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Day of Education: Search Is on for People to Tell NASA Langley Story
09.17.10
The first goal is to match the number of openings with the people to fill them: civil servants, on- or off-site contractors, retirees; engineers, scientists, technicians, secretaries, college students on center, whoever.
"As of Thursday, the ratio of teacher registrations to employee registrations is about four to one," said Liz Ward, who is helping with NASA Langley's Day of Education effort to reach out to Hampton Roads’ students and, by extension, their parents.
More precisely, that's more than 600 classrooms to visit, with about 150 employee/volunteers signed up so far.
But that's arithmetic. There are two greater goals for the October 8 Day of Education.
"We want to impart enthusiasm and a spark for science and math," said Ward of the first goal. "And if we get employees to do this, to go out and have the 'aha!' moment, to realize how important this is and to learn what an impact that they can have on a young person, then it's a success."
The key to the Day of Education is generating enthusiasm among children for the work NASA Langley does, as Chris Giersch did in a recent session with kids. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith.
The reason for it is one that's stressed over and over in discussions about students and the needs of NASA and industry for future employees.
"The United States is not doing very well in K-12 STEM education," Ward said flatly, then offered evidence.
The National Science Foundation's "Science and Engineering Indicators: 2010" showed that the average math scores of U.S. 15-year-olds were lower than those of their age peers in 18 countries in a 24-country sample. And between 2000 and 2006, the number of countries scoring higher than the U.S. students in science rose from six to 12.
Considering that education in younger grades builds that 15-year-old's score, and that the 15-year-old is at a critical stage in making decisions about higher education and careers, there is cause for alarm.
The idea here is for NASA Langley to answer that alarm, one day at a time.
"We complain about the education system," said Rich Antcliff, head of the Strategic Relationships Office and director of the Day of Education effort. "Let's go out and do something about it. We've got the people to do it."
He calls NASA's employees and contractors "ambassadors" and reminds that part of the agency's mission in its charter is to advance education. "It's really doing our jobs," Antcliff said.
Since the Day of Education was announced, any number of questions have been asked about obligations taken on in volunteering.
The answers begin with this: The Day of Education is not an effort to send out scientists and engineers to teach a class that fits into Virginia’s Standards of Learning curriculum.
"It’s to communicate our enthusiasm for our work, as an agency, as a center or just as a worker," Ward said. "If you're an engineer, you don't have to teach a math class. If you're a secretary, you don't have to teach science.
"You don't have to use any of our hands-on activities. The point is to get the employee out of the center to talk with kids about NASA and what we do."
Another reason: "Most people outside this gate don't know that we're here and don't know what we do," Ward said. "When I go to classrooms, they're surprised we have a NASA here. They think that NASA is in Florida or Texas. And many think NASA is just the space shuttle.
"They don't know that it's not just space, but also airplanes and science, Earth science and climate change, and about technology to improve their lives."
That's part of a message to take to 20,000 students.
"We have got to have those people excited," Antcliff said, "as future employees and, frankly, as taxpayers of the future. ... None of us here are going to Mars. But some of those third-graders, fourth-graders, they may be the first explorers on Mars. We've got to get them excited about that possibility."
The employees who want help can attend 90 minutes of training at any one of six sessions spread over the last week of September. The first 30 minutes give the volunteer an idea of what to expect in the classroom and some tips on how to engage kids. Then there are breakout sessions to choose from that include: aeronautics and aviation, space exploration, Earth science and career choices.
"Nobody has to do this," Ward said of the training. "If you're shy about talking to kids in a classroom, please come to the training. If you're comfortable, then just go and talk to the kids."
The training sessions include a discussion of available support materials, including the two-minute video “The Langley Story” that has proven valuable in the classroom, and hands-on activities that can appeal to younger students.
The plan is to try to take NASA materials to everyone that participates.
"We're looking for volunteers to stuff backpacks over the weekend of October 1," Ward said. "We're talking over 20,000 backpacks."
The classes are from 16 Hampton Roads school districts, but employee/volunteers can choose to go to a private or parochial school, or even outside the area, particularly if they want to attend a relative's school.
The key is just to get the word out in a way that engages the children.
The deadline for teachers to request a NASA appearance is September 20. To request, use https://dayofeducation.larc.nasa.gov
Retirees or off-site contractors can use the same address and volunteer by writing their affiliation with NASA in the "comments" section. Center employees can register at https://dayofeducation.larc.nasa.gov/employees
The hope is that the impact of Day of Education lingers well beyond October 8.
"These kids are going to go home and talk to their parents, and they're going to say guess who talked to my class today," Ward said. "So we're going to raise community awareness that we're here and awareness about what we do. We're doing research that enhances the quality of life for everyone."
It's a message that can be told in many different ways, by people in many different jobs.
"It's something we ought to be doing every year, every month," Antcliff said. "I'd like for people to look at it as an opportunity. It's not just for scientists. It's not just for engineers. Tell them how you as a secretary got to NASA. They'd love to hear that. 'What kind of people do you work with at NASA? What do they do behind the fence?' You can tell that. There are some cool jobs here, and I don't think we always realize it. You can be an accountant and work for NASA and work with millions of dollars. It's a great message."
So the quest continues for more messengers.
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