them into existing education programs and products. The ideas developed by internal personnel, partners, and guests, as well as recommendations based on research conducted by the NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) team members, inform the types of technologies incorporated into the lab. We will showcase ideas and projects that range from low to high end technologies, including holographic displays with the Looking Glass, AR applications with the Merge Cube, using cell phones as mobile sensors, mission-based robotics applications, and paper-based engineering. We will also explain how the lab’s Exploration Idea Profile (worksheet) guides and encourages users to think through crucial aspects of their project such as: How does your idea connect to NASA content? What is your targeted audience? What need is your idea addressing? What resources do you need? How is your idea related to STEAM content? Finally, we will show how our partnership with the University of North Texas (UNT), enables the lab to conduct short- and long-term evaluation and peer-reviewed research on selected ideas produced in the lab. Ideas and research findings are collected and shared with education networks, including blogs, social media posts, and monthly working group meetings. The STEAM Innovation Lab is a portal that allows others to explore, create, and share the universe with NASA.