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Radiation Biology Educator Guide.   J. Rask¹, B.J. Navarro², C. Elland³, W. Vercoutere^{2 1}Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, ²Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, ³Lockheed Martin Space Operations, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035.

   The Radiation Biology Professional Educator Guide is designed for pre-service and practicing high school science teachers. The goal of this guide is to enable teachers to bring authentic NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) research into the classroom. Teachers will learn background information and current research in radiation biology through use of the NASA Radiation Biology Educator Guide.  The Radiation Biology Educator Guide is accessible on the web (http://radiationbiology.arc.nasa.gov/). The Guide provides learning activities for inquiry-based radiation biology and genetics studies related to research on a variety of radiation sources, including ultraviolet and cosmic radiation. Existing life science standards-based curricula will be enhanced with links to relevant research conducted by NASA scientists. The modules can be used for week-long to semester-long lesson plans. Students, guided by teachers in their classrooms, will conduct experiments analogous to the research conducted at NASA. These activities are aligned with national science, technology, and mathematics standards. The web-based Educator Guide provides educators with access to the lesson modules, activity guides, information about current NASA research, and opportunities to ask questions about classroom implementation.  A critical goal of NASA scientists is to identify and mitigate the effects of radiation on travelers to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The goal of this Educator Guide is to facilitate hands-on activities in the classroom based on NASA radiation research, apply research-based theories of education in their classrooms (including inquiry-based science instruction), highlight NASA research’s impact on the quality of life on Earth, and grow professionally by increasing science content knowledge.  We are currently collaborating with colleagues from NASA, academic and non-profit educational organizations, including Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL) and the Space Science Institute (Boulder, CO), to expand the guide to include activities for middle school students.  Our colleagues at the Space Science Institute are also producing educational videos on radiation and human spaceflight that will compliment the hands-on activities.