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NASA to Host Educator Development Events During Upcoming Essence Festival

Mars and Beyond poster for Essence events
Credits: NASA/SSC

The NASA Stennis Space Center Office of Education and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas have scheduled a series of free professional development workshops for educators in conjunction with the 2016 New Orleans Essence Festival Presented By Coca-Cola, set for June 30-July 3.

NASA education specialists from around the country will lead the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workshops for 4th through 8th grade educators. Each unique session will integrate NASA missions, real-world data, lessons, activities and online resources that will enhance upper elementary and middle school curricula with the excitement of aerospace exploration.

Scheduled workshops include:

  • Earth Right Now – June 28, 9-11:30 a.m. Learn how NASA uses the vantage point of space to better understand Earth and bring it into the classroom.
  • Space Technology Drives Exploration – June 28, 1-3:30 p.m. Learn how space travel, robotics and science instruments advance NASA’s space exploration, science and aeronautics capabilities.
  • Journey to Mars – June 29, 9-11:30 a.m. Discover how humans and robotic spacecraft and rovers will pioneer the next giant leap in space exploration.
  • Aeronautics: Come Fly With Us – June 29, 1-3:30 p.m. Learn about technologies developed from NASA research and about a wide variety of aerospace activities and lesson plans available for classroom use.
  • Our Solar System and Beyond – June 30 9-11:30 a.m. Explore NASA missions that are looking to answer key questions about Earth, neighboring planets in our solar system and the universe beyond, and receive a set of solar system lithographs.
  • ISS: Living and Working in Space – June 30, 1-3:30 p.m. Learn surprising facts about living and working in space, as well as lessons learned from astronaut experiences on the International Space Station.

Registration is limited to 30 participants for each workshop session. Educators are asked to register for the workshops by June 20 at: http://audubonnatureinstitute.org/home/teacher-resources/teacher-workshops.

All workshops will be held at the Aquarium of the Americas facility at #1 Canal Street in New Orleans. All educators will receive NASA Certificates of Participation upon completion of the workshop. For more information, contact stephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov.

The scheduled workshops are part of larger NASA Week activities, exhibits and presentations scheduled during the annual Essence Festival Presented By Coca-Cola. The annual festival began in 1995 as a 25th celebration of the Essence magazine. It has grown into the largest annual U.S. event celebrating African-American music and culture. Each year, it features speaker presentations, as well as marquee and new-school performers.

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas was opened by Audubon Nature Institute in 1990 and now ranks as one of the leading aquariums in the country. It specializes in aquatic life of the Americas and includes exhibits highlighting the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon rain forest, a submerged Mayan city, penguins and sharks.

For more information about the Stennis Office of Education, visit: http://education.ssc.nasa.gov.

For information about Stennis Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/.

For information about Audubon Nature Institute, visit: http://www.auduboninstitute.org.

For information about the Essence Festival Presented By Coca-Cola, visit: http://www.essence.com/festival.

Valerie Buckingham
Stennis Space Center
228-688-3898
valerie.d.buckingham@nasa.gov