Gerald F. Day
 Colleagues and friends were very saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Gerald F. Day, Professor of Technology Education at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, on February 26, 2011. Dr. Day had received the Technology Education Association of Maryland’s Lifetime Achievement Award three days prior to his passing. He was known as a professional who would do most anything for his students, as he would listen to their goals and desires to be better educators. During his tenure at the University of Maryland, his students received numerous Outstanding Graduate Student Awards at the national level as well as scholarships for undergraduate students and Maryland teachers He is also known for creating the initial recognition for writers of articles in the Technology and Engineering Teacher. If you were engaged in a conversation with Dr. Day, it would not be about him, but about you and how he could help you reach your next goal, accomplish some task on hand, or just have more fun. He was known for his love of baseball, antique dealings, and technology education. Dr. Day received ITEEA’s Meritorious Service Award and the Award of Distinction, a feat accomplished by very few in the profession. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and daughter of Columbia, Maryland.
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The Future of U.S. Competitiveness
 “Technology and the Future of U.S. Competitiveness: Nightmares and Dreams” is a speech delivered by the President of the National Academy of Engineering, Charles M. Vest, on the topic of the future of the competitiveness of the U.S. It is a “must-read” for all technology and engineering educators, as they are an important part of the solution to the competitiveness issue and its ultimate resolution. Read the full article at: www.nae.edu/Activities/Events/AnnualMeeting/
31283/2010AMProgram/26353/35505.aspx
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Perkins Legislation Experiencing Major Cuts – What Can You Do?
 Recently, significant activity has been taking place in Washington, DC that has the potential to hinder or help technology and engineering teachers. It’s budget season, meaning that the Executive and Legislative branches are going through the process of creating the FY 2012 Budget. Both branches have proposed cuts to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in a year when the entire country is expecting cuts. The President reduced the Perkins Act to the 1991 level with a cut of $264 million. At the same time, the House, which is looking at an FY 2011 bill, has proposed a cut of $102.9 million. These cuts will have a significant effect on technology and engineering programs in schools that depend on Perkins funding. Technology and engineering teachers should educate themselves on the process and directions being taken with this legislation. The Senate will be involved in providing further discussion and direction before the process is completed. Programs relying heavily on Perkins funding may find that they will be curtailed significantly. The best way to protect this funding is to promote your program requirements and successes to your elected officials.
Technology and engineering teachers should become well informed on the direction of this funding. Provide supporting data and thoughts on why this funding should not be cut. Encourage the same of your colleagues in district or regional offices. Don’t underestimate the power that you have with your own elected official in terms of influence. You may not achieve every goal, but it is of critical importance to share your professional experience as a teacher in relation to this legislation. Don’t hesitate to contact your elected officials to inquire about the specifics of any bill that may be of interest. They will be happy to do so and, in most cases, will welcome the opinions of constituents. Have factual data on hand to show the importance of your program in terms of student achievement. You can make a difference.
For further information about the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA), email iteea@iteea.org, call 703-860-2100, or visit the website at www.iteea.org. |
Children's Engineering Convention
 The 15th annual Children's Engineering Convention took place February 24-25 at the Holiday Inn Koger Center, Chesterfield, Virginia. Attendance reached a new high for the convention, with participants from Alaska, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Connecticut, Kansas, Ontario, and Washington DC joining the Virginia school divisions represented.
SEAFOIL, an elementary boat-design state competition, led by Dr. Richard Boutwell of Northrop Grumman, was held prior to the opening session. The State winners were: first-place winner, Larchmont Elementary, Norfolk City; second-place winner, Cooper Elementary, Hampton City, and Grange Hall Elementary, Chesterfield.
Awards: The VTEA Elementary Teacher of the Year was Elizabeth Kirk of Woolridge Elementary; the VTEA Program of the Year went to J.B. Watkins Elementary; and the Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Award went to Dr. Richard Boutwell from Northrop Grumman.
Professional development sessions for K-5 were held, and outstanding speakers for the general sessions were Dr. Arthur Bowman, Professor/Science Center Director, Norfolk State University College of Science and Technology; Elizabeth Parry, Coordinator, K-20 STEM Partnership, North Carolina State University; and Dr. Henry Petroski, Professor of Civil Engineering/History, Duke University. Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Gerard Robinson, brought state greetings.
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Kindergarten Production Line
 For the past eight years, every kindergarten student in the Yorktown (IN) Community Schools has come to the manufacturing lab at Ball State University to build consumer products. The field trip aligns with an existing unit on economics at Yorktown, where students in Grades K-2 learn about raw materials, production systems, and the marketing of consumer goods. Nine classes of kindergarten students travel to BSU each spring to participate in an hour-long assembly-line activity. Each student gets to take home a product after the field trip.
Teacher education majors in Technology Education and Family & Consumer Sciences host the Yorktown students. Elementary education majors enrolled in the Technology Concentration also assist with the activity. A different product is selected each year; past activities have included the fabrication, assembly, and packaging of Tic-Tac-Toe games, model school buses, and a bird feeder. This spring the students made a tool box that was then loaded with school supplies like glue sticks and crayons.
Most products have 5-8 parts to assemble, and multiple materials are involved (to help illustrate the nature of modern manufacturing). The kindergartners are taught the names of equipment and materials, then quizzed about the resources prior to leaving campus to return home.
It is always a great time to partner with local businesses and universities to implement a mass-production activity with area elementary students. This type of venture draws attention to the STEM topics at a level of the school system where the "T" and "E" are rarely addressed.
Photographs of this year's activity and additional details can be found at: http://rseymour.iweb.bsu.edu/tigers.htm. |
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STEM Education Policy Conference
 A K-12 STEM Education Policy Conference will be held July 12-13, 2011 at the American Chemical Society,
1155 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC. Join your colleagues for this 1½ day conference, cosponsored by ITEEA, and learn more about the rapidly changing STEM education policy landscape from influential federal policymakers and national education leaders before heading to Capitol Hill for meetings with your elected representatives.
Who Should Attend? STEM educators, administrators, researchers, publishers and instructional material providers, STEM professionals, and anyone interested in the future of STEM education.
Speakers from key federal agencies will discuss their top STEM initiatives and answer questions from participants. Congressional staff will discuss current STEM-related legislation, NCLB and America Competes, and what’s ahead in the 112th Congress. Washington insiders will discuss the political landscape and help participants get ready for Congressional visits. Our collective voices will be heard as we join together for visits to Capitol Hill lawmakers. For more information, contact Jodi Peterson at National Science Teachers Association, jpeterson@nsta.org. |
Food for Thought
 Here's something for our field to think about...
Because President Obama and nearly everyone else uses "STEM Education" to refer to S&M education, the term STEM Education effectively marginalizes Technology Education. Though we like to think otherwise, "STEM Education" leaves T&E education on the sidelines, while providing a new "spin" for promoting new resources for S&M education. We've all seen this happen over and over again, locally, regionally, and nationally.
For that reason, one train of thought is that all Technology and Engineering educators should always use the term "Integrative STEM Education" rather than "STEM Education," because the operational definition of Integrative STEM Education (available at www.soe.vt.edu/istemed/) precludes the exclusion of the T & E when talking about STEM Education.
We (technology educators) need to use a term for "STEM education" that mandates the inclusion of T&E education, which is precisely what "integrative STEM education" does.
"Integrative STEM Education" refers to technological/engineering design-based learning approaches that intentionally integrate content and process of science and/or mathematics education with content and process of technology and/or engineering education. Integrative STEM education may be enhanced through further integration with other school subjects, such as language arts, social studies, art, etc." (Sanders & Wells, 2006-2011).
BONUS: Harvard Business School icon promoting integrative STEM education in 2.5 minute video clip: http://ideas.economist.com/video/doing-math |
Navigating the Landscape of STEM – Next Step Institute 2011...
 ...Dover, Delaware May 1-4, 2011
Next Step Institute (NSI) 2011 promises to be one of the most STEMulating* programs to date and innovative in the context of the ever-changing landscape of education. With the new education economy, ebooks, and digital advances, this year’s program looks at critical learning anchors, the interconnection between disciplines and environments, and entrepreneurial aspects of STEM as we progress in the 21st Century.
Next Step 2011 is designed to:
- Explore the interdisciplinary nature of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
- Promote sharing of resources and best practices.
- Provide participants with deep professional development through a variety of storylines.
- Establish a shared understanding of the current interdisciplinary education landscape.
Next Step Institute is a conference, workshop, and networking session for educational professionals. Held over four days, the experience encompasses content immersion, learning, practice, reflection, and sharing. Employing cognitive brain research about how people learn, learning styles, and the latest in education practice and methodology (learning circles, World Café conversations, team coaching, and technology), this year the theme of STEM education is at NSI’s heart. NSI is a true blend of theoretical, practical skills and content for education leaders and educators from the STEM community.
For details on Next Step and more information, check out ASMC’s website at www.nextstepsinscience.org!
The Next Step Institute welcomes K-12 education leaders from all levels, members of business and industry, formal and informal STEM educators, and materials managers to navigate the landscape together. |
Design Squad Nation Wants YOU to Build it Big By Entering the...
 ... 2011 Build Big Contest!
Beginning next week, we’re challenging kids across the country to show their creativity by creating an oversized version of a Design Squad Nation activity. Form a team (that includes at least one adult), choose an activity, build it big, and upload a video of your design to YouTube. Submissions may be posted on the Design Squad Nation website. No purchase is necessary, and entries must be received on or before August 1, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. One prize (a Flip™ camera with a retail value of $149.95) will be awarded to the winning team as determined by judges based on criteria described in the Official Rules. For more details and complete official rules, go to http://pbskidsgo.org/designsquadnation.
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Collaborize Classroom
 Collaborize Classroom can help teachers be more effective, efficient, and innovative despite the challenges facing school districts. Collaborize Classroom is a free (and always will be) online learning platform that can save your districts money and save teachers time while improving student performance across the board. Check out a video about Collaborize Classroom at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvaqt9ZQ-Eo
You can sign up for free at: http://collaborizeclassroom.com
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News From the IdeaGarden
 STEM Update
• 2011 Innovation Generation Grants
In 2011, the Motorola Solutions Foundation will provide $5.5 million in Innovation Generation grants that engage U.S. preschool through university students—especially girls, underrepresented minorities, and teachers—in STEM programming. We invite eligible nonprofit organizations, schools, and school districts to apply through April 22.
The 2011 Innovation Generation grants program will feature two distinct funding areas: Local Impact grants and Collaborative grants. For more information click the following link: http://responsibility.motorolasolutions.com/index.php/
society/comminvest/education/igg
• Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
In honor of the tenth anniversary of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, The National Engineers Week Foundation launched an exciting campaign to reach 10,000 ten-year-old girls with positive engineering experiences. This campaign launched during E-Week on February 24, 2011 (Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day) and will last approximately ten weeks, closing on Mother's Day. An informative webcast has been archived that shares more information about the campaign and ways to participate. Access the archived webcast at http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=188. Find out more, request a kit, or report event data: http://www.eweek.org/EngineersWeek/Introduce.aspx.
• Breaking through Barriers for Women and Girls
Celebrate AAUW's 130th anniversary and help shape our future at the June 16-19, 2011 National Convention in Washington, DC. http://convention.aauw.org/index.aspx
• NASA Education Opportunities
• The Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) invites you to the 5th annual LEGO Engineering Symposium May 24-26, 2011 at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
LEGO and STEM
The LEGO Engineering Symposium aims to bring together educators who want to explore using LEGO MINDSTORMS to teach STEM concepts. This year's symposium's theme is "Pushing the Envelope of STEM Learning." Speakers will include researchers in science education, leading K-12 teachers, maverick Mindstorms users, and other folks pushing the boundaries of technologies for supporting STEM education.
We will be offering six development labs this year:
I. Seeing the Science/Engineering in Children's Thinking
II. Integrating Engineering & Literacy
III. SAM (Stop-Action Movie Making) – Tools for Children to Create Representations of their Ideas
IV. Labview Education Edition – The Next Generation of Programming
V. Supporting the Development of Engineering Design Skills K-12
VI. Physics Glasses: Augmented Reality and Other Fun Things with Image Analysis
Development labs are an opportunity for participants to learn, discuss, and develop ideas. They are different than traditional workshops in that participants spend time discussing and developing ideas that can inform classroom practice as well as product development. This year we are asking participants to preselect the development labs in which they wish to participate so that we can better plan materials and resources. All development labs will share an overview of their activities and findings on the final day of the conference.
Registration is now Open! Space is limited to 100 participants – so register early.
Visit http://legoengineering.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167 for more information and registration. |
World's Largest Student Science/Technology Competition 2011 Regional Winners
 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Students Imagine Solutions for Energy Production, Medical Treatments, Transportation, and More
The 19th annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program recently announced its 2011 Regional Winners. This year the program received 4,346 team entries, representing the participation of 13,387 students from across the U.S. and Canada, and regional winning projects reflected in-depth research in scientific fields ranging from GPS and nanotechnology to stem cell and gene research, solar and wind energy technologies, and others.
ExploraVision immerses students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. This year, results of a teacher survey sent to all participating educators showed overwhelmingly that they consider the program a valuable tool for inspiring students.
The program selects winners based on how they combine imagination with the tools of real scientific research to envision future technologies that could realistically exist in 20 years. Students learn by presenting their project ideas in ways that reflect modern scientific methods, examining problems and deriving solutions the same way scientists do and considering the positive and negative consequences to their proposed ideas. At the regional judging level, a panel of 56 judges—including science educators, scientists, and engineers—evaluates the written entries and chooses the 24 Regional Winners.
This year’s 24 regional winners will now move on to the national phase of the ExploraVision competition where they will compete to be named among the eight national winner teams, including four first-place and four second-place winners.
For more information or an application for 2012, visit www.exploravision.org or email exploravision@nsta.org. Follow ExploraVision on Twitter at http://twitter.com/exploravision or join the ExploraVision Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/ToshibaNSTAExploraVision. |
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Teacher Education STEM Scholarship Opportunity 2011-12
 The objective of this opportunity is to encourage talented individuals to pursue professional studies leading to a teaching certification in the sciences, technology education, and mathematics (STEM). The Virginia Space Grant Consortium awards a one-year $1,000 scholarship to undergraduate or graduate education majors while attending a member institution full time. This is a competitive scholarship program, and awards are based on merit, recognizing high academic achievement and promise. Underrepresented minority students, female students, and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
For more information and to complete the online application for 2011-2012, please visit:
www.vsgc.odu.edu. Applications must received by March 21, 2011.
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is a coalition of five Virginia Space Grant universities (College of William and Mary, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech), the Virginia Community College System, NASA, state educational agencies, and other organizations representing diverse aerospace education and research interests. |
Summer 2011 Internship Opportunities
 The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is coordinating two NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) internship opportunities at NASA Langley Research Center during the summer of 2011. The purpose of these internships is to train and develop a workforce of the future needed to implement the NASA Vision for Space Exploration.
Interns will be engaged in hands-on engineering projects with a placement mentor starting June 6th and ending August 12th. The internships will be open to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. This summer’s ESMD internship positions include a stipend of $6,000.
These internships are open only to full-time students attending Virginia Space Grant Consortium member universities and colleges. VSGC institutions include Hampton University, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and the Virginia Community College System.
The NASA ESMD website is: www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/index.html. Or, go to the VSGC website for more information, deadline, and application: http://www.vsgc.odu.edu.
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STEM News From the Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin
 • Team America Rocketry Challenge Launches Into Qualifying Rounds
More than 600 teams from 48 states and the District of Columbia are preparing their hand-designed model rockets to qualify for the ninth annual Team America Rocketry Challenge on May 14. The contest aims to inspire middle and high school students to further study and choose careers in science, math, and engineering. "TARC builds on students' skills and enthusiasm for designing, creating, and flying rockets, and introduces them to college and career opportunities in STEM fields," said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey.
Each three- to ten-person team is challenged to design and build a rocket that will rise to an altitude of 750 feet during a 40- to 45-second flight carrying a raw egg, which must return to the ground undamaged. Teams have until April 4 for their qualifying flights, with NAR representatives across the country judging each entry. The challenge culminates May 14 when the 100 teams with the best qualifying scores compete at the finals near Washington DC. TARC's impact on the workforce pipeline reveals progress in an industry in need of skillful, knowledgeable young professionals. In a 2010 survey of TARC alumni, approximately 80 percent of respondents plan to pursue a college major in an area related to science, math, or engineering. More details are at www.rocketcontest.org.
Source: Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin, February 24, 2011 - Volume 17, Number 8
Online Version
• Rubik's Cube Classroom STEM Lessons
On the heels of President Obama's State of the Union Address calling for a greater classroom focus on science, technology, engineering, and math, teachers nationwide now have access to a new resource: STEM lessons built around the Rubik's Cube. The You CAN Do The Rubik's Cube community initiative, currently in its second full school year, has developed STEM lessons in conjunction with the Common Core State Standards, National Standards, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, providing the lessons to teachers for free via download at www.YouCanDoTheCube.com. The STEM lessons provided by You CAN Do The Rubik's Cube program were developed for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms and aim to help teachers foster STEM skills.
Source: Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin, March 3, 2011 - Volume 17, Number 9
Online Version |
New Books
 • Harry Roman's Resource Book Series on Engineering
ITEEA author Harry T. Roman is quite busy producing engineering resource books for the classroom. Eight of his nine current Hearlihy books deal with engineering concepts for the classroom (and more new books are under editorial review). Current volumes may be ordered directly from Hearlihy at their online store www.hearlihy.com/store/. After arriving at this website, simply type “Harry T. Roman” in the search box, and the books and their corresponding information and ordering details will appear.
• Another New Book From ITEEA Members
McGraw Hill’s Pre-Engineering Essentials is hot off the presses...authored by Henry Harms and Dave Janosz, with Brian Drelick contributing. |
NASA News
 • NASA Education Express Message
Check out the following NASA opportunities for the education community. Full descriptions are listed below.
NASA History Symposium — 1961/1981: Key Moments in Human Spaceflight
The NASA History Program Office and the National Air and Space Museum’s Division of Space History are pleased to announce a symposium marking four significant anniversaries in the history of human spaceflight in 1961 and 1981. This event will take place April 26-27, 2011 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The symposium is free and open to the public.
For more information about this opportunity and to register online, visit http://history.nasa.gov/1961-1981conf/index.html.
Inquiries about this symposium should be directed to histinfo@nasa.gov.
DLiNFocus: NASA Careers "What’s in Your Future?" Special Event Series — Special Women’s History Month Editions
Various subject matter experts from different NASA centers have been in the Digital Learning Network studios for a series of webcasts focusing on careers. Selected classrooms were able to interact live with the scientists through the DLN cameras. Each event was webcast to allow students from all over the world to watch the interviews. Any student could interact by sending questions via email.
Experts shared their academic experiences from elementary through college and talked about what motivated them to pursue their careers. They discussed where those career paths led. Students and teachers had an opportunity to learn about the variety of career choices at NASA—astronauts aren't the only folks who work here! The final hour-long event in March 2011, beginning at 2 p.m. EDT is:
- March 23: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center featuring Katie Collins, research analyst with the Global Inventory Monitoring and Mapping Studies branch.
Sign up today to become a part of this exciting opportunity to meet NASA employees live! For more information, visit the DLN website at http://dln.nasa.gov and click the Special Events button.
Inquiries about the DLiNFocus series should be directed to Caryn Long at Caryn.Long@nasa.gov.
• RockOn! 2011 University Rocket Science Workshop
U.S. university faculty and students are invited to a weeklong workshop to learn how to build and launch a scientific experiment into space. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is hosting the RockOn! 2011 workshop June 18-23, in partnership with the Colorado and Virginia Space Grant Consortium. The registration deadline for the workshop is May 3, 2011.
The hands-on workshop teaches participants to build experiments that fly on sounding rockets. During the week, participants will work together in teams of three to construct and integrate a sounding rocket payload from a kit. On the fifth day of the workshop, the experiments will fly on a sounding rocket expected to reach an altitude of more than 70 miles. Each experiment will provide valuable scientific data, analyzed as part of the student-led science and engineering research. The program engages faculty and students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific, and technical missions.
For more information about RockOn! and to register online, visit: http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/rockon.
Questions about the workshop or the registration process should be directed to Chris Koehler by email at koehler@colorado.edu or by telephone at 303-492-3141.
• Pennsylvania Space Grant Workshops
Keep pace with the latest science research, engage in standards-based classroom activities, and explore ways to make science fun while working with Penn State faculty during these summer workshops for in-service science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, educators. Network with peers and earn graduate credits. Workshops are aligned with the national science education standards and Pennsylvania standards for science and technology.
All workshops take place in State College, PA. Grants are awarded to all participants to cover in-state tuition, lodging, parking, some meals, and partial travel.
- Ancient Global Warming (Grades 6-12) — June 15-17, 2011
Venture back 55 million years to learn about a major global warming event and what it can teach us about the potential effects of future global warming on the environment and life on Earth. Hands-on activities will include computer modeling and processing of ancient samples. http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/global_warming.html
- Engaging Students in Astronomy (Grades 5-9) — July 18-22, 2011
Learn how to use the Starry Night software package, which allows users to simulate the behavior of the night sky and the motion of objects in the solar system. Participants also will learn to analyze student work in order to contribute to research into how students' understanding of astronomy changes over time. http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/astronomy.html
- Hands-on Particle Astrophysics (Grades 9-12) — July 25-29, 2011
This workshop will feature hands-on explorations of high-energy messengers from extreme cosmic phenomena, such as galactic supernova blast waves. Instructors will highlight leading Penn State experiments in Antarctica, the Argentine Pampas, and the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/particle_astrophysics.html
- Astrobiology: The Interdisciplinary Search for Life in the Cosmos (Grades 5-12) — August 1-5, 2011
Join faculty from the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center to examine how scientists work to detect and characterize life on the early Earth, in extreme environments, and in extraterrestrial settings. The latest research and related hands-on activities will be highlighted. http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/astrobiology.html
- Black Holes: Gravity’s Fatal Attraction (Grades 6-12) — August 1-5, 2011
Delve deep inside black holes and modern ideas about gravity, space, time, and solar system formation. Current ideas might surprise you! http://teachscience.psu.edu/workshops/black_holes.html
Questions about the Pennsylvania Space Grant workshops should be directed to teachscience@psu.edu.
• Preservice Teacher Institutes at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
The Preservice Teacher Institute is a one-week summer residential session for early childhood and elementary education majors preparing to teach in an elementary or middle school classroom. Two institutes will take place this year: June 19-24 and July 24-29, 2011. Both events will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
College students from diverse backgrounds will be exposed to aerospace, mathematics, and science enrichment activities. Preservice teachers are able to interface with NASA personnel and tour Johnson Space Center facilities while learning to incorporate NASA's cutting-edge research into lesson plans for elementary and intermediate school students.
Full-time undergraduate students in their junior or senior year are invited to apply.
The application period closes on March 22, 2011. For more information, visit http://education.jsc.nasa.gov/psti/default.htm.
Please email any questions about this opportunity to Sharon Griffin at sharon.v.griffin@nasa.gov.
• Host a Downlink With the Space Station
NASA is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host a live, in-flight education downlink during Expeditions 29 and 30 (approximately from September 2011 to March 2012). To maximize these downlink opportunities, NASA is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the downlink into a well-developed education plan. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 29, 2011.
Downlinks are approximately 20 minutes in length and allow students and educators to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session. A downlink is a modified video conference in which participants see and hear the crew members live from space, but the crew does not see the audience. Downlinks afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space. Downlinks are broadcast live on NASA TV and are streamed on the NASA website. Due to the nature of human spaceflight, organizations must demonstrate the flexibility to accommodate changes in downlink dates and times.
For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/downlinks.html.
Interested parties should contact Teaching From Space to obtain information related to expectations, content, format, audience, application guidelines, and forms by sending an email to JSC-Teaching-From-Space@mail.nasa.gov or by calling 281-244-7608.
• 2011 INSPIRE Project
U.S. high school students are invited to participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, through an online learning community. INSPIRE is designed to encourage students in 9th through 12th grades to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2011. NASA will make selections for the program in September. The selected students and their parents will participate in an online learning community with opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers, and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade level educational activities, discussion boards, and chat rooms for participants to gain exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA.
Students selected for the program also will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2012 at NASA facilities and participating universities. The summer experience provides students with a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in the STEM disciplines.
INSPIRE is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in the STEM disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For more information about INSPIRE, visit www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE.
To apply for the program, visit https://inspire.okstate.edu/index.cfm?liftoff=login.LoginForm. |
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International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
1914 Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191
iteea@iteea.org www.iteea.org |
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