JINAs Marble Nuclei project will be added to the Kraus Curriculum Development Library. http://www.kcdonline.com

NSCL 'lab-branded' merchandise is now available online. http://shop.msu.edu/

Free tours of the NSCL at MSU are available to school classes at all levels. Groups of up to 50 visitors at a time will enjoy a walk-through of many parts of one of the world's leading superconducting cyclotron laboratories, interesting videos, and demonstrations. Call Zach Constan at 517-333-6363.

Cosmus is a group of scientists and science communicators interested in bringing current science - particularly (but not exclusively) astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology - to the public by providing visualizations that explain scientific concepts and data. Information about this program at the University of Chicago is available online at astro.uchicago.edu/cosmus, as well as from Randy Landsberg via e-mail: randy@oddjob.uchicago.edu.

High school physics classes can delve into the problem of cosmic rays with a hands-on experiment at NSCL. The "Catch a Cosmic Ray" program includes materials for teachers to use in class before and after visiting NSCL, turning it into a three-day lesson.

JINAs Mini-Grant Program is intended to help science teachers by providing a means to enhance their curriculum with classroom materials that might not otherwise be available to them. A limited number of mini-grants are awarded during the school year; recipients for fall 2008 are:

Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN
Roosevelt Elementary School, South Bend, IN

PIXE-PAN 2008 @ ND

PAN 2008 @ MSU

Sensing Our World in Color @ ND

From about August 10-18, all of the planets will be visible in the evening sky just after sunset. Mercury, Saturn, and Venus will be low in the western sky, with Mars just above and to the right, while Jupiter is high in the northeast. Such an event is fairly rare, only happening every decade or so.

In the last week in November and the first week of December 2008, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be close together in the evening sky, forming a spectacular double. The two are closest together on Monday December 1st, with Venus lying about 2 degrees to the South (left) of Jupiter. On the same night the Crescent Moon will appear just beneath them, forming a “Smiley Face”.

"Search the Night Sky" interactive online fun for children from Highlights Magazine.