Mavericks In The Classroom Explorers Program
Building Civilian Space Programs In High Schools
The Explorers Program goes beyond rocketry programs and engages high school students to demonstrate their mastery of STEM disciplines by participating in the challenge of conducting sub-orbital space flight missions. But it goes further, by empowering these highs school students to inspire their peers and their community and middle schools through out reach. The following video segment from a Explorers Program that was turned into a documentary for the Science Channel will provide a taste of the excitement and inspiration students get from their engagement in the program.
A Comprehensive Approach To ‘The STEM Education Challenge’
Space exploration is one of the few activities that inspires participants to explore the last human frontier, and engages them in the one activity that entails all of the requirements for mastery in all areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
John F. Kennedy – Rice University Speech 1961
From the chemistry of propulsion systems, energetic materials and polymers, to computer aided engineering and machine tools, systems engineering and composite technologies used in vehicle construction and flight operations. The gas dynamics associated with supersonic flight, radio communication and electronic avionis systems, GPS tracking technology and mathematics of flight and computation simulation, participation in this one activity faciliates a broad platform upon which to gain experience and explore the vast majority of STEM principals.
Mavericks In The Classroom uniquely provides:
- Comprehensive STEM discipline coverage beyond math and basic sciences.
- Introduce multiple engineering practices and numerous technologies at the high school level.
- A single focus challenge providing broad exposure to almost all STEM disciplines through a single activity.
- Engagement of the social environment around students (peers, school, community), elevating visibility of STEM disciplines.
- Enhancement of students’ social stature and position within their community and peers. We make them Rockstars!
- A team and collaborative engagement, including peer design review and presentation of ideas and solutions, as exists in the real world. Their entire team is interdependent upon the skills and contributions of each team member to achieve success in execution of their flight missions.
- Demonstrate to students that they can accomplish more together, than any one could by themselves.
