Pacific science center (PSC) is proposing NASA now, a five-year grant with the goal of increasing participants' understanding of NASA missions and their awareness of careers within the stem fields.…

Pacific science center (PSC) is proposing NASA now, a five-year grant with the goal of increasing participants' understanding of NASA missions and their awareness of careers within the stem fields. This will be accomplished using a three-strand approach: through live, in-person interpretation of current space science inside pacific science center's planetarium; by incorporating these data and presentations into our outreach program to schools and communities; and through a new astronomy career pipeline for youth underrepresented in stem fields, who will create content for these presentations and share them in the planetarium and on our exhibit floor, among other activities. NASA now's first objective will be to present cutting-edge NASA data interactively to visitors of all ages in PSC's planetarium, with the outcome of increasing their understanding of and interest in NASA missions, current data and space science. Pacific science center is one of only two informal science institutions in the united states that presents live interactive shows, which gives US a unique opportunity to discuss NASA's mission and data in a two-way dialogue. In order to input up-to-the-minute information and images for NASA now, we are seeking funding to update our planetarium with 21ST century technology, replacing our 32 year-old analog starball with a state-of-the-art digital system, allowing for instantaneous NASA data presented in a clear and immersive way. This will ensure that audiences can ask questions and fully understand current space science. NASA now will reach 175,000 visitors onsite, including 33,000 elementary and middle school children on field trips, who will also gain an understanding of potential careers and educational pathways within the NASA enterprise and stem disciplines. We will also reach underserved audiences by subsidizing the cost of a field trip and planetarium show for schools with a high number of low-income students. NASA now's second objective is to deliver current NASA science throughout washington state to 60,000 k-12 students and families, with the outcome of increasing their understanding of and interest in space science and stem careers. Building on the NASA now onsite presentations, we will enhance our space odyssey travelling outreach component of our science on wheels program. We currently have one portable digital planetarium that would allow for current data to be displayed, and we are requesting the purchase of a second one in order to double the number of participants. To ensure that we are reaching populations underserved in stem fields, NASA now will subsidize the cost of program delivery for schools with a high number of students in the free- and reduced-price lunch program. Because science interest typically drops as students reach their teenage years, pacific science center created discovery corps in 2005, a career development program which serves young people from populations underserved in stem fields. We are seeking funding from NASA to create a track for earth and space science achievement (tessa) program, within discovery corps, beginning in year two of the grant. Tessa, a four year program, will engage a total of 40 youth, with the outcome that the youth gain knowledge of and interest in astronomy and stem fields. Participating youth will help write content for the planetarium shows, help deliver live programming, update our exhibit floor with current space science information, and receive mentoring opportunities with the university of washington through its pre-map (pre-major in astronomy program), which will allow the teens to explore careers in earth and space science alongside astronomy undergraduates. PSC also has a long relationship with the museum of flight (MOF). Teens will be encouraged to apply for MOF's washington aerospace scholars program in the third year of tessa program.