From fischer at ncspacegrant.org Fri Feb 24 15:13:43 2006
From: fischer at ncspacegrant.org (Mark Fischer)
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:13:43 -0600
Subject: [NCSG Faculty] NC Space Grant Expands to Attract More Students into
Science
Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20060224171227.0384df40@ncspacegrant.org>
NC Space Grant Program Expands to Attract More Students into Science
and Aeronautics
CHAPEL HILL, NC -- NC Space Grant will soon bring the excitement of
aeronautics and space to even more students across North Carolina. A
statewide consortium of University of North Carolina campuses and
Duke University, NC Space Grant is expanding its membership from
eight to eleven universities. Participating campuses deliver
space-based, hands-on projects, courses, and outreach activities to a
diverse range of university students and K-12 educators across the
state. Over the past five years, the program has reached more than
5,400 students, faculty, and K-12 teachers.
"It is critical for the future prosperity of the nation to have a
highly trained and motivated workforce in science, technology,
engineering and math," says NC Space Grant Director Chris Brown.
"Thanks to support from NASA and from the state of North Carolina, we
will be able to accomplish our part of this."
Initially established in 1991 through NASA's National Space Grant
Program, the program's expansion is made possible through additional
funding provided by the NC General Assembly and NASA. New member
institutions include Appalachian State University, Elizabeth City
State University, and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
They join Duke University, NC A&T State University, NC Central
University, NC State University, the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Pembroke, and Winston-Salem State University.
Programs developed by NC Space Grant member institutions are designed
to inspire and educate North Carolina's future scientific and
technological workforce. For example, a senior aerospace engineering
design class at NCSU formed a successful collaboration with 100
sixth-grade science students at Carnage Middle School in Raleigh.
Students designed and tested prototypes of a wind-driven Mars rover
for NASA, and winning prototypes developed by both the middle school
and university students were displayed at the Festival of Flight in
Fayetteville.
NC Space Grant also supports research by individual university
students, including UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate Josh Haislip. Last
fall, using the Solar Telescope in Chile, Haislip became the first
person to obtain data that allowed a UNC-Chapel Hill astronomy group
to measure the distance to a gamma-ray burst (GRB) which, at
12.8-billion light years, was the most distant GRB ever detected. He
will be the lead author on a forthcoming article about the discovery
in Nature magazine.
Projects being developed by new member universities are equally
diverse and exciting. At Appalachian State University, Dr. Anthony
Calamai will initiate a student internship program in space science
research, while UNC Asheville, under the direction of Dr. Brian
Dennison, will establish undergraduate research internships in
partnership with the nearby Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute.
Elizabeth City State University is establishing a K-12 educator
professional development program based upon Mars geology, geographic
information systems (GIS), and remote sensing.
"These workshops will allow teachers to stimulate students in
pursuing an education and career in earth and space science and
possibly to become the first humans to set foot on Mars," predicts
Dr. Thomas Rossbach, ECSU project director.
With its expanded membership, NC Space Grant will be even better
equipped to impact a wide range of students and teachers from many
communities and school districts. Additionally, the expansion will
provide increased opportunities for participating campuses to pursue
federal funding though the new partnerships that they will have with
NASA, industry, non-profit organizations, and state government agencies.
###
For more information about the NC Space Grant please visit
http://www.ncspacegrant.org/ or contact
Director Chris Brown at
director at ncspacegrant.org or (919)
515-5118. Directors at the new member campuses may also be contacted directly:
Dr. Anthony Calamai, ASU: (828) 262-4956
Dr. Brian Dennison, UNCA: (828) 232-5036
Dr. Thomas Rossbach, ECSU: (252) 335-3376
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Mark Fischer
Associate Director
NC Space Grant
NCSU Research Building II
1009 Capability Drive, Suite 210
Raleigh, NC 27695
919-515-5933
919-515-5934 (Fax)http://www.ncspacegrant.org/