NASA Aerospace Academy

Program Goals

• Inspire …
  Inspire a more diverse student population to pursue careers in the fields of science, engineering, mathematics and technology so that no child is left behind
• Engage …
  Engage students, teachers and parents by incorporating emerging technologies
• Challenge …
  Provide a challenging curriculum that meets state math, science and technology standards

Key Components of Service

• The NASA SEMAA Curriculum - The NASA SEMAA program utilizes a series of unique hands-on, inquiry-based classroom curriculum enhancement activities. In addition to being aligned with national math, science, and technology standards, each activity draws heavily on NASA research and encompasses each of NASA’s Strategic Enterprises. On average, NASA SEMAA students participate in this classroom curriculum for a total of thirty- six [36] hours each year, twenty- one [21] hours during the academic year and fifteen [15] hours during the summer. NASA SEMAA graduates who have participated in the entire K-12 curriculum will have completed 441 hours of advanced studies in the areas of STEM prior to their enrollment in a post-secondary institution.
• Family Café - Unique to the NASA SEMAA program, the Family Café is an interactive forum that provides educational and parenting information to adult caregivers and any other supportive, adult role models that are actively involved in the student’s life. The Family Café also puts these adults in touch with various local resources and programs that are available for the student.
• Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL) – Developed by NASA and equipped with 10 workstations, the AEL is an electronically enhanced, computerized classroom that puts cutting-edge technology at the fingertips of NASA SEMAA middle school and high school aged students. Each computerized research stations provides the NASA SEMAA students with real-life challenges involving science, engineering and mathematics. In addition to being an extraordinary tool for educating middle and high school students, the AEL serves as an excellent training facility for pre-service and in-service teachers on the SEMAA curriculum.
• Outreach Programs – The NASA SEMAA program provides a variety of special outreach programs, which are conducted in support of local schools, community centers and other program stakeholders for the purpose of improving external STEM education efforts. These customized programs take place in various offsite locations or often in conjunction with the NASA SEMAA Aerospace Education Laboratory [AEL].
• Professional Development – The NASA SEMAA program provides ongoing professional development for approximately 200 NASA SEMAA teachers each year. This intensive training component is focused on equipping NASA SEMAA teachers with the latest teaching tools and techniques to support their efforts to increase student proficiency in STEM.

Participants

The NASA SEMAA program currently boasts 23 sites in 17 states across the Country. These site locations include community colleges, four-year colleges/universities, HBCU’s, Tribal Colleges and Universities, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Collectively these sites served over 62,000 students, parents and teachers during the 2003 fiscal year alone, representing 57 counties throughout the United States.