Phases 1-6
Phase 1 - SSEP Mission 6 to the ISS
Timeline: Spring 2014
Students will participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 6 to the International Space Station in the Spring 2014 academic term. SSEP is an experiment design competition in which the students will form teams and vie for the use of an experiment mini-lab reserved specifically for one of the teams to fly aboard the ISS in Fall 2014. The experiment for the winning student team will move on to NASA Flight Safety Review before integration into the SSEP payload bound for the ISS. There will also be a competition to design a mission patch that will fly aboard the ISS and be returned to the winning student. This program offers the students a real on-orbit research opportunity. Students can design experiments in diverse fields including seed germination, crystal growth, physiology of microorganisms and life cycles, cell biology and growth, food studies, and studies of micro-aquatic life. Content resources for students provided by NCESSE will support foundational instruction on science in microgravity and experimental design.
SSEP empowers students to truly become scientists, as part of a historic mission they will never forget. It allows student teams to design an experiment like scientists, with real constraints imposed by the experimental apparatus, current knowledge, and the environment in which the experiment will be conducted; it allows students to propose for a real flight opportunity like professional scientists, bringing critical written communication skills to bear; it allows students to experience a real two-step science proposal review process; it allows students to go through a real NASA Flight Safety Review like professional researchers; and it provides students their own science conference, where they are immersed in their community of researchers, communicating their thoughts, ideas, and experimental results to their peers. Selected members of the winning team will get to travel to NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch of their experiment to the ISS. This activity will give students the experience to replicate it for their K-12 students when they become classroom teachers.
Phase 2 - NASTAR Center STEM Educator Training Workshop
Timeline: May 19-23, 2014
Students will travel (travel, lodging and meals will be provided) to the NASTAR Center in Southampton, PA in May 2014, where they will participate in a comprehensive weeklong pre-service STEM teacher professional development program. The weeklong program will provide 40 hours of training covering forces and motion, aerospace physiology, history of technology, earth and space science, and rocketry fundamentals. A particular emphasis will be given to classroom demonstrations and techniques that students can apply when they become classroom teachers. Each student will receive a “mission kit” that includes a flight suit, course materials, and a DVD of their flight experience in the NASTAR Center centrifuge. They will also receive information on how the activities conducted in the program directly apply to National Academic Standards. The program is designed to bolster interest and learning in the sciences and engineering, and it will let the students participate in elements of training that are normally restricted to spaceflight participants and pilots. Through hands-on experiences, they will improve their content knowledge of science and technology that will enhance their abilities to inspire and engage K-12 students. The experience-based training will give them practical knowledge, resources, and hands-on tools they can use in their classrooms. Each student will receive a resource CD-ROM with more than 100 teaching guides from NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Phase 3 - ARIES Scientific STEM Educator Training Workshop at NASA GSFC
Timeline: May 26-30, 2014
Students will commute to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD in summer 2014, where they will participate in a comprehensive weeklong pre-service STEM teacher professional development program developed specifically for this proposal by ARIES Scientific. The activities are based on proven successful weeklong training workshops with in-service K-12 teachers and Girl Scout leaders that bring in exciting space science content, engaging hands-on activities, knowledgeable speakers, tested pedagogy strategies and methods, and numerous NASA space science education materials developed for these programs from the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education network and NASA space science missions. The weeklong program will engage students in the exploration of astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, astrobiology, observational techniques in astronomy, how to set up and run after school astronomy clubs (leveraging NASA’s After School Astronomy Clubs Network), and throughout, the enabling disciplines of engineering, math, and information technologies targeted at pre-service teachers. The workshop will introduce, refine, reinforce, and extend the students’ current space science content knowledge, connect them to NASA Education infrastructure, and enable them to carry out STEM-based activities in their future classrooms.
Phase 4 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Explainers Program
Timeline: Fall 2014 - Spring 2015 Academic Year (Dates TBD)
Students will participate in the Smithsonian NASM Explainers Program in the 2014-2015 academic year. They will receive extensive training from museum staff to become NASM Explainers, and will dedicate 15 hours per month as Explainers. Explainers assist museum visitors with the exhibit units in the How Things Fly Gallery. They will also present demonstrations on aviation and space topics for audiences of 50 visitors or more. Explainers also work with the Discovery Station program presenting on a variety of STEM-based topics. They also assist with NASM Family Days and other special events throughout the year. This natural progression of going from STEM content learning to learning effective teaching methods to audience interaction will build confidence in the students that they will be able to become effective STEM educators. As the most visited museum in the world, NASM offers an unparalleled opportunity for students to begin imparting their knowledge and skills to the public.
Phase 5 - DC Public School STEM Workshop/Activity
Timeline: Spring 2015 Academic Term (TBD)
Students will participate in a workshop or other activity in spring 2015 at which they will utilize their training to give STEM-based demonstrations to DCPS K-12 students and/or teachers. The opportunity to teach STEM lessons directly to DCPS K-12 students and/or teachers at the culmination of their experiences will provide them with a real-world opportunity to teach what they have learned.
Phase 6 - Poster Session and Luncheon
Timeline: Spring 2015 Academic Term (TBD)
Students will design posters to convey what they have learned about what makes an effective STEM educator, and they will each get the opportunity to present their posters at a luncheon in spring 2015. Representatives from all the partners involved in this proposal will be invited to attend. In addition to a luncheon celebrating the end of a successful program, students will have the opportunity to reflect on and assess their experiences, and share their thoughts with everyone who was involved in the suite of activities.