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Introducing Sixth through Twelfth Grade Teachers to Power and Performance Experiments as part of National Institute of Aerospace Workshops

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The National Institute of Aerospace, NIA, was created near NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA on September 26, 2002, as a result of a winning proposal submitted by the AIAA and a 6-university team in response to a broad agency announcement. The four imperatives that framed center activities were to:

1. Conduct leading edge aerospace & atmospheric science research and develop revolutionary new technologies by creating innovative, collaborative, synergistic partnerships among NASA’s Langley Research Center, academia, and industry,

2. Provide comprehensive graduate and continuing education in science and engineering by using both a local campus and exploiting innovative distance-learning concepts,

3. Incubate and stimulate the commercialization of new intellectual property developed through the Institute's activities, including radical ideas and disruptive technologies, and

4. Promote aerospace science and engineering and provide outreach to the region and nation.

In support of the fourth imperative, our workshops are to provide a brief yet thoughtful introduction to some of the important scientific and engineering challenges involved in NASA’s complex missions and to relate this to grades 6-12 science and mathematics education. This paper describes our workshop components relating to power and performance and the experiences of teachers in learning more about propulsion and flight. Care was taken to provide teachers with basic materials so that they could stimulate young minds. Building on this, students should learn the basics early, build on the experience, and consider pursuing careers in science and engineering. Building on this, we want students to learn the basics early, to build on these basics, and to prepare for an education that will lead to careers in science and engineering.

Participation in the workshops has always been limited by space, schedule, and cost considerations, as well as by NASA Langley Research Center’s other competing summer programs. Thus, in order to make a large impact, admission to the workshop is made through an application process which attempts to identify teachers who are most likely to benefit and to apply what they learn to their classes. Enrollments since inception in July, 2003 have been from 18 to 32 teachers. The 2006 summer workshop included 6- 12 grade teachers for the first time from all states with NIA University participation including: Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia.

In all four workshop years, our NC participants were able to operate a turbojet engine and were provided instruction in the theory of the jet-propulsion cycle. The

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Saad, M., & Craft, W. (2007, June), Introducing Sixth Through Twelfth Grade Teachers To Power And Performance Experiments As Part Of National Institute Of Aerospace Workshops Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2881