The ISS National Lab to Host Inaugural Education Event “CASIS Academy Live”
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (November 14, 2013) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISSInternational Space Station National Lab), the nonprofit organization promoting and managing research and technology development onboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory will host the inaugural education event, “the ISS National Lab Academy Live” at the Space Life Sciences Lab and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Friday, November 15. Local high school students will spend the day interacting with the ISS National Lab Senior Research Pathway Manager Dr. Mike Roberts and former NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Wendy B. Lawrence, touring research facilities and conducting a laboratory experiment focused on microbes 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). Academy Live is designed to make the research the ISS National Lab facilitates on the ISS U.S. National Laboratory accessible and comprehensible to students and encourage participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Dr. Mike Roberts will outline the role of the ISS National Lab in managing and promoting research on the ISS. Dr. Roberts holds a Ph.D. in Population Biology and has conceived, designed and assisted multiple space research experiments. Afterwards, students will extract DNA from their own cheek cells in order to learn about DNA extraction – a process integral to the fields of biotechnology and genomics – in order to better understand the techniques used to study life on Earth and in space.
Former astronaut Wendy B. Lawrence will then speak to students about the importance of education and how STEM fields can help open many doors for potential careers. Lawrence herself is an excellent example; she received a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981 and later a Master of Science degree in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). A Naval aviator and helicopter pilot, she was selected as an astronaut in 1982 and flew on four shuttle flights including a flight to the Russian Space Station Mir. Since retiring from the Navy and from NASA she has remained active in STEM education, working with Sally Ride Science to reach elementary and middle-school students. She has also worked with university students in a variety of settings.
“Education is central to the the ISS National Lab mission in promotion of the National Laboratory to tomorrow’s researchers and engineers,” said the ISS National Lab Director of Operations, Ken Shields. “Through the ISS National Lab Academy Live, students of all ages will have the opportunity to understand how the research we sponsor at the ISS National Lab has the ability to effect positive change to those on Earth in a simple, interactive format designed to ignite the fire of creativity and innovation among the youth of today. We are pleased to have Wendy Lawrence and Mike Roberts with us for this inaugural the ISS National Lab Academy Live event, providing a wonderful learning experience for students.”
CASIS Academy is an interactive learning website created to educate middle school students about the ISS and to pique their interest through multimedia videos and features.
Educator resources complementing the ISS National Lab Academy that support national education standards can be found at our Space Station Explorers website.
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About the ISS National Lab: The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (the ISS National Lab) was selected by NASA in July 2011 to maximize use of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory through 2020. the ISS National Lab is dedicated to supporting and accelerating innovations and new discoveries that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. For more information, visit issnationallab.org.
About the ISS National Laboratory: In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the International Space Station as the nation’s newest national laboratory to maximize its use for improving life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users and advancing STEM education. This unique laboratory environment is available for use by other U.S. government agencies and by academic and private institutions, providing access to the permanent microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. setting, vantage point in low earth orbit(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. and varied environments of space.
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