Two teachers from the Ysleta Independent School District will be researching alongside NASA astronomers next school year aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, also known as SOFIA.
Adriana Alvarez and Mariela Aguirre, from Alicia Chacon International School, were selected for this unique opportunity through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. They will gain hands-on experience as part of the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program and study with professional astronomers using SOFIA for scientific observations, according to a NASA press release.
“I am beyond thrilled,” said Alvarez, a first-grade teacher at Alicia Chacon. “The best news for me is that I can share this with my students and the community. It is unbelievable that I will be sitting on a NASA aircraft assisting professional astronomers and scientists.”
SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP jetliner equipped with a 100-inch diameter telescope, according to the press release. The observatory enables the analysis of infrared light to study the formation of stars and planets; chemistry of interstellar gases; composition of comets, asteroids and planets; and supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.
Alvarez and Aguirre will be among 26 educators from the United States that have been selected for these research flights aboard SOFIA. They will fly up to the Earth’s stratosphere where they will have the chance to study the stars using this state-of-the art technology. After their NASA experience they will bring back what they’ve learned to the students at Alicia Chacon.
“I’m super excited. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn from NASA professionals and work side by side with them,” said Aguirre, a seventh-grade science and social studies teacher. “It’s going to be great to share that experience with my students and motivate them to go into a science career and to motivate them to seek out opportunities like this as well.”
Based on what they learn in Palmdale, Calif., where SOFIA is based, and on the research flights, Alvarez and Aguirre will tailor their lesson plans to incorporate TEKS objectives and their NASA scientific findings. They also plan to collaborate to teach their first-graders and seventh-graders together with interactive lessons.
The teachers will begin their preparations for the NASA trip with an online astronomy and physics course on Feb. 6 from the University of Montana. The dates of the trip have not been released to the teachers yet. But both agree that the preparations and the actual research aboard SOFIA will be an exciting experience.
“This is something that I hope will have a positive impact on our school and impact our students’ attitudes about science and NASA, in particular,” Alvarez said.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson from Texas recently congratulated the two YISD teachers. "We need to encourage our children to become interested in science and space and one way we do that is by providing new and exciting opportunities for their teachers. This is exactly what NASA is doing with these research flights and I am thrilled the agency has selected two teachers from Texas to bring that excitement to our state's children", said Hutchinson.
Follow the link to read more. http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=948