NASA Selects Classroom Teachers and Educators for SOFIA Science Flights

According to a statement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, six teachers have been selected to work with scientists aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) during research flights in May and June.

SOFIA is a research platform hosted within a highly modified Boeing 747 aircraft. SOFIA houses a 100 inch (2.5 meter) diameter telescope which it uses to analyze infrared light to study the formation of stars and planets; chemistry of interstellar gases; composition of comets, asteroids and planets; and supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.

“Enabling educators to join SOFIA’s scientific research and take that experience back to their schools and communities is a unique opportunity for NASA to enhance science and math education across the country,” said John Gagosian, SOFIA program executive at agency headquarters in Washington. “More than 70 teachers flew on NASA’s previous flying observatory, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, from 1991 through 1995, and that program had long-lasting, positive effects on both the teachers and their students.”
This first team of educators selected to participate in SOFIA’s Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program were chosen from applications they submitted which included plans for taking their training and flight experience back to their classrooms.

The teachers selected are:
— Marita Beard, Branham High School, San Jose, Calif.
— Mary Blessing, Herndon High School, Herndon, Va.
— Cris DeWolf, Chippewa Hills High School, Remus, Mich.
— Kathleen Joanne Fredette, Desert Willow Intermediate School, Palmdale, Calif.
— Theresa Paulsen, Mellen School District, Mellen, Wis.
— Margaret Piper, Lincoln Way High School, Frankfort, Ill.

“We know teachers who participate in science research programs return inspired, and their students’ engagement with technical subjects are measurably increased for many years afterward,” said Dana Backman, manager of SOFIA’s education and outreach programs. “Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors is an outstanding opportunity for NASA to reach out to both new and veteran teachers of science, technology, engineering and math to bring the excitement of real science research into the classroom and the community at large.”