@article{2a9694320f0f4872b6ec23cbaa256a60,
title = "Education for the journey to the Moon, Mars, and beyond",
abstract = "The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Education and Public Outreach Program (EPOP) is supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Strategic Education Framework's vision-{"}to capture the imagination of students ... strengthen the nation's future workforce ... and [improve] the overall teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines{"}-through a comprehensive kindergarten through postdoctoral education program [S. O'Keefe, NASA, The New Age of Exploration: NASA's Direction for 2005 and Beyond, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, 2005]. The current NSBRI EPOP is comprised of four programs: kindergarten through undergraduate college (K-16); graduate and postdoctoral fellowship programs; and Space Medicine Grand Rounds and Aerospace Medicine Board Meetings, which are held at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The mission of the NSBRI EPOP is to train scientists and teachers, inspire and prepare students to pursue science careers, and promote public engagement in space exploration. This paper focuses on the accomplishments of the K-16 program and references ongoing efforts to strengthen the 21st Century US science workforce.",
keywords = "K-16 program, NSBRI",
author = "MacLeish, {Marlene Y.} and Thomson, {William A.} and Nancy Moreno and Smith, {Roland B.} and Houston, {Clifford W.} and Marguerite Sognier and Gary Coulter and Vogt, {Gregory L.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding for EPOP activities and programs was provided, in part, by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute; Grant no. NASA-NCC9-58 (1306). We thank: Terri Brown, Fernbank Science Center Teacher; James Denk, Science Writer; Barbara Tharp, Assistant Professor; and Martha Young, Designer. Funding Information: BCM has incorporated all of its NSBRI-funded teacher guides in after-school clubs at 14 Houston-area middle schools. These clubs are conducted as part of BCM's Bioscience Inspiration and Opportunities for Students (BIOS) program, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH. The after-school component of BIOS provides inquiry-based, hands-on science activities (including space life science) for middle school students (2078 students in the 2005–2006 school year, the most recent year for which data are available). Activities are designed to stimulate interest in, and knowledge of biomedical sciences and research careers, and preliminary data suggest that they are succeeding. During the 2005–2006 school year, students participating in BIOS after-school clubs completed pre-/post-participation knowledge assessments related to the activities they had completed. Two NSBRI teacher guides— Food and Fitness and Sleep and Daily Rhythms —were featured during the year, and students showed statistically significant increases in their knowledge related to both guides from pre- to post-assessment: 47.46% and 54.78% correct answers, respectively, on the pre-assessment increased to 77.07% and 75.05% correct on post-assessment items. Funding Information: The NSBRI–JSC Summer Internship Program provides opportunities for students to join ongoing project activities at NASA's JSC for a 10-week summer research experience. The program receives more than 50 applications annually, and 10–15 students are selected each year for the three-month placements with space life science projects at JSC. The Irish Internship Program, initiated in 2005, enrolls interns from Ireland to work in NSBRI-funded laboratories. The program is supported by Foras Aiseanna Saothair and modeled after the Companion to Florida Space Authority–Irish Internship Program. ",
year = "2008",
month = oct,
doi = "10.1016/j.actaastro.2007.11.010",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "63",
pages = "1158--1167",
journal = "Acta Astronautica",
issn = "0094-5765",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd",
number = "7-10",
}