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Newsletter Transition Status
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This newsletter is being sent via MailerMailer as well as
the NAR Newsletter system Constant Contact. We are in the process
of transitioning to one newsletter system for all NAR newsletters, so for
this issue you will receive the newsletter via two systems.
If you have only received this newsletter via MailerMailer, you may not
be entered properly on the E-mail distribution for Constant
Contact--please let us know if this is the case (jguzik@mindspring.com) so we can add you to Constant Contact. We don't want
you to miss future issues!
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Team
America Rocketry Challenge
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Registration for the world's largest rocket competition, the
Team America Rocketry Challenge, has now opened to 750 student teams in
grades 7-12 from any U.S. school, home school or non-profit youth
organization. Each year about 7000 students from virtually every state in
the US enroll in TARC as part of one of these teams. Registration
for the 2010 spring contest is open until November 30, 2009. This
annual rocket contest, sponsored by the NAR and the Aerospace Industries
Association and co-sponsored by NASA and the Department of Defense,
challenges teams of three to 10 students to design and build a large
model rocket that will climb to 825 feet with a raw egg payload and stay
aloft for 40 to 45 seconds using streamers for recovery. The egg must
return to earth unbroken. Student participants from the top 100
teams who make it to the TARC Finals near Washington, DC in May 2010 will
compete there for $60,000 in prizes, scholarships and a trip to the 2010
international air show in London for an international "Fly-Off"
against student teams from France and the UK. The 2010 contest rules and
registration information are available at www.rocketcontest.org.
The Team America Rocketry Challenge is fostering the next generation of
engineers by sparking an interest in math and physics in a fun, team-based
environment. The contest is in its eighth year and is proving to be a
very effective catalyst to generate interest in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math (STEM). According to a survey of TARC student
alumni:
a.. 83 percent became more interested in science and math as a
result of TARC.
b.. 81 percent gained a better understanding of how math, science,
and technology are used to solve problems in the real world.
c.. 70 percent became more interested in a STEM career as a result
of
TARC.
d.. 67 percent intend to choose a STEM major in college.
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Rockets
for Schools
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Each year, more than 300 students from 6th through 12th
grades in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan enter a regional rocketry
program called "Rockets For Schools" (www.rockets4schools.org). This program provides an extracurricular
opportunity for students to learn about aerospace technology, scientific
experiments, and space launches. Student teams construct a large rocket
kit (under adult supervision) equipped with a high-power motor that lifts
it to high altitudes at a final group event held each May in Sheboygan,
Wisconsin. Besides constructing their rocket, students design a
payload experiment to fly on their rocket. In addition, students give an
oral presentation and prepare a visual display of their experiment to
exhibit at the event. Rockets for Schools has been a program of the Great
Lakes Spaceport Education Foundation since 1996. The Rockets for Schools
program addresses several national education standards by its hands-on
approach to science and technology.
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SystemsGo
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Each year, over 40 schools and about 600 students in Texas
high schools enroll in a statewide rocketry program called
"SystemsGo" ( www.igniteeducation.org ). This is a project-based and structured in-school
program that uses the design, development, and launch of rockets to teach
a wide range of science, physics, and math principles. Student class
groups, under the supervision of a formally-trained teacher, develop and
build four rockets of increasing size and complexity during the academic
year. This culminates in a launch event held each May in
Fredericksburg, Texas where all the student groups launch a high-power
rocket of their design carrying a scientific payload (also of their
design) to a high altitude. This program has an optional second-year
program that involves development of a sounding rocket capable of
transonic flight. SystemsGo is endorsed by the state of Texas
leadership and is approved to grant one senior year high school science
credit.
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Free
National Institute of Health Science Education Materials
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The materials, described at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Publications/GS0709, are designed to educate, engage and inspire the next
generation of scientists.
All of our materials are free of charge and are downloadable from the
Website above. Printed booklets are available individually or in
classroom sets. The materials are not copyrighted and you are free to
excerpt content from them to use with students or on a Web site.
Here is a sampling of our products:
* Findings magazine, which profiles vibrant scientists
(one woman and one man in each issue) and includes puzzles and games.
Each semi-annual issue introduces students not only to cutting-edge
research, but also to the varied personalities, hobbies and backgrounds
of the researchers, who serve as role models for future scientists. Our
new "Ask a Scientist" online feature allows students to submit
relevant scientific questions to researchers profiled in the magazine.
Subscription is free.
* Interactive games and crossword puzzles that teach
science.
* Scientific image galleries containing downloadable
photos, illustrations and videos.
* Video and audio interviews with scientists.
* /Biomedical Beat/, a monthly electronic newsletter
that highlights recent scientific advances, including those from female
researchers.
These materials are produced by the National Institute of General
Medical Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of
Health, a federal agency that supports biological and medical research
nationwide.
If you have any questions about NIGMS science education materials,
please contact MachaleA@nigms.nih.gov, phone 301-496-7301.
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Celebrate World Space Week Oct. 4-10, 2009
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Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate
World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2009. This international event commemorates
the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4,
1957.
During World Space Week, teachers are encouraged to use space-themed
activities in the classroom to promote student interest in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. Also this year, $500 teacher
grants will be awarded for the most creative use of space in the
classroom during World Space Week.
World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with
celebrations in more than 50 nations. To learn more about World Space
Week, search for events in your area and find educational materials
related to the event, visit http://www.worldspaceweek.org/index.html
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Great Space Station Graphic
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This graphic shows the assembly of the International Space
Station in a
timeline. It speaks for itself.
http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm
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NAR Instructional Video
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Two years ago the NAR and the Aerospace Industries
Association produced a one-hour instructional video "How to Build
and Fly a Model Rocket" in support of student teams in the Team
America Rocketry Challenge student rocketry contest, an annual national
event that the two organizations co-sponsor. Originally available
only in DVD form to teams enrolled in this competition, this useful
resource is now available of YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/user/AerospaceIndustries
to anyone who wishes to use it in teaching rocketry.
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AIAA Educator Associates
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The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA), the professional society for aero engineers, has a number of programs
that support K-12 educators with aerospace education resources. They
offer free "Educator Associate Memberships", which permit
educators to apply for grants of up to $200 for support of science and
math education initiatives. They run continuing education workshops
at major AIAA national events. And they run "Kid's
Place", an online resource center with information on conferences,
curriculum material, and other items of
interest to K-12 educators. Visit the "Students and Educators"
section of their website www.aiaa.org
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Help a Teacher with Masters Degree Project
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Do you integrate math and science standards into your model
rocketry curriculum? If you do, you could be of great service to a
fellow teacher. Tom Sarradet, a teacher at E.V. Cain Middle School in
Auburn, California, is conducting an online survey for his Masters of
Education project. The purpose of the survey is to collect data
about model rocketry's use in the classroom to teach math and science
standards as
well as which standards are being targeted. Please go to http://www.auburn.k12.ca.us/ev-cain/Sarradet/Rocketry.html and follow the link entitled Rocketry Curriculum Survey to
take the survey.
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Robert L. Cannon Educator Grants Announced
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The National Association of Rocketry offers up to $500 in
support to teachers who use rocketry in their classrooms. The 2009
Cannon Award Educator Grant recipients were announced at the National
Association of Rocketry Annual Meet banquet in August. The awardees
are: Lynette Black, The Dalles, OR; Rhonda Cox, Orion, IL; John
Dietrich, Warrenton, VA; Judy Hudek, George West, TX; Susan Leeds, Winter
Park, FL; David Moon, Athol, ID, Angela Traylor, Huntsville, AL
You're eligible to apply for our grants if you're currently holding a
teaching certificate in your state, you have a model rocket activity in
place at your school, and you're willing to write an article about that
activity or another rocketry education experience for our magazine, Sport
Rocketry. Please download the complete instructions and application form
for a Cannon Education Award at
http://www.nar.org/pdf/cannon.pdf
The deadline for applications for the 2010 award is May 1, 2010.
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