Music.

Music, applause.

Trena: Good morning, earth science community. My name is Trena Ferrell-Branch and I'm excited to be here with you. It was a long hiatus but we're back and I am energized. Keyword: energized. This year's theme is exploring energy for Earth Science Week. So what comes to mind when you think of energy? Well our NASA scientists are tasked with this. They try to explain how energy flows through the Earth's system. So without further ado, I have one of our top NASA scientists here, Dr. Eric Brown de Colstoun who is going to talk with us about some earth science things.

Trena: Welcome! How are you today?

Eric: Thank you, Trena.

Eric: Very well, thank you for having me, I love you show.

Trena: Thank you for coming. This is our last season and we're so excited.

Eric: Don't go, please. [laughter, applause ]

Trena: What exactly do you do at NASA?

Eric: What I do in many ways is an investigation of how things on Earth work and how we humans are changing those things. Earth Day and Earth Science Week are my favorite times of the year because it reminds me of how lucky we are to live on this beautiful place we call Earth. And you know with the theme of energy this year it really cuts across a lot of what we do at NASA. You know all basically what we do at NASA in terms of remote sensing is based on energy. The source of energy comes from the Sun and is reflected from various materials on the Earth and that is what we observe from space. So energy really is the source of our measurements. We do that in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. So we have multiple satellites that do that in the visible, the thermal, the microwave. So it's very interesting, but also energy clearly is at the core of, it's one of the basic building blocks of life. So when you think about photosynthesis. That's a process that driven by energy. So all the food that we have is the result of energy. And clearly there are issues related to our energy use as well. How much fossil fuels we use in our cars, in our factories, that are impacting our climate. So it's a very important topic.

Trena: Thank you so much.

Eric: Thank you

Music, cheering.

Trena: My favorite must-have--are you ready for this one? Are you ready? It is this; this is the 2010 Earth Science Week kit. Teachers, you will love it. There is so much information in this kit that I had to call in our resident expert, Theresa Schwerin. Welcome, Theresa.

Theresa: Hi, Trena, good to see you.

Trena: No thank you. Can you please tell the world about this kit? Please. I want the world to know.

Theresa: Absolutely. For the past several years NASA has been partnering with AGI, which is the American Geological Institute, and contributing resources to the Earth Science Week kit, and these are things for all levels. From elementary through college level, formal and informal education. And for people to use not just during Earth Science Week, but all year round.

Trena: Theresa, this kit is filled with so much information. Do you have some of your favorite items?

Theresa: I sure do. One of my favorite items is a DVD. It's the Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. And this is about a 30-minute long DVD and it has each segment of the electromagnetic spectrum in 3 to 5 minute videos that explain what that segment is, how people interact with that portion of the EMS every day and what NASA missions are studying it.

Trena: Thank you so much, Theresa, but we need more because we've only touched the surface of what's in this kit.

Theresa: You bet. Another great resource is from the GLOBE program, and it's an earth system science poster with learning activities. Now GLOBE is a program by NASA, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation, and it's an international student science and education program. And by the way, GLOBE is starting a student climate research campaign in September of 2011 but teachers and students are signing up now to get involved in that.

Trena: Thank you so much, Theresa, I'm glad you're our resident expert because we only just scratched the surface of this kit.

Theresa: Thanks, Trena, and if you want to learn more about what NASA is doing for Earth Science Week, go to climate.nasa.gov/esw2010.

Trena: Fantastic. Also if you want to hear more from our former guest, Dr. Eric Brown de Colstoun, you can go to NASA Now! Wow, I can't believe time is almost up. This has been a fantastic show. I would like to thank both of my guests and please remember that Earth Science Week is October 10 through the 16. In a moment, stay tuned for some additional earth science resources. Thank you very much. Bye. And remember: love our Earth.

Jazzy music outtro.

Cheering, applause.