Space Foundation Press Releases


Space Foundation Names Two Winners of 2009 Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship; Ball Aerospace Makes Dual Award Possible

Written by: developer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May. 13, 2009) — The Space Foundation announced today two winners of the 2009 Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship: Jessica Kamalu, high school mathematics teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Anuenue, Honolulu; and Rod Floro, sixth grade physical science teacher at Kamehameha Schools Middle School, Hawai’i Campus, Keaau.

“For the first time since the inception of the Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship, we have received so many outstanding applications that we are awarding two scholarships instead of one,” said Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Holokauahi Pulham. “We are grateful to Ball Aerospace & Technologies for providing a matching grant to the Space Foundation, making this year’s dual award possible.”

Pulham and his wife, Cynthia, fund the annual scholarship, which honors the memory of Pulham’s grandmother, Lucy Enos, who was born in Pahala, Hawai’i, in 1898.

Recipient Jessica Kamalu graduated with honors from Kamehameha Schools in 2003. She received her bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian language in 2008, and is working toward a master’s degree in education.

In her application, Kamalu expressed a desire “…to be able to relate rockets and space exploration to Hawaiian navigation, which is a fascinating aspect of Hawaiian culture and science. I would like to teach an elective course about rockets, including the history, evolution and science behind them.”

Rod Floro received a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from the University of Hawai’i, Hilo, and a B.S. degree in environmental sciences, minor in chemistry, from DePaul University, Chicago. He also expressed interest in integrating space studies with Hawaiian navigation tradition.

“Over the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to sail on the voyaging canoes Makali ‘i, Alingano Maisu, and Hokule ‘a,” wrote Floro in his application. “We are taught how to navigate using only the natural elements…but I feel that I need to integrate this traditional knowledge with a Western perspective of astronomy. I feel that by interfacing the Western/Polynesian perspective of astronomy, I can present science lessons with a more holistic approach.”

The Enos scholarship provides professional development opportunities for educators of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry, or who work with PreK -12 students of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry. It covers tuition, fees, travel expenses, and lodging for recipients to travel to Colorado Springs and participate in one of the Space Foundation’s week-long Space Discovery Institute courses.

The Space Discovery Institute offers six separate graduate-level courses:
• Biological and Physical Research: International Space Station Science & Space Law (June 15 – 19)
• Astronomy Principles for the Classroom: Exploring our Universe/The Search for Life (June 22 – 26)
• Space Technologies in the Classroom: Nanotechnology and Space Spinoffs (July 6 – 10)
• Earth Systems Science: Planetary Geology (July 13 -17)
• Lunar/Mars Exploration and Base Construction (July 13 -17)
• Rocketry: Space History (July 20 -24)

The Space Discovery Institute curriculum focuses on national standards and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles. Master’s degrees in Curriculum and Instruction, with a space studies science emphasis, are available.

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry – civil, commercial, and national security. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity.” An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry (www.SpaceFoundation.org/spaceindex). Along with partnering organizations, the Space Foundation will sponsor Space Business Forum: New York June 4 in New York City, an event with USSTRATCOM in Omaha, Neb., next fall, and the 26th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 12-15, 2010. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation 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. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter: SpaceFoundation.
 


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