Space Discovery Graduate Course Helps Teachers Generate Excitement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 2, 2002) — `If you want to get kids interested in science, tie it to space or dinosaurs,` said Dr. Gary Coulter, lead `Biology and Physical Research` Space Discovery course instructor and professor at Colorado State University. The weeklong graduate course, conducted by the Space Foundation, recently took place at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Nearly 30 K-12 educators from across the country participated. Karenanne Koenig, math and science teacher at Hilton Head Middle School in Hilton Head, South Carolina, has been taking Space Discovery courses since 1990. “The Space Foundation’s curriculum always stays on the leading edge, and I learn things here that I can’t anywhere else,” commented Koenig, adding that the lessons she learned during “Biology and Physical Research” will immediately implement her curriculum. Coulter’s course lessons included space biology, human physiological adaptations to space flight and the search for extra terrestrial intelligence. Additionally, course participants experienced a flight simulator and spatial disorientation trainer, both used to train pilots and astronauts. “Biology and Physical Research” was offered for the first time this summer, and we plan to add another new course next summer titled “Space History and Space Law,” said Dr. Patricia Arnold, vice president of education for the Space Foundation. The next Space Discovery course scheduled this summer is “Robotics Made Easy,” which takes place August 5-9 at Air Force Space Command. Register online at www.spacefoundation.org or by calling the Space Foundation at 1-800-691-4000. All Space Discovery courses offer credit towards the new space studies specialty Master’s Degree Program offered by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Separate graduate credit is also available. The courses are open to all K-12 educators and all participants are eligible for a $150 NASA fellowship. Other Space Discovery courses held this summer at the USAFA include “Astronomy Principles for the Classroom,” “Rocketry and the Biology of Living in Space” and “Earth Systems Science.” The Space Foundation has trained more than 20,000 teachers since 1986 on Teaching With Space through Space Discovery graduate courses and Space in the Classroom national conferences. All courses and conferences meet state and national educational standards, with optional graduate credit available. ####