During July 2001, I along with 24 science educators from 15 states attended the NASA Educator Workshop (NEW) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The two-week program was a NASA Headquarters initiative managed by NSTA, and coordinated by Marshall’s Education Programs Department. The NEW program has been a catalyst in my career as a teacher of science. As a result of my participation, thousands of students have enjoyed unparalleled NASA experiences.    

Throughout the NEW workshop, I interacted with NASA scientists, engineers, technicians, and educational specialists learning about state of the art research and development occurring at the Center. The educational materials and activities presented during the workshop were related to aerospace technology, biological science and physical research, earth science, human exploration and development of space, space science, and rocket propulsion.  These opportunities gave me a broader perspective on how NASA could support my work in the classroom. Below are three programs I learned about during NEW and was able to bring to my students and community.

As a result of my experience at Marshall, I was able to raise several thousand dollars and arranged for a week-long visit of the NASA Mobile Aerospace Educational Laboratory (MAEL) to the Williamsville Central School District in April 2003.  The MAEL was a mobile 53 foot trailer which housed an electronically enhanced computerized classroom operated by the NASA Glenn Research Center.  During the week-long visit to Western New York, over 800 students from our district were engaged in aerospace lessons that modeled real-world challenges in aviation.  

In March 2004, I was the program coordinator for a live video downlink with crew members aboard the International Space Station.  During the downlink event, twelve students spoke with United States astronaut C. Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut, Alexander Kaleri as they orbited 250 miles above earth. The program impressed on our districts 1200 middle school students and the estimated 6,000,000 people world-wide that read about or viewed the downlink how science and technology transcend national borders and in doing so enrich the lives of humankind.

During the NEW program, I received NASA lunar and meteorite certification.  This certification has enabled me to provide instruction to over 4500 students, and teachers using these tangible legacies of our nation’s Apollo space program.  Curricular activities I have incorporated since receiving certification include activities related to geologic history of the moon, lessons involving planetary processes such as impacting, and activities focused on the effects of earth’s atmosphere as they relate to the samples. For the past 15 years, I have coordinated a March Moon Madness event with our district planetarium director. The event is well attended by local Boy and Girl Scout programs. Approximately 1000 members of the community have gained knowledge of past, present, and the future of space exploration at this annual program.

The NASA NEW program has enabled me to bring the real world of aerospace to the classroom, my colleagues, and the community.  These aerospace educational activities I have implemented have made science, discovery, and exploration exciting for thousands of students.  By nurturing and challenging young minds, together we inspire our next generation of explorers.

I encourage teachers to subscribe to NASA Education Express to receive weekly announcements about opportunities available to them and their students. There is a journey waiting for you. Only as far as we seek, can we go. Only as much as we dream, can we be!

Kenneth L. Huff is a science teacher at Mill Middle School in Williamsville, New York and a member of the NSTA Board of Directors. 

If you have any questions please email me. 

Science has been a central component of American democracy from the very beginning. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”

What do we need to be informed about in today’s modern times? Consider this daunting short list of topics—climate change, GMO food, vaccination, energy, artificial intelligence, ‘designer babies,’ and pharmaceuticals—and you can see how important science is in keeping us well informed.  All of these topics require a basic level of knowledge about what science is and about the role of scientific evidence so we can understand phenomena and make verifiable predictions.

Jefferson also understood the intersection between government and science and acted to assert the government’s role in science by establishing the first U.S. science agency, The Survey of the Coast. This predecessor of NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) measured and published water depth data to inform mariners’ safe passage. Jefferson also launched the Lewis and Clark expedition that excited and educated the public and led to dramatic economic expansion. Realizing that education was essential for national security, he connected the education and science endeavors by establishing a “Corps of Engineers” to be “stationed at West Point in the state of New York,” the U.S. Military Academy.

In the years since Jefferson, government agencies have observed the world, recorded data, and helped the public benefit by publishing results and supporting the educators who enable children and future citizens to be well-informed. We may have turned our attention from the survey of the coast to the survey of the heavens but our need for education remains. Fortunately, federal agencies like NOAA, NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Interior have maintained their mission to educate us and have developed programs that facilitate teachers’ access to and use of their science. We strongly believe this must continue.

Science instruction today is motivated by exposing students to phenomena, encouraging their questions, and guiding their practices to build and defend explanations supported by evidence. Students learn to use observations, build models, and make predictions, just like the scientists in federal agencies. They also explore the consequences of science in the world they live in, learning to be well-informed citizens.

Recognizing the traditional connection between science, education, and federal agencies, we invite science teachers who have benefited from federal agency programs to share your experiences and the impact these programs have had on your students. These reflections will appear on the NSTA blog and inspire other teachers to seek out and use similar resources and programs to support science teaching. Read our first blog by middle level teacher Ken Huff who shares his experience with the NASA Educator Workshop (NEW) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

Dr. David L. Evans is the Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Reach him via e-mail at devans@nsta.org or via Twitter @devans_NSTA. 

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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