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Embedded Teacher Program

STEAM Teachers: A unique opportunity for you, your classes, and your school: 

  • contribute to microgravity research and NASA spaceflight technology 
  • develop out-of-this-world demonstration videos for your space sciences, physics, or biology classes. 
  • fly like an astronaut, spending more than 11 minutes floating in free-fall.

The Embedded Teacher Program is a partnership between the WSGC and the ZERO-Gravity Corporation to provide opportunities for middle and high-school teachers to develop and fly small experiments and demonstrations on a parabolic flight. Parabolic flights provide periods of sustained microgravity for testing spaceflight technologies, training astronauts, and performing experiments. The program is funded by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program and by the International Space Station National Laboratory (CASIS). 

To date, more than a dozen teachers have flown on ZERO-G’s G-Force One aircraft and brought back video and photographic data from more than a dozen small experiments conducted across more than 500 parabolas. 

Teachers from every state are welcome to apply. Selected teachers from Wisconsin can have their workshop travel supported by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium. Other teachers should apply for travel support through their state Space Grant Consortium. 

2022-2023 Program: Teacher Jenny McCall demonstrates vortex formation in reduced gravity.

Applications for the 2022-2023 program are closed and participants have been selected. Stay tuned for information on the next opportunity to apply! Interested teachers can contact us at spacegrant@carthage.edu for updates on the next cohort application dates.

We are pleased to partner with the National Space Society to offer a workshop on microgravity flight basics and curriculum module development for teachers interested in flying with us. Each year, 2-3 teachers will be selected to perform their experiments on a parabolic flight. WSGC and the NASA Flight Opportunities Program are supporting the design and fabrication of teacher-devised experiments, the flight on ZERO-G’s G-Force One, and the videography of the teacher’s experience. 

Interested? Here’s the process

Timeline

  1. January-  June 3 July 15, 2022 : Apply for the WSGC Embedded Teacher Workshop to be conducted in person at Carthage College. Workshop Dates: September 23-24. 2022. 
  2. Fall 2022: Workshop attendees will develop and share microgravity experiments and curriculum to support their courses in the space sciences and traditional STEAM fields.
  3. November/December 2022: One or more experiments and teachers will be selected to fly on the next ZERO-G Research flight in support of the Carthage College Microgravity Team.   
  4. Spring 2023: All workshop attendees will be involved in the flight preparations and will receive (post-flight) video and experiment data from the flight(s).
  5. Spring 2023: The selected teacher(s) will work with their classes to design and “ground-test” the experiment(s), develop safety data to support the experiment flight, and will produce video lesson plans around their projects. 
  6. May 2023: The selected teacher will travel to the ZERO-G facility, receive flight readiness training, and will fly in ZERO-G with their experiments on one flight consisting of approximately 30 parabolas, including five parabolas of lunar and Martian gravity.  
  7. Teachers will be asked to share implementation data and post-flight reflections on the experience, engage in media outreach related to the flight, and share flight experience during the summer 2023 Wisconsin Space Conference.  Lesson plans and curriculum modules will be submitted to the National Space Society’s SpaceEdge Academy.

Workshop Application. Complete each section and remember to hit ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the form.  

Application Deadline: EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 15, 2022

Teacher Selection Notification: STARTING JULY 1

Workshop Dates: September 23-24, 2022

Overview

Approximately 10-12 in-service teachers in STEAM fields will be selected for an in-person workshop on microgravity science and curriculum development. One product of the workshop will be a fully developed concept for a microgravity experiment or demonstration that both supports the Carthage College Microgravity Team research and integrates into your own curriculum at grade levels 6-12. 

Interested applicants can read about Carthage Microgravity Team projects here

Eligibility 

In-service teachers of STEAM fields in grades 6-12 are invited to apply. It is expected that the teacher will have at least five years of full-time teaching experience, some experience teaching space science, demonstrated interest in space, and a demonstrated history of classroom innovation in areas commonly considered to be part of the STEAM umbrella of disciplines. 

Application Requirements

  1. current resume
  2. application essay
  3. statement of availability
  4. contact information

All fields marked with asterisk (*) are required.

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I confirm that I will be able to attend the workshop if selected (it is up to the teacher/school to find and support suitable substitute teaching for Workshop days).*
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Upload a current resume in PDF format.
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Application Essay: In a brief (1-2 page) essay, please highlight your experience with teaching space and related sciences. Identify any curricular innovations or pedagogies you have introduced in your classes, and make a case for how you would benefit from this opportunity and how many students would be impacted by your participation in the workshop.

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