Let's Go to Space: BLUE-SKY Learning

This past year, I was fortunate to present two technical papers related to the importance of early childhood identity development in relation to STEM careers. One of the most interesting takeaways I learned from my research is that students as young as 5 begin to identify themselves in careers based on what they recognize or what they see. Have a parent in a STEM field? Children identify with that. If children don’t have this exposure at home, teachers can play an early role in that same development. The premise was that curriculums and teachers can do more to help students see themselves in STEM. Today, our guest does just that.

Monika Moorman is a 4th grade teacher from South Florida. Originally from Poland, Monika is a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher and has over 20 years of classroom experience. She’s been selected for a number of fellowships and has presented at numerous state and national conferences. Monika is a genuine STEM and environmental enthusiast and engages her students in numerous after school teams and activities, including Robotics, SECME, and the Solar Car Team. She volunteers as a Space Station Ambassador through NASA’s JPL. We are excited to have the chance to speak with her today.

After our interview, we learned that Monika was selected as Broward County's Teacher of the Year AND was inducted into the latest flight of Spaec Foundation Teacher Liaisons! Congratulations to this awesome teacher and mentor. 

Space Foundation Discovery Center is the Colorado's first and only dedicated space, science and technology center. It is an interactive, education-focused destination that advances STEAM concepts in the exciting context of space exploration, development and utilization.They also oversee a special group of educators to whom both Kevin and I belong, Teacher Liaisons. Teacher Liaisons are educators who use space-related education programs and principles in the classroom to act as advocates for space-based education in their schools and districts. Once selected for the program, TLs receive Space Foundation training and resources to further integrate space into their classrooms.

To tell us more about this program, we are joined by Jodie Guillen and Ruth Butler both of whom are responsible for creating professional development for Liaisons to and to implement programs and integrative field trips to enhance STEAM.

Our special guest is Congressman for Florida’s 18th district Brian Mast. In addition to being an army veteran, Mast is in his third term of elected office. In 2017 our Policy Team students reached out to him to propose and idea for legislation that would increase awareness of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Over the next few years, the students would work closely with the Representative’s legislative team to participate first hand in the legislative process, writing what came to be known as HR 109 and 2020's HR 85:  CubeSats in Education.

Today, Congressman Mast takes time out of his busy schedule to discuss how students, teachers and the citizens at large can take part in advocacy. He is joined by former policy team member and current high school student Aadhya Shah who shares how her experiences on the policy team helped shape her future by creating an experience she will never forget. Stay tuned to the end of the show where Kevin reminds us of an upcoming contest for students and teachers in conjunction with Explore Mars. 

Today’s special guest is Janet Ivey, President of Explore Mars, Inc., and creator and CEO of the award winning Janet’s Planet. Ms. Ivey is committed to enriching the lives of children via education and live performances, TV, and online programming. With over 27 years in the children’s edutainment and space science outreach sector, Janet has captivated Nashville and beyond with her work.  Today we will talk about how she gets kids of all ages and locations around the world to love space as well as how online learning in light of Covid has changed her approach to reaching kids.

Follow Janet Ivey: https://janetsplanet.org/

Today we interview Chelsea Partridge, test engineer for Lockheed Martin Space at NASA's Kennedy Space Center where she conducts spacecraft systems testing on the agency's Orion spacecraft. She is also the president of the Missile, Space, and Range Pioneers––a community of engineers, astronauts, military personnel, and space enthusiasts that has been an institution at Cape Canaveral for over 50 years. She will share about her inspiration to become a woman in STEM and how she works to bridge the generations in the STEM pipeline.

Vice President of Space Florida, Dale Ketchum, discusses his role in helping to bring aerospace companies to our state. Space Florida also advocates for the industry at our state capitol where our students join in each year to talk to legislators about space policy . This year's Space Day is Feb 22, 2021. 

High school Freshmen, Theo Ouyang and Samer Elhoushy talk about their involvement on the CubeSat Development Team and how being a part of real-world experiential aerospace activities as electives and after school programs helped them to stand out on high school applications as well as boasting adult-level resumes. They discuss the missions of the WeissSat-1 and the CapSat as well and we touch upon how you can get a team started today. 

Meet the hosts, Kevin Simmons and Shawna Christenson, as they share their educational philosophy that has helped student and teacher teams to launch satellites into space.