NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Students learn about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from Goddard education leads Dr. Marci Delaney (left) and Tara Clopper, both in brown shirts. Credit: NASA
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Students clad in clean room "bunny suits" work with a miniature Hubble Space Telescope model while supervised by Goddard employee Russell Werneth. Astronaut Paul Richards, in the blue jumpsuit, stands facing them. Credit: NASA
> Larger image The final day of competition for The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist will conclude this evening with the announcement of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and “America’s Top Science Teacher.”

Hosted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., this activity is part of a NASA-Discovery Space Act Agreement to celebrate NASA’s 50 years of discovery. Goddard scientists and engineers will again assist in today’s challenges to include jet propulsion, mechanical engineering, trajectory and Black Holes.

Yesterday, round one and two challenges for the students included mapping Martian topography, patch work on the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) that covers the Hubble Space Telescope and how to simulate lunar gravity on earth.

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge targets middle school students in the years when research indicates their interest in science begins to fade and encourages them to explore scientific concepts and creatively communicate their findings. This event allows ten middle school students and five teachers an opportunity to demonstrate their science prowess in a series of team-based, interactive challenges focused on this year’s theme, “The Science of Space.”

For more information about The Discovery Education 3M Challenge or to view student submission videos visit: http://www.DiscoveryEducation.com/YoungScientist Dewayne Washington
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center