02.11.11 – Summer of Innovation 2011 has been proposed and is slated to go on, but no date has been selected yet.

NASA’s new Summer of Innovation initiative, kicked off on June 10, 2010, will engage thousands of middle school students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics during the summer months when many students experience what’s known as the “summer slide,” a loss of skills acquired during the school year. The program is a cornerstone of the Educate to Innovate campaign announced by President Obama last November.

About 250 middle school students from the Los Angeles area participated in the kickoff festivities, which included an opportunity to interact with astronauts, NASA scientists and engineers, several hands-on educational activities, and a visit to the facility where the next Mars rover is being built. The students also were treated to musical entertainment provided by actor/rapper Daniel Curtis Lee.

“It is wonderful to feel the excitement generated by these students as they experienced first-hand what fascinating and challenging opportunities exist for students who follow STEM career paths,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “I hope that by getting these students involved in NASA’s missions and programs now, it may pave the way for a new generation of scientists and engineers, which is critically important to our nation’s future.”

Pilot Project Elements

• Multi-faceted Approach
  1. Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Solicitation Awardee multi-week summer programs
  2. Entities incorporating NASA content into existing non-NASA summer learning programs
  3. Federal agency partnerships for STEM engagement
  4. Strategic partnerships with existing NASA summer learning providers
  5. NASA center-managed four-week summer learning experiences for local areas with targeted populations.

• Large-scale STEM event that includes corporate partners, universities and others for national celebration
• Evaluation component of measures and metrics which assess the reach and performance of the project
• Interactive online and in-person engagement and awareness activities to involve and inform project participants, stakeholders and the general public

Pilot Project Goals

The goals are of the pilot project are to provide:

• An intensive and interactive middle school education experience that accelerates underrepresented, under-served and under-performing student learning and improves student STEM skills and knowledge.
• Professional development and training opportunities for educators leading students in summer learning.
• Strategic infusion of NASA content and educational resource materials into evidence-based programs.
• A community of STEM education stakeholders that is able to sustain student engagement and accelerate student achievement.
• Assessments of effectiveness of project interventions and the effectiveness STEM learning communities developed through this pilot. This will include assessing student improvement in STEM knowledge and skills, changes in teachers’ instructional practice (and resulting impacts on student achievement), and attitudes about STEM college study and careers.
• Summer of Innovation instructional content aligned with district and/or state standards so that the impacts of the interventions can be assessed.
• Ongoing STEM engagement and follow-on activities.

The Summer of Innovation will be conducted in a multifaceted approach that will allow NASA to assess the viability, scalability and success of the pilot programs. After the Summer of Innovation pilot in 2010 concludes, NASA will conduct an analysis to determine the best practices to build capacity to implement a comprehensive project in the summer of 2011 and beyond.

Filed under: Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs

Tags: NASA, Summer Camps & Programs (Students), Summer Programs (Students), Summer Programs (Teachers)