NASA and Aviation Museum Team Up to Promote Aeronautics Education
September 18, 2007
Two organizations with a rich history in aviation have joined forces and will soon engage students and the
public with two NASA enhanced aeronautics field trip programs.
The Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, Calif., in partnership with
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., is launching
'Skyways' and 'Four to Soar: Forces of Flight' during Hiller’s annual
Educator Day on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007. During this event,
educators and their families are invited to visit the museum free of
charge and participate in demonstrations of several hands-on
programs, including Skyways. These new programs are a result of a
Space Act Agreement, signed earlier this year, to develop and
disseminate museum-based aeronautics-focused educational products.
"NASA offers a wealth of aeronautics education materials designed
primarily for classroom use. This partnership with Hiller Aviation
Museum provides NASA an opportunity to engage the next generation in
NASA’s aeronautics mission," said Deborah Feng, acting chief of the
NASA Ames Education Division. "NASA has gained a strong partner with
the same goal of enhancing and enriching the teaching and learning of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)," she added.
"Museums and science centers are great resources for teachers to use
in helping their students achieve academic success in science and
math," said Jeffery Bass, president and chief executive officer of
Hiller. "Not only have our efforts with NASA created useful products
for our own local audience and regional schools, but they will help
teachers and museums throughout the country as those products are
disseminated," Bass said.
According to the agreement, Hiller Aviation Museum and NASA Ames
Research Center will co-develop math and science field trip
activities and classroom lessons to foster student and teacher
interest in aeronautics and NASA’s aeronautics mission. Educational
materials developed through this collaboration will focus on STEM
concepts and NASA content in a fun, instructional format, designed
for museum audiences. These educational materials and programs will
be disseminated to other museums nationwide.
The 'Skyways' aviation math field trip project uses a version of
NASA's Smart Skies software complemented by a museum tour and a
flight planning challenge developed by the museum. During the Smart
Skies portion of the field trip, students are challenged to manage
aircraft approaching a major airport. Using an air traffic control
simulator and math concepts, students adjust aircraft trajectories
and speeds to safely and efficiently route aircraft to their
destination. Smart Skies has been tested with thousands of students
in San Francisco Bay Area schools and across the country. Smart Skies
is a part of an educational outreach effort between NASA and the
Federal Aviation Administration.
The Four to Soar: Forces of Flight field trip project engages students
in hands-on inquiry museum activities and pre/post engineering design
challenge classroom activities. Students will experiment with
aeronautical forces, learning first-hand how the design of a
propeller and the shape of a wing affect thrust and lift.
"NASA is looking forward to sharing its aeronautics research with the
Aviation Museum audience," said Christina O'Guinn, who leads NASA
Ames' informal education efforts. "We are confident these programs
will be a great success."
The NASA Ames and Hiller Aviation Museum partnership is funded by the
NASA Headquarters Office of Education, Washington and the museum's
corporate sponsors. Development of Smart Skies was funded by the NASA
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
The Hiller Aviation Museum, a non-profit organization, brings together
historical, educational and technological resources to create
programs that increase public understanding of science and aviation
and inspire curiosity.
For more information about NASA's Smart Skies, visit:
http://smartskies.arc.nasa.gov/
For more information about the Hiller Aviation Museum, visit:
http://hiller.org/
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