Space Foundation Hosts Space Discovery Graduate Courses for Teachers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.(May. 21, 2002) — According to every national poll, space is one of the two most exciting subjects for children. This summer, K-12 educators can learn how to Launch Learning Excitement with space in their classrooms during the Space Foundation’s Space Discovery graduate courses in Colorado Springs. During five unique, week-long tracks, teachers will explore the biological effects of space flight, study the theory of orbits and rocketry, participate in underwater neutral buoyancy tests to experience simulated astronaut training, and learn how to apply the knowledge into their curriculum. Beginning this summer, qualifying course work for the new space studies specialty for elementary and secondary schoolteachers will be offered during the Space Discovery courses. The specialty is part of the master’s degree in curriculum and instruction offered with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs’ College of Education, and developed jointly by the Space Foundation and the College of Education faculty. Separate graduate credit is also available for each Space Discovery course. Space Discovery courses include

• Pikes Peak or Bust – Earth Systems Science – June 24-28 at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Spend a week at Garden of the Gods and on Pikes Peak discovering the amazing parallels between Earth and space science, participating in experiments, exploring the ecosystems, and learning how we monitor Earth systems from space.
• Space Travel for Teachers, Rocketry and the Biology of Living in Space – July 8-12 at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Study the effects of human space flight, build and launch your own rocket and discover space concepts.
• It’s a Wonderful Life, Biological and Physical Research – July 15-19 at the USAFA. During this brand new course, participants will search with experts for answers to how humans can expand beyond home to maximize space exploration benefits, and discover how fundamental laws of nature shape the evolution of life.
• Search for the Stars, Astronomy Principles for the Classroom – July 22-26 at the USAFA. Focus on NASA’s Enterprise for Space Science – black holes, wormholes, time travel, star hopping, night sky identification and the physics of space.
• Robotics Made Easy, Space Technologies for the Classroom – August 5-9 at Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB. Astound your students with real space technologies and their application on Earth now and into the future. Build your own robot and explore orbital mechanics, GPS and satellite operations.

Registration is available at www.spacefoundation.org or by calling Misty Garland at the Space Foundation at 1-800-691-4000. Cost is $600 per course, which includes registration materials, lunch each day, transportation, and lesson plans. Guaranteed partial NASA fellowships and other funding are available for all applicants. The Space Foundation offers partial tuition fellowships and all K-12 teachers may apply. Early application is recommended, as fellowships are limited. Please call 1-800-691-4000 for a tuition fellowship application. The Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation is a national non-profit organization, striving to advance space awareness and education. The Space Foundation has trained more than 17,000 teachers since 1986 through its “Teaching With Space,” “Space Discovery” and “Space in the Classroom” K-12 professional development programs.