« Back to NewsNIA Partners with Miami Science Museum to Offer Virtual Missions and Exoplanet Discovery for Students
July 09, 2015Have you ever explored another world? How about 1,000 of them? NASA missions have recently discovered over 1,000 known extrasolar systems, some of which could be like Earth. Become a part of these missions through vMAX: Exoplanet Summer Camps.
NIA and the Miami Science Museum have partnered to create Virtual Missions and Exoplanets (vMAX) program for students in grades 6-8. Student camps will be offered at four science centers around the country. Students will enter a virtual world and launch into 3D visualizations of space. Experience techniques used to find planets outside our solar system. Use remote telescopes to photograph distant stars and determine if they have planets. Design and launch a virtual probe to explore an exoplanet of your choice.
Students will:
- Explore Exoplanets
- Interact with scientists virtually
- Enter a virtual world and launch into 3D visualizations of space.
- Experience techniques used to find planets outside our solar system.
- Use remote telescopes to photograph distant stars and determine if they have planets.
- Design and launch a virtual probe to explore an exoplanet of their choice.
- NIA designed Educator Implementation Guide and developing and managing the Virtual World
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At the Miami Science Musuem, all Exoplanet Summer Camps take place at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. Students currently enrolled in grades 6–8 may apply; tuition is free. There are two scheduled options in 2015 (June 8 – 12 and August 10 – 14) and dates to be determined in 2016. Once registered, participants will be expected to attend all five days of the weeklong Summer Camp, and will receive a Certificate of Completion.
To register, complete the application form. Email the completed form to vmax@frostscience.org or fax it to the attention of vMAX at (305) 646-4300. If you have questions, call 305-646-4260.