Exploring Exoplanets: Using Math to Understand Our Solar System
Wednesday 06/21/2017 
8:00 pm ET (5:00 pm PT)

FREE 1-hour Webinar
Educators in Grades 7-12

The NASA Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State University is providing a 1-hour webinar.


In this webinar we will learn about how scientists use math to learn about distant planets.  Using Kepler's laws, algebra, and geometry, we can gather a plethora of information on planet size, speed and movement in our search for planets similar to our own!  The activity will cover math standards pertaining to radicals, linear and exponential models and well as NGSS space science standards.




Brandon Rodriguez is the Education Specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. Brandon originally received his undergraduate degree in 2005 in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University, then his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University in 2009. Afterwards he worked for several years in the private sector doing research for green alternatives to petrochemicals as well as in the field of genetically modified food options for developing countries. This led to a desire to give back to under-represented communities, in order to help foster the growth of the next generation of scientists who could solve the problems of tomorrow. As such, Brandon became a chemistry teacher at a local charter school, leading numerous extracurricular activities, such as the Women in Science Club. In 2016 he joined the EPDC team and focuses on professional development for science teachers serving communities in need.