Students Compete in National NASA Competition

The University’s “Students Today … NASA Tomorrow” (STNT) team presented its program of interactive lesson plans developed for students in grades four through eight at the NASA Means Business student competition the first week in May at the Kennedy Space Center.

The lesson plan, or thematic unit, can be used by middle and high school teachers to promote the S.T.E.M. Education Promotion Program’s emphasis on the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in education.
           
“Educating our youth about future prospects for mankind is the most important factor of our program,” said Robert Nuckols, a mechanical engineering technology graduate student and team leader. “Younger students aren’t really thinking about college yet and this program gets them to think about the future.”
           
Micheal Anne Latimer, a senior environmental science major, joined Nuckols in presenting at the NASA competition. Other team members included David Evers, a junior communications major; Jennifer L. Hanley, a sophomore art major; Aaron C. Hollis, a senior communications major; Joshua Lowry, a sophomore computer science major; and William C. Peterson, a junior mechanical engineering technology major. Faculty advisors were Dr. Philippe Tissot and Galina Reid, visiting instructor in the College of Science and Technology.
           
The “Students Today… NASA Tomorrow” program is a free interactive resource that provides teachers with lesson plans, lesson agenda downloads and S.T.E.M. videos for use in the classroom. Using this tool, students can construct models of Mars, the moon, comets, black holes and other celestial bodies. Teachers also may access games, tutorials, Power Point presentations, quizzes, provide lesson plans for high school students and provide feedback on the team’s Web site at http://stnt.tamucc.edu.
           
This was the third year that A&M-Corpus Christi students have competed in the NASA Means Business student competition. Other finalists included teams from Arizona State University and the Art Institute of Phoenix, Bentley College and Boston University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University of Florida, Miami International University, the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Northern Iowa.