Firming Up The Connection Between Exploration And
Education
Thirty educators who
applied in 2003-2004 to join NASA's Astronaut Corps will visit
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville (AL) Oct. 22-24,
to participate in a workshop celebrating the unique connection
between space exploration and the American classroom.
The three-day workshop is among the activities planned for
educators invited to join NASA's new Network of Educator Astronaut
Teachers, or NEAT -- an organization of outstanding teachers whose
abiding, keen interest in space and recognized leadership in the
classroom spurred them to apply for the Astronaut Corps.
The visiting teachers, participants in NASA's Educator Astronaut
Program, were among the final group of contenders vying for three
openings in the 2004 astronaut class. The program, initiated by
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe in 2003, recruits K-12 educators
for the Astronaut Corps. The goal: helping those educators give
students nationwide a better understanding of the value of math,
science and engineering studies, and exposing young people to
career opportunities available in the US space program.
"Today's classrooms have tomorrow's explorers," said Dr. Adena
Williams Loston, NASA's chief education officer. "We are looking to
use the teaching skills of these educators to inspire students and
to share with them the Vision for Space Exploration" -- NASA's bold
initiative to return Americans to the Moon and send robotic
missions to Mars and elsewhere in the Solar System to prepare for
eventual human journeys beyond near-Earth space.
All NEAT participants remain eligible to compete for future
Educator Astronaut openings, provided they remain active in the
classroom.
NEAT workshop participants will tour the Marshall Center and
mingle with members of NASA's newest astronaut class. Loston will
welcome attendees at a reception Friday evening, Oct. 22, and will
address the group the following morning during a breakfast at the
US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. NASA administrators and
personnel will discuss NASA's mission and lead seminars on
innovative teaching techniques.
The Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers was developed as a
result of the overwhelming number of nominations -- more than 8,800
-- received by the Educator Astronaut Program in 2003.
"These are some of the most talented, committed teachers in the
nation," said Tammy Rowan, a NASA education specialist at the
Marshall Center. "It's our intent to keep them engaged with NASA,
and to keep the value of space exploration front and center in
their classrooms."
The NEAT component of the Educator Astronaut Program will focus
on those teachers who were among the final candidates considered
for the Astronaut Corps this year. NASA kicked off the program in
June, bringing 160 of the applicants to a workshop at Johnson Space
Center in Houston.
NASA seeks to foster excellence in science, math, technology and
engineering education for America's next generation of explorers.
The Office of Education provides students and educators with unique
teaching and learning experiences as only NASA can. Working
collaboratively with NASA's Mission Offices, programs and
personnel, the Office of Education promotes education as an
integral component of every major NASA research and development
mission.