Badger Springs Middle School teacher Chris Ellis and Valley View High School teacher Stacy Katzenstein were two out of 18 teachers selected from 14 states to be part of the NASA Astronomy Activation Ambassadors (AAA) program.
The NASA Astronomy Activation Ambassadors is a professional development program for middle school, high school, and community college physical science teachers. AAA is part of NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Science Activation (SciAct) collective. SciAct aims to effectively engage learners of all ages with NASA science.
“This is the first time our teachers are selected into the ambassador program,” said Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora. “We are excited to see the impact it will make on not only our teachers but our students. This experience will support them to continue inspiring our students and enhance student learning in STEM.”
The two teachers will be part of the program’s 2023 cohort to learn the latest about NASA’s astrophysics and planetary science missions, receive access to NASA education resources, and be trained to teach a curriculum module produced by the SETI Institute.
According to its website, the SETI Institute is a non-profit research organization with a mission to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world.
“We are excited to know that two of our teachers were selected for the program,” said School Board President Susan Smith. “Our teachers are leading by example, demonstrating that learning never stops. It goes beyond the classroom. There will always be opportunities to grow and develop.”
NASA’s AAA program has reached about 35,000 students through their teachers. It is an eight-month professional development program that includes both online training and in-person elements. Teachers who complete the program are prepared to implement the curriculum module with physics and astronomy students.
“Participant teachers will use their AAA professional development and pedagogical training to convey real-world content to their students. This rich curriculum illuminates the value of scientific research and the wide variety of STEM career paths available to them,” said Dr. Dana Backman, AAA program lead. “The AAA program allows the SETI Institute to continue bringing NASA science into classrooms across the country.”
“Though I am personally excited for this experience, I am more eager to see the ways that this partnership with NASA through the AAA program would benefit my students,” said Ellis.
Earlier this year, Ellis had the opportunity to take his students to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. As the engineers were assembling the Europa Clipper, their guide shared that when this mission arrives to Europa, his students would be at the age of interning or working with NASA on this mission.
“Not only did this excite our students of future possibilities, but deepened my desire to provide ways for students to broaden their vision of the future. I hope that this opportunity will ignite a passion and desire to pursue a STEM future!”
Participants in the program are selected via a competitive peer-review recommendation in addition to consultation between schools, districts, colleges and the AAA team.
“This is a thrilling honor to be a part of [the] NASA AAA Cycle 11,” said Katzenstein. “I am excited for our students because this program will help me connect state-of-the-art science, engineering, and insight for potential STEM career options to our high school classes.”
The AAA STEM immersion experience is focused on giving participants real-life exposure to the scientific process and how scientists conduct frontier research. Following their STEM immersion, AAA program staff work with teacher participants to implement a NASA-oriented, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned electromagnetic spectrum and infrared astronomy curriculum module developed by the SETI Institute.