Scholarships Available for 2015 U.S. Space & Rocket Center® STEMcon Professional Development Sessions

Written by Nathan Smith on February 12, 2015. Posted in STEM and STEAM.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center® is offering scholarships to educators from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s five-state region to attend a four-day professional development session featuring NASA-focused STEM content and resources.

This is a terrific opportunity to learn new ways to bring science to life both inside and outside the classroom. STEMcon provides 32 hours of intensive classroom, laboratory and training time. During the program, educators participate in astronaut-style training and simulations, along with activities designed to promote lifelong learning. All lessons and activities are correlated to Next Generation Science Standards and other national standards and are ready to use in various educational settings.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the NASA Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums. The scholarship includes tuition, meals, lodging, lesson materials and a stipend to help offset travel expenses.

STEMcon sessions will take place June 4-7, 2015, (arrive June 3; depart June 7) and July 9-12, 2015, (arrive July 8; depart July 12).

STEMcon applications are due by 11:59 p.m. CST on Feb. 28, 2015.

To be considered for a 2015 STEMcon scholarship, educators must meet the following requirements:

1. Must be ONE of the following:
— a certified current or practicing educator who is teaching science, mathematics or technology to students ages 10-14 and will continue to teach these subject areas through 2016, OR
— an informal current or practicing educator who is teaching science, mathematics or technology to students ages 10-14 and will continue to teach these subject areas through 2016, OR
— a preservice educator who will be teaching science, mathematics or technology to students ages 10-14 and will continue to teach these subject areas through 2016.

2. Have not previously attended a Space Academy for Educators program.

3. Must live in the five-state Marshall Space Flight Center service area: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri and Tennessee.

For more information and to access the online application, visit https://spacecamp.fluidreview.com/.

If you have questions about the 2015 STEMcon opportunity, please email your inquiries to education@spacecamp.com.

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is Director of Technology for the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. In that role, he also directs The Adele & Dale Young Education Technology Center (The YETC) located in room 170 of the Education Building on Utah State University's Logan campus. The YETC is a combination student openaccess computer facility, a K12 curriculum materials library, a NASA Educator Resource Center for Utah, and a technology training center. Nathan served eight years (20042012) on the Board of Directors for the Utah Coalition for Education Technology (UCET) He was reelected in 2014 to serve another two year term on the board. A former elementary school teacher, Nathan has taught students every age from young children to senior citizens. He has had the opportunity beginning in 2011 to train international high school teachers from all over the world about technology in education, through the U.S. State