{"id":377,"date":"2026-07-07T00:42:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neos.epss.ucla.edu\/?p=377"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:07:29","slug":"what-does-it-take-to-defend-the-planet-jr-planetary-defenders-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neos.epss.ucla.edu\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/what-does-it-take-to-defend-the-planet-jr-planetary-defenders-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"What does it take to defend the planet? – Jr. Planetary Defenders Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Saturday, April 25th, 2026, K-12 educators from across Los Angeles County (and around the U.S., via our virtual option) gathered at UCLA to find out what it takes to defend the planet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an exciting collaboration between NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor<\/strong> team and UCLA’s CenterX<\/strong>, we developed a dynamic teacher-training workshop dedicated to our K-12 educators with a focus on planetary defense, astronomy, and earth science. Teachers didn’t just sit and listen\u2014they became the students, participating in scaffolded lectures and test-driving hands-on demonstrations designed to bring asteroid science straight into the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you to all the brilliant educators who joined us to bring the universe a little closer to their students!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P.I.
Amy Mainzer (front, left) demonstrating how to mix the “Build-Your-Own Comet” ingredients in plastic bags. Sublimating dry ice escaping from the bag as<\/em> 3rd-grade teacher, Odessa Buen, (front, right) is mixing the ingredients.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

We started out the day with an introduction to the team and with a impactful visual of the Chelyabinsk fireball (see dash cam video here<\/a>) that fell through the sky in Russia in 2013. We dove right into think-pair-share activities to discuss the impact and come up with questions that through a Learner Lens<\/em><\/strong> seem relevant to our every day lives. For example, how would you feel if you saw this on your commute to work? What is the fireball made out of? How much damage did it cause? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, during lectures and guided activities, we switched point of view to a Teacher Lens<\/em><\/strong>. We discussed how these questions might come up in the classroom and how we can support our students better understand these topics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We incorporated affordable, accessible, and interactive demonstrations that would be easy to replicate in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Photo Captions<\/strong>. Top-Left: Educators learning how to “Build-Your-Own Comet” by putting key ingredients in a bag and mixing them together. Top-Center: Getting to hold real meteorites and learning how to distinguish the different types of meteorites. Top-Right: Trip to the UCLA Meteorite Gallery to explore the largest meteorite collection on the West Coast – this is a case with 3-D printed asteroids. Bottom-Left: “Find the Asteroids” activity while exploring the electromagnetic spectrum. Bottom-Center: Dr. Amy Mainzer giving everyone some fun facts about the asteroids\/meteorites. Bottom-Right: Mess-proof Cratering demonstration (container inside a large bin to contain ejecta).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Educator comments about the workshop: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thank you very much for allowing us to explore and “play” with ways to model comets and asteroid impacts!<\/td>It is so refreshing and humbling to know that there is so much more I need to learn, and that today’s learning is just a part of it. I had fun. Thank you!<\/td><\/tr>
Overall, I thought this workshop was really informative. It would be amazing to reach more teachers. This is important work and I think super important to forge relations with our K-12 and local universities. I hope to continue to stay connected!!<\/td>I really appreciated the enthusiasm and passion for the material and subject matter being covered. It was well executed!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Classroom Highlight:
Jr. Planetary Defenders in Ms. Buen’s 3rd-Grade Class!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Amazing Jr. Planetary Defenders learning about planetary science in the classroom after their teacher, Ms. Buen, attended our teacher-training workshop in April 2026.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Soon after our April workshop, Ms. Buen hit a home run bringing her workshop inspiration back to Room 4! She designed her own “Find the Asteroid” activity using UV light pens to reveal four hidden asteroids per page. Her students\u2014including nine English Language Learner students who were beautifully engaged and actively sharing thoughts\u2014became fiercely competitive and wonderfully puzzled trying to guess the hidden asteroids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n