What NASA Does Best - Providing Effective Experiences in Authentic Science: The IRIS Mission EPO Program

Recent federal budget policies have highlighted misconceptions surrounding NASA mission education programs. Though NASA provides a hierarchy of goals and objectives relating to higher education, K-12 education, and informal education, it is evidently not clear to the public or politicians what NASA should or should not be doing relating to education. In our poster, we suggest that what NASA education 'does best' is provide effective experiences in authentic science. And authentic experiences in science are a key goal of the Next Generation Science Standards. The EPO program for NASA's IRIS mission focuses on providing experiences in authentic solar science research to elementary and secondary students, STEM undergraduates, families, and the public through science events, and public outreach through a variety of online resources. Our poster will highlight the achievements of these programs, details of their preparation, and use of collaborative partnerships to implement them.