Eight teachers from across the U.S. fly student-designed experiments on a parabolic flight campaign, embedded with researchers from NASA and commercial space.

KENOSHA, WI, UNITED STATES, November 6, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Teachers Take Flight in Zero-G!

Eight middle school teachers from across the U.S. have been selected to fly experiments on a parabolic flight, experiencing the weightless environment of space while operating research experiments designed and developed by their students. Each project supports a NASA research focus and provides a year-long in-class experience for students that is out of this world.

The teachers and their experiments will each experience eleven minutes of weightlessness during a series of parabolic maneuvers aboard the ZERO-G G-Force One Aircraft. The parabolic trajectory of the aircraft allows researchers to float in free-fall during the maneuvers. The results of their experiments will be used by their students and future teachers and students to understand the behavior of fluid, biological, and mechanical systems in space. The flights take place during the week of November 26 out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Teachers:

Beverly Berekian teaches 7th grade science at Serrano Intermediate School in Lake Forest, California and has served as a DoD STEM Ambassador, NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, and a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Colleen Cain, a 7th grade science teacher at Larson Middle School in Troy, Michigan, is a National Geographic Certified Teacher with 17 years of experience developing innovative hands-on learning opportunities for her students.

Jaime Chanter teaches at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Ohio. Jaime is a Google Champion and a flight instructor for AirCamp in Dayton, Ohio. She is also a member of the inaugural Limitless Space Institute Educator program.

Celena Miller is Project Manager at the University of Texas Center for Space Research, where she has worked with thousands of students and teachers from across the U.S. as they participate in CSR-led space education, outreach, and internship programs.

Betty Jo Moore is an award-winning 6th grade science teacher at Wiley Magnet Middle School in Winston-Salem, NC, where she does community outreach as a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Lalitha Murali is a Gifted and Talented Teacher in the Glendale-River Hills School District in Glendale, Wisconsin, where she is in her 16th year working with 4-8th grade students on a variety of STEM programs. Her participation in the Embedded Teacher program is the subject of the coming documentary film, My Teacher in Space.

Lauren Parker teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Fort Worth Academy in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a Limitless Space Educator and recipient of the ISS National Lab Tony So Excellence in Education Award.

Cindy Watson teaches math, Mock Medical School, and CTE Technology of Robotics Design, at Forest Middle School in Forest, VA, where she is a nine-year master teacher with VA Space Grant Consortium's programs.

The Embedded Teacher program has flown ten teachers and their experiments over the past seven years, “embedding” them with researchers performing NASA and commercial space research aboard parabolic flights. The teachers bring the lessons and experiences of the program back to their classrooms to motivate students to pursue their own journeys in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).

The program invites applications from 6-8 teachers in STEAM fields to attend a microgravity workshop to develop their own proposals for flight as part of the Embedded Teacher Project. More information on the workshop is available at spaceforteachers.org.

The Embedded Teacher Program is a partnership between the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (at Carthage College), the National Space Society, and Space for Teachers. Funding is generously provided by the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISSNL), the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, and the NASA Flight Opportunities Program.

About Space for Teachers: Space for Teachers is a collective of educators dedicated to the idea that real, meaningful research is the most effective strategy to fostering lasting student engagement and a deep connection to the world of STEM. spaceforteachers.org

About WSGC: The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) is part of a national network of consortia funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. Congress established the program in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s scientific enterprise through research, education, and public service projects. spacegrant.carthage.edu

About Carthage College: Carthage College is raising expectations for a private college experience. It blends the best liberal arts traditions with desirable degree programs, transformative learning opportunities, personal attention from distinguished faculty, and a focus on career. www.carthage.edu
About National Space Society: The NSS is an independent, non-profit, nonpartisan, educational organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. space.nss.org

Kevin Crosby
Space for Teachers and NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium
+1 262-551-5855
kcrosby@carthage.edu
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