Call for Applicants for 2009 Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 17, 2008) — The Space Foundation and the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) are accepting applications for the 2009 Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award until Jan. 16, 2009.

The AMF, Space Foundation, and NASA, annually present the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award in a continuing effort to recognize outstanding contributions by K-12 educators and district level personnel in the field of educational technology. The award is named after Alan Shepard, one of the nation’s original seven Mercury astronauts, the first American to fly in space, one of only 12 humans who have walked on the moon, and a former AMF board member.

Alan Shepard award recipients demonstrate excellence in the development and delivery of technology programs, which focus on aerospace and/or aeronautics. Applicants must explain how their programs ultimately benefit the students in their school or district. All K-12 school and district level educators from across the nation are eligible.

The Alan Shepard award will next be presented during the opening ceremony of the 25th National Space Symposium on Monday, March 30, 2009, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The award recipient will receive travel to and lodging in Colorado Springs for the presentation of the commemorative trophy and monetary award. Additionally, the recipient will be recognized at a special dinner following the opening ceremony. The recipient’s name will be etched on a plaque honoring past recipients that is housed in the Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For more information or to submit an application, please visit www.astronautsmemorialfoundation.org and click on the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award link.

About the Astronauts Memorial Foundation
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation captures the technology developed in the United States’ space program and applies it to the field of education. We partner with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide technology training to educators throughout the nation with a particular emphasis on space-related technology. In addition, at the Center for Space Education, we offer space-related educational opportunities for individuals, and, in doing so, we improve the quality of the workforce in the space industry.

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity.  A leader in space awareness activities, major industry events, and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom, the Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo.  It conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla.  The 25th National Space Symposium, the premier annual gathering of the global space community, will take place March 30 – April 2, 2009, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.  Along with partnering organizations, the Space Foundation also conducts Space Business Forum: New York on June 4, 2009, in New York, N.Y., and Strategic Space and Defense 2009 from 6-8 October in Omaha, Neb. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.

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 Contact
Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Andrea R. Cann
Education Assistant
321.452.2887
[email protected]