Page 1 - Edconnect Feb 2017

Connecting Brevard Public Schools to its Community • Volume V, Issue 4, February 2017
Harris, Space Foundation Teach Students Valuable Rocketry Skills
In December, a handful of Brevard middle schools had the opportunity for students to engage in hands-on space engineering in the heart of their classrooms. Through a grant provided by Harris Corporation, the Space Foundation presented “Space in the Community,” an immersive program for students and teachers designed to inform and inspire them about space and to reinforce the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program was presented to students and sta at Madison Middle in Titusville; Central Middle in West Melbourne; and Lyndon B. Johnson Middle in Melbourne.
During these events, Space Foundation educators led a hands-on STEM activity where students created rockets made from drinking straws, clay, tape, and paper. After fashioning their rockets, students took them to the launch pad for lift-o with a speci c target in sight. If the students did not make the target, they would have to go back to the
drawing board and either make changes to the rocket itself or to the angles selected to change the rocket’s trajectory.
The STEM focused activity challenged the students to make decisions based on the data collected and the ultimate result of a launch success or failure. In addition to the hands-on activities, students also heard from retired NASA astronaut, Robert Springer. Springer shared his personal stories of his experience at NASA, on shuttle missions, and the types of challenges he had throughout his career.
Students really responded to Springer asking him questions about life in space and how his body felt in zero gravity. One student asked about taking showers in space to keep clean. The entire audience gasped when Springer responded that astronauts on the space shuttle did not shower, but rather used cleaning wipes to remove
sweat and dirt. Lots of chatter was heard then as Springer reminded him that some people have stayed in space more than a year.
Another topic the students found interesting had to do with eating food in space. Springer explained that by making salt and pepper into a liquid they could be added to foods or meals in much the same way we do here on Earth. Otherwise, little salt and pepper akes would be oating all around the spacecraft and would be very di cult to capture.
“The goal of Harris’ collaboration with the Space Foundation is to interest younger students in considering STEM careers and taking courses in high school that will position them to successfully pursue
Students at Central Middle design and make a rocket to test in their classroom.
Madison Middle students get ready to launch homemade rockets during a STEM program.
STEM studies in college. Engaging in such activities in a secondary atmosphere helps to build a PreK-12 STEM pipeline in communities to grow an organic workforce,” said Ellen Mitchell, senior communications manager at Harris.
To culminate the partnership event, the Space Foundation’s education team led a professional development workshop for up to 75 middle school STEM teachers at the Harris Global Innovation Center in Melbourne. The workshop illuminated ways that teachers can incorporate STEM lessons and activities into their classrooms and across the curriculum.
February 2017
edConnect
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