AAA Eligibility & Expectations – Community College Instructors

Cycle 11 Application

Ideal eligibility for middle and high school teachers:

  • At time of application, be teaching full-time, meaning at least 3 college science courses (can be at more than one college).
  • At time of application, have at least 1 year of experience teaching Physical Science, Earth & Space Science, Astronomy, or Astrobiology at the college level.
  • Be entering at least the 4th year of full-time college teaching during  AY   2022-23.
  • Anticipate continuing in current position(s) through at least AY 2023-24.
  • Expect to be teaching at least 1 “qualifying” course with electromagnetic spectrum content at the primary/sponsoring college during AY 2023-24 [We understand that teaching assignments may not be definite this far in advance.]
  • U.S. citizen or U.S. legal resident.
  • Good general health, e.g. able to spend 2+ days at elevations between 9300ft and 14000ft.
  • Submit application during the application window and be recommended for participation by a peer review panel. (NOTE: AAA selection is a competitive process.)
  • Have eligibility vetted and approved for participation by the primary/sponsoring college, and a Memorandum of Understanding established post-selection between the primary/sponsoring college and the SETI Institute.

AAA benefits for instructor participants:

  • STEM immersion week will include at least 1 overnight experience, NASA and other world-class facility tours, and meetings with NASA subject matter experts (SMEs) (scientists, engineers, and other professionals).
  • Travel expenses for required trainings and STEM immersion experience paid by the AAA program.
  • Facilitators/escorts present during STEM immersion experience at a NASA facility on Mauna Kea, HI
  • Materials and supplies needed to implement lessons, delivered to the school site by the AAA program.
  • Personalized NASA jacket.
  • Optional inclusion in a national public engagement and education group for ongoing communication opportunities and support.

Instructor commitments to NASA AAA:

  • Professional development participation: Approximately 25 hours of self-paced online training (or equivalent), 2 hours per month of teleconferences & webinars, and an 8-hour curriculum training.
  • Teacher participants will travel to a NASA facility during immersion week.  [Please note: this means being on-location for that week, currently anticipated to be during Summer 2023.]
  • Participate in pre- and post-immersion week trainings and meetings regarding corresponding scientific research programs.
  • Implement a 2-week classroom curriculum unit covering electromagnetic spectrum and multiwavelength astronomy, aligned to appropriate level content and skills. Selected AAAs will be trained on curriculum components and implementation. We are required by NASA to show evidence of student learning, which will require student surveys on STEM Engagement. All student data will be anonymous and aggregated. Our external evaluator WestEd works with AAAs on the survey process.
  • Participate actively in ongoing evaluation of the AAA program.

*** The community college instructor application includes four questions requiring short (500-1000 character) answers and other questions requiring detailed responses. We strongly suggest downloading ALL these questions (link to pdf document immediately below), writing the answers, and then cut-and-pasting the text into the form. [Click here to download application essay questions.]

Click here for the COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR application form. Note: This link will only be active during the application window: November 1, 2022 to November 27, 2022.