24 Teachers from 13 States to Become NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors

March 1, 2022, Mountain View, CA — The SETI Institute has selected 24 teachers from 13 states as 2022 NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAAs). AAA is a professional development program for science teachers to improve science teaching and enhance student learning and STEM engagement. The AAA program includes teachers in middle schools, high schools, and community colleges.

AAA teachers receive training in astrophysics and planetary science, including a week-long STEM immersion experience at a NASA astronomy research facility such as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) based in Palmdale, California or the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. After their training, the AAAs teach a physical science curriculum module created by the SETI Institute that connects curriculum concepts to NASA-enabled research. WestEd education consultants assess the impact of the specialized curriculum module on student STEM engagement. Past controlled-study evaluations of the AAA program have shown statistically significant improvements in student learning & engagement among students whose teachers participated in the program.

Since 2011, the NASA-funded AAA program has impacted tens of thousands of students through the experiences and training of their teachers. “This powerful STEM program will allow the SETI Institute to continue bringing NASA science into classrooms across the country,” said Dr. Dana Backman, AAA program lead. “These teachers will use their professional development and STEM immersion experiences to convey real-world content to their students that illuminate the value of scientific research and the wide variety of STEM career paths available to them.”

The school districts and organizations participating in the AAA program during 2022 are:

Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, Maryland
Canyons School District, Sandy, Utah
Cobb County School District, Marietta, Georgia
Diocese of Raleigh/Cardinal Gibbons High School, Raleigh, North Carolina
Dodge City Community College, Dodge City, Kansas
Fort Zumwalt School District R2, O’Fallon, Missouri
Harmony Public Schools, Houston, Texas
William S. Hart Union High School District, Santa Clarita, California
iLEAD California Charter Schools, Acton, California
Kiowa County School District RE-1, Eads, Colorado
Little Elm Independent School District, Little Elm, Texas
Maker Learning Network, Acton, California
Manteca Unified School District, Manteca, California
Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas
NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, Arkansas
Norwood-Norfolk Central School District, Norwood, New York
Ohlone College, Fremont, California
St. Joan of Arc School, Lisle, Illinois
Sylacauga City Schools, Sylacauga, Alabama
Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School, Irvine, California
Washoe County School District, Reno, Nevada
Western Nevada College, Carson City, Nevada

The 24 teachers selected as 2022 Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (pictures below):

Leilani Ancel, Fort Zumwalt East High School, O’Fallon, Missouri
Heather Anderson, Fort Zumwalt West High School, O’Fallon, Missouri
Tanya Anderson, St. Joan of Arc School, Lisle, Illinois
Katherine Auld, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, Arkansas
Teresa Cobble, Lovinggood Middle School, Powder Springs, Georgia
Amy Dennis, Sylacauga High School, Sylacauga, Alabama
Ann Marie Dubick, Campbell Middle School, Smyrna, Georgia
Kerem Ekinci, Harmony Public Schools, Houston, Texas
Sean Ellison, Norwood-Norfolk High School, Norwood, New York
Dawit Hailu, Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, Maryland
Thomas Herring, Western Nevada College, Carson City, Nevada
Lucy Howlet, Colorado SKIES Academy, Englewood, Colorado
Raquel Jarabek, Minneapolis Community & Technical College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cody Kennedy, Castaic High School, Castaic, California
Dustin Lengning, Santa Clarita Valley International Charter School, Castaic, California
Jennifer Muir, Draper Park Middle School, Draper, Utah
Diane Ripollone, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Raleigh, North Carolina
Sherry Rogers, Dodge City Community College, Dodge City, Kansas
Tyler Ryan, Sierra High School, Manteca, California
Yolonda Simon, Little Elm High School, Little Elm, Texas
Joseph Wagner, Eads High School, Eads, Colorado
Diallo Wallace, Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School, Irvine, Calfornia
Eric Wegryn, Ohlone College, Fremont, California
James Young, North Valleys High School, Reno, Nevada

About the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program
The SETI Institute’s NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is one of ~30 awards to U.S. organizations competitively selected by NASA under the Science Activation program. These cooperative agreements more effectively engage learners of all ages with NASA science. The agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington, DC chooses selections. NASA SMD NNX16AC51A funds the AAA program, which began in 2016.

About the SETI Institute
Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world. Our research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages data analytics, machine learning, and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia, and government agencies, including NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Contact information
Rebecca McDonald
Director of Communications
SETI Institute
[email protected]

Dr. Dana Backman
AAA Program Lead
SETI Institute
[email protected]

Download full press release here.