Welcome to Tufts University SENSORS.  Our goal is to inform, inspire and involve children in the excitement of science and space exploration.  While we develop and encourage interactivity in learning, we strive to ensure the online safety and privacy of our users.  NASA KIDS is committed to complying fully with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA).  Notice of our information practices are explained below as required by the Federal Trade Commission's Children's Online Privacy Protection Regulations, located at 16 CFR § 312.

(i) Contact Information  (16 CFR § 312.4)  "Operators"

Professor Chris Rogers is the responsible Tufts University official hosting this activity.
Merredith Portsmore is the lead support member.
Phillip Lau is the systems engineer and content developer.
 

crogers@tufts.edu Tufts University 200 College Ave 204 Anderson Hall Medford, MA 02155

mportsmo@tufts.edu Tufts University 200 College Ave 204 Anderson Hall Medford, MA 02155

plau@tufts.edu Tufts University 200 College Ave 204 Anderson Hall Medford, MA 02155

A. General Collection Information

As with all internet web sites, Tufts University SENSORS collects some information indirectly from all users visiting our web site.  What is collected and how it is used is explained below.

• System Logging.  Our web server and e-mail systems keep log files about network transactions.  Tufts University policy is to destroy these logs after they are 30 days old.  We do analyze our web log files to calculate statistics on which pages are visited and how long visitors stay on our site.  We do not track individuals with this information.  We are required to retain this information for the security of our website and online service.  E-mail addresses of messages sent from our system are logged as well.  These logs are not viewed unless necessary for security reasons and are deleted after 30 days (16 CFR § 312.5(c)(5)(i)).
• Internet Addresses. Tufts University SENSORS gathers Internet Protocol Address (IP Addresses) and pages viewed as part of the logging system within our web server.  When calculating statistics on visits and pages viewed IP addresses are used in broad calculations.  IP address are never used to identify someone personally unless a security breach requires such an investigation (16 CFR § 312.5(c)(5)(i)).
• Use of Cookies. Tufts University SENSORS may use session cookies for visitors to our site.  A session cookie is a temporary file stored in a web browser that is deleted when it either expires or the browser is closed.  No privacy or personally information is stored in a cookie from this web site.  We may store a temporary number which help us understand traffic patterns or help us control access to restricted pages.  Some features of NASA KIDS may not function properly without session cookies being enabled.  The Office of Management and Budget currently does not permit government web sites to store any permanent cookies on your system without explicit permission to do so.

B. "Tufts University SENSORS User Info" Information Collected

Tufts University SENSORS User Information is simply a database of the teachers and students who visit and use our site. This is primarily used to view the people who have "hit" our site.

The name is collected for the purpose of personally addressing our e-mail messages to the child.

The e-mail address is collected for us to send messages about SENSORS to teachers and students.

The address is collected to send mailings and information about SENSORS and our center; Center for Engineering Educational Outreach (CEEO).

The telephone number is collected for simple contact reasons; reviews of our site, questions, or problems.

The grade taught is collected to see from what grade level teachers are using our site.

The parent's e-mail address is collected to send notice to the parent that their child has subscribed to our mailing list.  This information is not retained except for security logging (see our policy  on system logging).

We do not disclose this information to third parties.

For brevity, the use of the collected information is described in the above section on explaining what is collection.

Tufts University SENSORS does not disclose information to third parties.

Tufts University SENSORS does not prohibit the participation in any activity based on requiring more personal information than is necessary.

Tufts University SENSORS will make a child's information available for review by the child's parent.  Any parent wishing to review or have deleted personally identifiable information about their child should telephone one of the provided contacts.

Links to External Sites

Tufts University SENSORS tries to provide a safe, fun, and private environments for kids to learn about space and science.  We may link to other sites for the convenience of your children.  We are not responsible for the content or collection practices of these sites and recommend you read their privacy policies before providing them information.

Also read NASA's Privacy Statement for Web Sites
 
 

Updated: January 12, 2001