Informal Education at NASA Centers: Extending the Reach

August 5th, 2012 - August 5th, 2014 | PROJECT

Informal Education at NASA Centers: Extending the Reach is a highly leveraged, modular, project-based approach to improving education opportunities for students, formal and informal educators, and life-long learners in NASA Ames Research Center’s local community and beyond. In partnership with the Aerospace Education, Research and Operations (AERO) Institute, NASA Ames has been developing two projects: Exploration Center Field Trips and Field Trip in a Box. California Teaching Fellows Foundation, as a sub awardee, has been expanding their After School University (ASU) program. The division has the goal of supporting NASA’s Education Outcome 2 with improved educational opportunities for all in the NASA Ames Visitor Center and opportunities to bring NASA content into the classroom to improve students understanding of STEM as well as improve teachers understanding and ability to teach NASA-related STEM topics. The division also has the goal of supporting NASA’s Education Outcome 3 by expanding ASU to include NASA-based STEM learning opportunities to 360 additional students in six rural schools as well as train 12 additional Teaching Fellows (Fresno State University future teachers). Through these objectives, NASA Ames has produced 10 Field Trip in a Box kits as well as new and expanded learning opportunities for all, especially 3rd – 8th grade classes, in the NASA Ames Visitor Center. ASU has reached 500 students in 10 schools and hosted 12-14 year old learners in a five-week computer-based flight simulation class, called Flying for Future Pilots.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

NASA Ames Visitor Center
After School University

Team Members

Brenda Collins, Principal Investigator, NASA Ames Research Center

Funders

Funding Source: NASA
Funding Amount: 235000

Tags

Access and Inclusion: Rural
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | General Public | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Engineering | General STEM | Physics | Space science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Afterschool Programs | Games | Simulations | Interactives | Informal | Formal Connections | K-12 Programs | Media and Technology | Museum and Science Center Programs | Public Programs