Stars and STEM Stories
Forney, TX and Sauk Rapids, MN
GLOBE Students Win Top Space Honors
Prestigious science awards from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) went to GLOBE students for displaying critical and creative thinking in science, mathematics and technology. All winning entries from two GLOBE schools were in the category of Aeronautics and Space Science Journalism. The entries were newscast-style reports presented as videos.
Two teams from Forney Middle School in Forney, TX, and two teams from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids, MN, took top honors in the competition. At Forney, GLOBE teacher Monique Morgan's team of four seventh-graders took first place with their entry, ET News, which explored the black holes of space. Also at Forney, three eighth-graders from GLOBE teacher Gail Bradshaw's class took third place with their entry, Fun in the Science Lab, which detailed the work of the Lunar Prospector.
At Sauk Rapids - Rice High School, teams from GLOBE teacher Curt Olson's classes won second place with Asteroids: A Threat to Mankind? and third place with S.E.T.I.: Search for Life.
"The whole NSIP project is awesome for kids winning happens to be a side benefit," Mr. Olson says. "With both NSIP and GLOBE, it's a whole different way for kids to learn content. They do the research. I could lecture all this content, but they do the work and learn it the best way."
Like GLOBE, NSIP is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn science by doing science. Also like GLOBE, the NSIP program is designed by scientists and educators to assure scientific accuracy and educational power. By participating in programs like GLOBE and NSIP, students learn core concepts of earth and space science, apply computer and Internet skills, develop "science as inquiry" skills, work collaboratively as team members, integrate science, mathematics, technology and geography skills, and communicate more clearly and effectively.
For more information, visit the NSIP web site at www.nsip.net.
02 June 2000