NASA Awards $400,000 Cooperative Agreement to Maine Consortium for High School Astrobiology-Scientific Ballooning Pilot Project

Augusta, Maine: Governor John E. Baldacci today announced that the Maine Space Grant Consortium has received a $400,000 award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a unique pilot project designed to increase high school students’ interest in science, technology and mathematics careers. The project will implement an astrobiology curriculum involving high-altitude scientific ballooning in selected 10th grade classes around the state. The grant will also provide opportunities for high school teachers to build their scientific skills through related professional development activities.

The Consortium’s partners in this project include the NASA Ames Research Center, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility, the Maine Department of Education, Lockheed Martin/Maine Space Day, US Navy and Bath Iron Works, MTN Enterprises, LLC, the Brunswick School Department, the University of Southern Maine, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation and Space Propulsion Group, Inc.

“This NASA grant creates an exciting opportunity to engage high school students in authentic scientific research projects and broaden their horizons about future careers in science and technology,” said Governor John Baldacci. “Funding will be available for selected 10th grade biology classes to participate in a year-long astrobiology curriculum that will involve scientific research using high-altitude balloon flights. Two NASA centers will collaborate on the project, because they believe our astrobiology curriculum offers an inspiring framework for stimulating student interest in scientific careers.”

The project builds on an innovative astrobiology curriculum that was introduced in eight Maine high school and two middle schools in 2008. Championed by Senator Elizabeth Schneider and supported by Governor John Baldacci, the 2008 pilot initiative brought together a coalition of partners for the purpose of developing and pilot testing a 9th grade astrobiology curriculum. Funding for the curriculum was provided by the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), Lockheed Martin and the Maine Space Grant Consortium. The astrobiology curriculum was developed by TERC, a nonprofit educational organization based in Cambridge, Mass., with support from the National Science Foundation. The curriculum was designed to align with Maine’s Learning Results. Partners in the effort included the Maine Department of Education, Lockheed Martin and the University of Maine Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research.

With today’s announcement, the Maine Space Grant Consortium and its collaborators will receive a cooperative agreement from NASA to pilot the development, implementation and evaluation of an astrobiology curriculum centered on scientific ballooning research activities. The project offers a hands-on approach to science education that combines astronomy and biology with the engineering and mathematics focus of scientific ballooning. It will involve students in the preparation of flight missions, from preparation of payload and engineering to launch and data analysis. Each participating class will conduct three high-altitude balloon flights over the course of the school year.

Dr. Terry Shehata, executive director of the Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) and principal investigator of the pilot project identified three goals of the project:

• Increase student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers by engaging 10th grade students in authentic scientific research experiences
• Provide opportunities for high school teachers to build their scientific skills through related professional development activities
• Disseminate the project’s evaluation results to educators throughout the state and support the replication of the model program in future years

“Today’s award announcement symbolizes the innovative ways Maine organizations and educators are partnering to create new learning opportunities for our students,” said Baldacci. “Maine students need to acquire the science and math skills critical for future high-tech job opportunities. And Maine employers like Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Martin are depending on our educational system to open the minds of students to the challenging and creative careers that await them in scientific and engineering fields.”

The astrobiology-scientific ballooning pilot project follows two summits supported by Governor Baldacci in 2008 and 2010 to catalyze awareness about the importance of STEM research and education. The summits provided an important impetus to statewide conversations about STEM initiatives and galvanized organizations to develop new pathways for enriching STEM education. The Maine STEM Collaborative, which brings together nonprofit organizations, businesses, government and educators, will play an important role in fostering support for the long-term sustainability of the astrobiology model program.

“The Maine Space Grant astrobiology-scientific ballooning pilot project offers a unique combination of classroom instruction and hands-on learning that gives students insight into how NASA scientists approach research questions, engineering design and mission goals. Lockheed Martin is pleased to be partner in this collaborative effort. We recognize the importance of interesting today’s students in future scientific and technological careers and believe this pilot project will demonstrate the effectiveness of engaging students in realistic research experiences,” said Shehata.

Senator Elizabeth Schneider, who sponsored legislation resulting in an inventory of STEM resources throughout the state, expressed her enthusiasm for the scientific ballooning project, its collaboration with NASA research centers, and its cutting-edge approach to integrated science education.

“This project offers an innovative career development model for Maine high school students. At a time of scarce funding for new education initiatives, it will give participating classrooms access at no cost to a highly innovative model of science education. The curriculum has been developed to align with Maine’s Learning Results standards and is consistent with the latest revisions of the National Science Education Standards and the National Research Council’s Framework for Science Education. I’m pleased NASA has selected Maine for this partnership agreement,” Sen. Schneider stated.

Maine Space Grant Consortium

The Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) is an affiliate-based 501(c)(3) corporation and a member of the national network of consortia in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The network is funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (also known as Space Grant).  Space Grant was established by Congress in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s science and engineering enterprise.