K-12 Education Programs

The NC Space Grant K-12 Education Program is designed to inspire secondary school students to pursue STEM careers by providing high quality, hands-on, pre- and in-service educator professional development and other opportunities.

LEAP: A Planets Project PI: Dr. Crystal Harden, UNC - Chapel Hill

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will offer six L.E.A.P. (Learn. Educate. Apply. Pioneer) workshops for up to 120 K-6 teachers serving in our state’s most economically distressed counties. These workshops will be NASA-themed, standards-based professional development seminars that empower participating teachers with increased STEM content knowledge, effective interdisciplinary methods for delivering STEM content, and resource kits with supplies for conducting the demonstrated activities in their classrooms. Morehead’s portable fulldome digital planetarium, an innovative environment for teacher training, will be the centerpiece of each L.E.A.P. workshop.

Geologic Materials from Outer Space PI: Dr. Laura Mallard, Appalachian State University

Symposium on Horizons in Astronomy and Physics Education (SHAPE) 2010 PI: Dr. Laurie McNeil, UNC - Chapel Hill

The 2010 Symposium on Horizons in Astronomy and Physics Education (SHAPE 2010) will be an opportunity for high school physics teachers and other science teachers from throughout North Carolina. to learn from experts about the latest developments in our understanding of the Universe and its origins, applications of physics to important issues such as sustainable energy and human health, and the prospect of new technologies to enhance our daily lives. They will also learn about advances in teaching and learning and how those can be applied in their own classrooms, and will have a chance to network and share with one another. Many scientists have cited the influence of their high school science teachers on their decisions to pursue careers in science. A science teacher who is knowledgeable about her subject both in its fundamental aspects and in its current and potential application to a wide range of topics of human concern is capable of inspiring her students to pursue further study of science in a way that nothing else can. This 1.5-day symposium, held during a school holiday break, will help teachers remain current in their knowledge of developments in astronomy and physics and in their enthusiasm for teaching their subject.