Educational Outreach and Workforce Development

Educational Outreach and Workforce Development

Inspiring the next generation of space industry workers and advancing science literacy among our nation’s students is a key focus area for the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab. In FY23, the number of users that accessed ISS National Lab online educational products surpassed 25.5 million. Additionally, more than 10 million people participated in the 25 partner programs within Space Station Explorers, a community of educators, learners, and organizations that leverages the unique platform of the ISS National Lab to provide valuable educational experiences for students in grades K-12 and higher education. The ISS National Lab also gained three new educational partners in FY23: Club for the Future (Blue Origin’s educational foundation), Limitless Space Institute, and Luminary Labs.

Through Space Station Explorers, the ISS National Lab provides access to impactful science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational programs that allow students to engage directly with astronauts on station, track the ISS from their classroom, and even design their own experiments to be done on the orbiting laboratory. By engaging students in Space Station Explorers programs, the ISS National Lab aims to promote diversity and outreach into underserved demographics. For example, in FY23:

• Partner program Magnitude.io provided powerful educational opportunities for underrepresented communities through an investigation that allowed students to study the sequestration of carbon by plants on station. This investigation was awarded through an ISS National Lab research announcement focused on educational outreach and workforce development.
• ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS), a free program that allows students to talk with ISS crew members via ham radio, hosted its first-ever contact in Antarctica with 50 students at the remote Esperanza Base Research Station’s school. ARISS can now boast supporting schools on all seven continents.

The Space Station Ambassador program provides a means for educators, leaders, and lifelong learners to share information on Space Station Explorers activities with their communities. This year, the ISS National Lab presented two ambassadors with awards, one receiving the Space Station Explorers Exceptional Ambassador Award and the other receiving the Tony So Excellence in Education Award.

Additional key educational and workforce development activities in FY23 include the following:

• At ISSRDC(Abbreviation: ISSRDC) The only conference dedicated exclusively to showcasing how the International Space Station is advancing science and technology and enabling a robust and sustainable market in LEO. This annual conference brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the space station. ISSRDC is hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, manager of the ISS National Lab; NASA; and the American Astronautical Society. 2023, the Genes in Space™ program announced the winner of its annual student research competition: Isabel Jiang, a California high school student whose experiment could help researchers understand why latent viruses reactivate.
• The ISS National Lab selected a recipient for the 2023 James A. Abrahamson Space Leader Fellowship, a 12-month advanced learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students to develop the skills and knowledge for space-related careers.
• The ISS National Lab STEM education team directly interacted with more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students at the second annual Astronaut Memorial Foundation Career and Networking Event, fielding questions about careers within the space industry and other STEM fields.
• The ISS National Lab presented awards to two graduate students for their posters at the annual American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) conference.
• The new Student Mission Control online tool and curriculum, developed by the ISS National Lab in collaboration with the University of California, Berkley and ARISS through an NSF-funded grant, was pilot tested with a group of high school educators in California. Through the tool, students can engage in computer science-focused learning activities that use real data from sensors on the ISS.
• To highlight student experiments launching on SpaceX CRS-26, the ISS National Lab hosted a launch event at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center that included a student poster session and provided an opportunity for the students to present their research.
• For the Space Foundation’s 38^th Space Symposium, the ISS National Lab sponsored the teacher liaison breakfast with a keynote address from Emmy-winning TV host and social media influencer Steve Spangler.
• ISS National Lab User Advisory Committee(Abbreviation: UAC) A committee that provides CASIS with user input and perspective about the management of ISS National Lab resources. (UAC) education sub-committee chair Stephen White and UAC member Melissa Poore attended the U.S. Department of Education YOU Belong in STEM National Coordinating Conference.

International Space Station National Laboratory Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2023

Published January 2, 2024

About the International Space Station National Laboratory: Every day, 250 miles above our planet, amazing research and technology development to improve life on Earth takes place onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Researchers from academic institutions, private industry, and government agencies conduct investigations sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory® that leverage unique conditions found only in space. From improving quality of life for cancer patients to developing innovative treatments for osteoporosis, identifying potential solutions to address climate change, and even one day manufacturing artificial tissue and organs in space, we’re enabling a broad community of dreamers and doers to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASA. Visit us at www.ISSNationalLab.org.

Mission:
We manage the premier space laboratory, providing expertise, connection, and inspiration to visionaries.

Vision:
To be the leading source for innovation in space, enabling life-changing benefits for humanity.

Core Values:
Integrity – We always strive to be true to ourselves and do the right thing.
Service – We work as a team with humility of heart and trust in each other.
Stewardship – We treasure our responsibility to fulfill our mission with care and excellence.

Strategic Priorities:

• Develop and maintain organizational resources to successfully manage the ISS National Lab to enable cutting edge research, technology development, and educational outreach in LEO(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles..
• Establish, foster, and maintain public-private partnerships that maximize value creation from ISS National Lab resources.
• Serve all current and future stakeholders as “honest brokers,” providing impartial access to resources and information as a trusted neutral partner.
• Be the recognized experts in managing a space-based national lab.