What is the NCCN Project ?
NASA Community College Network
The SETI Institute’s NASA Community College Network (NCCN) is a major initiative to bring NASA Subject Matter Experts (SME), research findings, and science resources into the nation’s community college system. NCCN is a constituent team of the Science Activation program, part of NASA’s Science Mission Directive (SMD).
Guided by needs assessments of both community college instructors (CCIs) and SMEs to engage in outreach, NCCN will consist of three key engagement deliverables:
1) To broker direct partnerships between NASA science subject matter experts and community college instructors teaching astronomy, space science and related courses.
2) To provide a set of high-quality, curated, audience-appropriate NASA resources created with or by NASA scientists to support their outreach and engagement and implemented by the community college instructor.
3) To provide professional development and training for both groups:
a) Community college instructors: we want to support or extend their knowledge of NASA science or research topics and help them communicate new or more engaging concepts to their students.
b) NASA subject matter experts: we want to help them engage effectively with the instructors and students at community colleges. For scientists new to outreach, we want to help them understand community college audiences and how best to work with them.
NCCN is funded by NASA SMD Cooperative Agreement 80NSSC21M0009
News & Events
Mon, Mar 20, 2023
Labs for Astronomy 101
Do you need new labs for your class, or do your labs need need to be refreshed?
Join a panel of community college astronomy professors discuss the life of labs and share new ideas to add more and exciting labs your class.
Fri, Mar 10, 2023
Asteroid on Possible Collision Course with Earth... in 2046.
Asteroid 2023 DW has a 1 in 560 chance of arrival on Valentine's Day 2046.
Sun, Jan 22, 2023
Green Comet ZTF
Discovered in 2022, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) may be visible to northern observers during the end of January to early February.
Tue, Jan 10, 2023
Kepler-186f : New Earth-like Planet Discovered
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope discovered an Earth-like planet circling a nearby star within the Goldilocks zone of our galaxy. Kepler-186f is around 500 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation.
Fri, Nov 04, 2022
Artemis I Mission
Artemis I Moon Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad Ahead of Historic Mission - Nov 4, 2022.
Follow along as NASA prepares for the historic Artemis I Mission to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Sun, Aug 14, 2022
Become a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador !
Do you love eclipses and want to share the wow of space science with your community? Apply to become a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador!
In 2023 and 2024, two eclipses will be happening across the United States. In an exciting new partnership, Undergraduate Students and Amateur Astronomers will engage their local communities, providing solar viewing glasses as well as context for underserved communities off the central paths.
Sat, Dec 25, 2021
James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight
Astronomers were jubilant as the spacecraft made it off the launchpad.
The Webb telescope is set to offer a new keyhole into the earliest moments of our universe.
