Register now to join us, seats are limited!  Register by Nov 28th for a $50 discount using the code thanks4life

Over the course of 16 weeks, we will learn about the following topics:

• Characteristics of living organisms and the operational definition of life
• Designing and building biospheres
• Testing tropisms (the growth movement a living organism has towards an external stimulus)
• Spaceflight physiology including: oxygen needs, heart rates, importance of exercise, the vestibular system, orthostatic hypotension, carbon dioxide effects
• Spacesuits and how they protect humans in Space
• Radiation on Earth and Space and how it affects DNA
• Space food chemistry
• And more!

Hands-on learning activities will include:

• How to take soil samples and test for life
• Building a lunar biosphere in a team environment with each participant rotating scientific roles
• Testing the effects of gravity on growth of plants
• Simulate the effects of space on the human body through multiple experiments
• Build parts of spacesuits to understand how they operate
• Build DNA molecules
• And more!

We will explore the following careers:

• Soil and Plant Scientists, Robotic engineers, Anthropologists, Geographers, Astronomers, Astronauts, Botanists, Agricultural Engineers, Zoologists, Medical Scientists, Exercise Physiologists, Audiologists, Respiratory Therapists, Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists, Biomedical Engineers, Fashion Designers, etc.!

Beyond learning the science, we will develop these skills as a group:

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Communication
• Data collection, analysis and interpretation
• Technological design
• Science and technology in society
• Algebraic thinking: analyzing patterns and relationships, probability, graphing, etc.!
• And more!

Dates:  Thursdays, 10:00-12:00, January 12^th – May 18^th, we will take off these dates: 2/16, 3/16, 4/6

Homework will be assigned through the course and graded together as a group.

The Nov. 14, 2016, supermoon is the closest the moon will be to Earth since 1948.

Source: November Supermoon a Spectacular Sight | NASA

The Perseid meteor shower returns in all its glory between August 11th and 12th, 2016. Here are the best places, times and tools to see it.

Source: Perseid Meteor Shower 2016: When, Where & How to See It

What makes this year’s  so special?  It is also a Strawberry Moon, or the first full moon of June.  These two events occurring on the same day is a rare occasion, the last time it happened was in 1967 and it will not occur again until 2062!

Make sure you get out and see the moon on this special night.  You can check your local time for the start of the Summer Solstice where you live, and if you are in the Southern Hemisphere you can check the time you will start your Winter Solstice.  If it is cloudy in your area many across the web are live broadcasting the event, simply search for one.  If you missed it there are bound to be replays on YouTube!

Learn more about the Summer Solstice and why this longer day occurs on both TimeandDate.com and Wikipedia.

Solstice means “sun stand still”.  Recall that there was a request in the Old Testament for the sun to stand still, and God honored that request.  Could that have happened?  Read more about the miracle of when this prayer by Joshua was answered to defeat his enemy.  For a most fascinating and encouraging read on how we too should pray for and expect our Father to answer our prayers in the same way, read Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible by Steven Furtick.  It will inspire you to reach beyond your current prayers and into the realm of faith for big things!