[ Sound Effects ]
[ Teacher ]
Our experiment is: How are gyroscopes affected by gravity?
[ Teacher ]
Our experiment is to see how spherical objects either float
or sink in hyper-gravity of zero gravity.
[ Teacher ]
Our experiment is going well...
[ Tone ]
[ Kristin ]
It's official, the NASA Explorer Schools project announces this
year's schools selected for recognition.
These schools showed exemplary classroom practices
and innovative use of NASA Explorer Schools resources
to engage students across the nation in STEM activities.
Teachers from each
of the selected schools will conduct a series
of STEM investigations in their classrooms
and then compare those findings in reduced gravity.
[ Teacher ]
This is amazing!
We're doing our experiment on the magnetic field
and it's totally different than what we thought.
[ Kristin ]
There's no greater opportunity for teachers to put science
to the test than in a real world NASA setting.
Check this out.
[ Teacher ]
Today we're going to take you aboard NASA's reduced
gravity flight.
[ Announcer ]
Explore the wonders of weightlessness.
[ Teacher ]
Wow!
[ Announcer ]
NASA Explorer Schools recognizes your innovation
and best practice of the use of NASA content
with this unique professional development experience.
[ Teacher ]
Good science!
Good fun!
[ Announcer ]
Challenge your students
to conduct an investigation in the classroom.
[ Teacher ]
Starting test!
[ Announcer ]
And then you can preform that same experiment
on board NASA's reduced gravity aircraft.
[ Teacher ]
This is for my students.
We learned about simple systems.
There's the yo-yo.
[ Announcer ]
If selected, you and two other teachers
from your school will travel to Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Texas for one week to train and then fly on
and aircraft specially designed to study the effects
of micro gravity on physical science.
[ Teacher ]
I've been excited about this for a long time.
It is everything that I thought of, even more!
[ Teacher ]
Thank you NASA Explorer Schools and all of our members
of our school community!
It's been an awesome experience up here.
Thank You!
[ Kristin ]
Here with his own personal experience is someone
who knows firsthand what it's like to be in space.
[ Leland ]
Hello NASA Explorer School Teachers and congratulations
on your selection to fly aboard NASA's reduced gravity aircraft.
I am NASA's Associate Administrator
for Education, Leland Melvin.
I am also a two-time space shuttle astronaut -
I flew aboard Atlantis in 2008 and 2009.
Taking that first microgravity flight is an important milestone
in astronaut training.
My first flight aboard what astronauts call the
"vomit comet" was almost a decade ago, but I still remember
that sense of excitement at the thought of being weightless.
I'm sure that is what you're feeling now.
There is even a more important component
of your flight next spring.
You'll be flying student-developed experiments
and monitoring their responses to the microgravity environment.
Now this is exactly what the crews
of the International Space Station do
in their orbiting laboratory more
than 200 miles above the Earth.
You're also cultivating the generation
of scientists, engineers, explorers.
Inspiring students to pursue studies in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math or what we call STEM is something I'm
passionate about.
Strong STEM skills are win-win all around.
For students, having these skills will open the door
to many exciting career options.
For NASA and this nation, these skills are critical
to ensuring a talented,
tech-savvy workforce and a bright future.
Thank you for all that you do to inspire the next generation
to reach higher and pursue their dreams.
Congratulations again on your selection for flight.
Now if my schedule allows, I would be pleased to join you
in Texas next spring for the adventure.
[ Sound Effects ]
[ Announcer ]
Congratulations to the winning schools:
[ Sound Effect ]
Amos Hiatt Middle School - Des Moines, IA
[ Sound Effect ]
Charles T Krantz School - El Monte, CA
[ Sound Effect ]
East Hartford Glastonbury Magnet School - East Hartford, CT
[ Sound Effect ]
Ellen Ochoa Learning Center - Cudahy, CA
[ Sound Effect ]
Ferndale Middle School - High Point, NC
[ Sound Effect ]
Forest Lake Elementary - Columbia, SC
[ Sound Effect ]
Franke Park Elementary - Fort Wayne, IN
[ Sound Effect ]
Jamestown High School - Jamestown, PA
[ Sound Effect ]
Johnston Middle School - Houston, TX
[ Sound Effect ]
Lakewood High School - Lakewood, CA
[ Sound Effect ]
Key Peninsula Middle School - Lakebay, WA
[ Sound Effect ]
Mack Benn, Jr. Elementary School - Suffolk, VA
[ Sound Effect ]
St. Mary's Visitation - Elm Grove, WI
[ Sound Effect ]
Woodrow Wilson Middle School - Glendale, CA
[ Kristin ]
Congratulation to all our winners.
We are proud to say that since our launch last September,
over 2000 educators from almost 1,700 schools have joined the
NASA Explorer Schools project from all
around the United States and across the globe.
NASA Explorer Schools invests in science, technology,
engineering, and math educators to inspire
and engage a whole generation of future scientists, engineers
and technicians that NASA needs to continue our journey.
For the benefit of teachers joining us for the first time,
there's no better time than now to register
for NASA Explorer Schools and to give you
and your students the chance to experiment in reduced gravity.
[ Sound Effect ]
[ End ]