‘My Rocket Scientist’ Mentors Local Students

A new volunteer program is enabling USA employees to share their knowledge and passion for space exploration with students in a new way. Joining forces with Local aerospace companies and NASA, USA employees assist students, teachers and support JSC education programs through a variety of activities.

Through the new “My Rocket Scientist” program, USA employees are now joining their industry counterparts and taking their mentoring skills to area crisis and youth shelters. Organizations like the Boys & Girls Harbor, Bay Area Turning Point and The Bridge Over Troubled Waters serve children who have specific needs in reading, mathematics, science or English as a second language. These children may lack adults able to support their tutoring needs. The “My Rocket Scientist” volunteers fill that gap by providing mentoring assistance to children ages 5 through 18.

“This has a direct impact on our future workforce and ability to attract good candidates for Constellation and other downstream programs,” said Eva deCardenas, Team NASA Chairman. “Our hope is that volunteers can help inspire students to pursue technical careers and to excel in their mathematics and science education.”

This outreach program, along with other ongoing educational volunteer activities, is being coordinated through a new Team NASA subcommittee designed to provide unique volunteering opportunities for all aerospace employees.

Other education and outreach volunteer opportunities available through the program include the BP Physics Challenge and the Houston A+ Challenge teacher externship.

Approximately 1,800 Houston Independent School District physics and upper-level math students participate in the BP Physics Challenge. This is a day-long event that highlights physics in action. Volunteers work with students and teachers to perform unique and fun physics experiments.

The Houston A+ Challenge teacher externship program gives USA volunteers the opportunity to actively engage with teachers and provides a connection between the math and science classroom and the workplace. Houston-area middle school and high school teachers are teamed with employees at Johnson Space Center and aerospace companies working on the Shuttle, Space Station and Constellation programs. Team NASA hopes to host 25 teachers for the 2008 A+ Challenge in 2008.

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‘My Rocket Scientist’ Mentors Local Students

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