Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Think of it as a local science fair organized by NASA.
With everything from a portable planetarium to a 36-foot-high inflatable space shuttle and dozens of space-related simulations, the Family Night event Wednesday [Nov. 7] at Mississippi State University kicks off a three-year project for East Oktibbeha County schools.
The Oktibbeha County School District is a new participant in the NASA Explorer Schools program. Targeting underserved populations in diverse geographic locations, the program works to bring together educators, students and families for sustained involvement in the agency's educational programs.
Fifty new NASA Explorer School teams are announced each year. Over the three-year period, students in grades 4-9, as well as full-time teachers and educational administrators, will work with space agency experts to develop and implement an action plan to address local challenges in science, technology and mathematics education.
Family Night begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception at MSU's Joe Frank Sanderson Center, followed by the formal program at 6. Open to all East Oktibbeha school children and their parents, it's expected to draw as many as 1,000 participants.
MSU alumnus Gene Goldman, deputy director of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, and astronaut Roger Crouch will attend.
MSU's Melvin Ray described the land-grant institution's role in the NASA-OCSD partnership primarily as "being a good neighbor" to the local schools.
"As a leader in science and engineering research and education, Mississippi State believes partnering with K-12 programs to promote learning in all areas is essential to help attract high-wage jobs to the region and state," the associate vice president for research and economic development explained.
Noting that many of the student participants will be future MSU students, Ray said, "The more we expose our next generation to science, engineering, mathematics, and technology, and hopefully, instill a love of these disciplines, the better off we will be, not only as a county, but as a state and nation."
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information on the Wednesday event, contact Julie Jordan at 662-325-0455.
For more on NASA Explorer Schools, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.