Space Center Houston hosted one of the nation’s leading science educational opportunities for educators at the 29th Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC), Feb. 9-11. Educators from across the globe gathered at Space Center Houston to hear from leading NASA experts and keynote speakers. The National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education (NCASE) was one of many exhibitors at the event.
The three-day conference welcomed K-12th grade instructors of all disciplines to explore topics in aerospace. Attendees enjoyed on-site and virtual tours, networking opportunities with space industry leaders and exhibitors, and received on-demand content earning up to 24 hours of continuing education credit.
“NCASE was honored to exhibit at SEEC and meet with so many educators and with representatives of the other organizations exhibiting or presenting at the conference,” said Rol Murrow, NCASE President. “Teachers and students have a hard time trying to identify useful resources on the internet, and they were thrilled to find that NCASE acts as a national clearinghouse, making it easier for them to zero in on the resources they seek and the organizations that have them.”
Educators heard from keynote speakers Mike Kincaid, Associate Administrator at NASA Office of STEM Engagement; Megan McArthur, Astronaut and Chief Science Officer at Space Center Houston; and Andrew Aldrin, son of Apollo 11 and Gemini 12 astronaut Buzz Aldrin who serves as President of the Aldrin Family Foundation. Guest panelists included Nancy Conrad, wife to late astronaut Pete Conrad and founder of the Conrad Foundation, and CEO of Blue Origin, Bob Smith.
“Attending SEEC gave me an opportunity to talk to teachers, from around the world, about great careers in aviation and aerospace,” said Robin Thurman, NCASE Board Member. I encouraged them to motivate students to take more STEM courses.”
The purpose of SEEC is to provide exciting new insights into what current science and human space exploration missions are achieving. Educators were able to access the latest teaching tools that will help fuel their students’ passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
A new session, “Leadership Track,” reserved for school administrators, was added to this year’s conference encouraging participants to hear from the Human Performance Accelerator Lab (HPAL) – a transformative leadership program benefiting different groups of service.
SEEC is just one of Space Center Houston’s signature outreach learning opportunities for STEM educators.
