Mon, Apr 05, 2010
Space Agency Is Developing A Multi-Player Online Game
"Astronaut School"
Challenger Center for Space Science Education has received a $1
million dollar grant from NASA to validate the educational goals
and content of NASA's new massive multi-player online game,
Astronaut School, now in development. Challenger Center, will
partner on this grant with a wide range of groups including the
Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond consortium of game developers, Dr.
Larry Lowe at Benedict College, Wisdom Tools and NASA's Learning
Technologies Program Office, as well a number of diverse Challenger
Learning Centers, teachers and students.
The Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond LLC consortium of three
companies (Information Place, Virtual Heroes and Project Whitecard)
has been designated by NASA as the organization that will create
the multiplayer online game featuring NASA missions and Earth and
space science content. Benedict College, a historically black
institution in Columbia, South Carolina, is a leading minority
institution which is ranked second in the nation in producing
African American Physics majors. Wisdom Tools is an organization
that spun out of Indiana University's Center for Excellence in
Education and is focused on the research, design and development of
serious games and e-learning software.
Participating Challenger Learning Centers include the Challenger
Learning Center of South Carolina partnered with South Carolina
State University; the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee
partnered with Florida State University; the Buehler Challenger and
Science Center of New Jersey on the campus of Bergen Community
College, and the Challenger Learning Center of Nevada located in
Washoe County.
Challenger Center is uniquely suited to lead this proposal. For
23 years, Challenger Center has been providing simulated space
missions and educational programs and content for students,
teachers, college students, and adults that integrate NASA
missions, and inspire students to consider STEM careers through
meaningful activities that utilize NASA resources. Dan Barstow,
Challenger Center's president, said of this award, "This new online
game will help NASA deepen its reach across the nation by providing
much needed STEM educational opportunities for students, and our
role in helping to validate the content with our partners will help
to ensure that the game has strong educational content, learning
goals, and a balanced evaluation focused on the real-world
challenges of NASA's Earth and space science programs".
Benedict College is committed to establishing and maintaining high
quality programs of teaching, research, and public service and is
distinguished by its continued commitment to facilitate the
empowerment, enhancement, and full participation of
African-Americans in American society. Dr. Larry Lowe is a
Professor of the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental
Health Science at Benedict College and has strong ties to NASA
through his microgravity research.
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