PLEASE NOTE: This program is no longer active and has been archived in SSEC Research History as of 2/23/18: More info

About OSSE

The Office of Space Science Education (OSSE) was established within the Space Science & Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to conduct K-12 education and public outreach programs. OSSE strongly emphasizes partnerships between scientists and teachers in local, regional and international schools to develop standards-based programs that achieve the mutual objective of improving the level of literacy for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.


OSSE believes that state and national STEM education goals will be achieved by sharing the excitement of new discoveries acquired through space exploration and earth remote sensing research. Our programs encompass the multidisciplinary areas of space science including; earth systems science, atmospheric science, solar system exploration, and astronomy. OSSE engages in community programs including, teacher professional development in earth and space science, K-12 student programs and science museum programs in partnership with state, national and international organizations including Europe and India. Programs and activities are supported by funds from NASA, NOAA, UW – Madison Baldwin Endowment, the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF), and the European Space Agency (ESA).

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Our Partners

Over the past decade, outreach efforts have included the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), the Antarctic Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Institute (A³RI), and other UW-Madison departments such as Astronomy (Space Astronomy Laboratory and the Space Place), Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Physics, and Geoscience and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI). Our most recent E/PO programs and collaborative efforts include the European Space Agency’s Venus Express Mission (in cooperation with NASA) and independent evaluation support for the University of Arizona’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission.

Our Staff

OSSE Director, Ms. Rosalyn Pertzborn has significant experience in design, implementation and evaluation of Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) programs for NASA Space Flight Missions. OSSE founder and Planetary Scientist, Dr. Sanjay Limaye continues to function as lead scientific advisor. Ms. Hsuan-Yun Pi supports product development and training activities as well as website design and multimedia development. Ms. Margaret Mooney was an outreach specialist for OSSE's earth science programs, including GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) and is currently a lead outreach specialist for CIMSS's education and outreach program.