NASA Selects Teachers to Fly Student Experiments in Reduced Gravity Aircraft

Sept. 20, 2012

Ann Marie Trotta
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1601
ann.marie.trotta@nasa.gov

Jeannette Owens
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-433-2990
jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-328

NASA SELECTS TEACHERS TO FLY STUDENT EXPERIMENTS IN REDUCED GRAVITY AIRCRAFT

WASHINGTON -- Teachers from six NASA Explorer Schools (NES) have been
selected to receive the 2012 School Recognition Award for their
contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education.

The teachers selected are from Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Glendale,
Calif.; Franke Park Elementary School, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Mountview
Road School, Morris Plains, N.J.; Corpus Christi Catholic School,
Chambersburg, Pa.; Fairport High School, Fairport N.Y.; and Forest
Lake Elementary Technology Magnet School, Columbia, S.C.

In April 2013, three teachers from each school will travel to NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston. There they will have the opportunity
to fly aboard the agency's reduced gravity aircraft and conduct
experiments designed by their students. The experiments will examine
the acceleration and inertia of objects, how fluids with different
viscosities behave in microgravity, and how the absence of gravity
affects mass and weight.

"Congratulations to the NES teachers selected for this innovative NASA
experience. The reduced gravity flights allow teachers to conduct
scientific investigations in a microgravity environment, similar to
how experiments are conducted on the International Space Station,"
said Cecelia Fletcher, acting program manager for primary and
secondary education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This
experiential learning opportunity helps to spread the excitement of
STEM education with teachers and students throughout the NASA
Explorer School network."

A team of NASA personnel reviewed many applications before selecting
these six schools for their exemplary classroom practices and
innovative uses of NES resources to engage a broad school population.
These schools were chosen from more than 470 schools that are
registered participants in the NASA Explorer Schools project.

The NASA Explorer Schools project is the classroom-based gateway for
students in grades 4-12 that focuses on stimulating STEM education
using agency content and themes.

For more information about the Explorer Schools Project, visit:

http://explorerschools.nasa.gov

To watch a four-minute video that provides project information and
shows previous winners aboard the reduced gravity aircraft, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/pjy29I

For more information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education


-end-



To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov