Parabolic Partnerships to Advance K-12 STEM Engagement

Building on experiments previously flown onboard the International Space Station (ISS), suborbital, and parabolic flights, the Strata-2P project aims to design and test tools that can be utilized on future lunar exploration missions. Experiment packages included tools and data collection devices for use in both lunar mare and highlands regolith simulants.

This grant-funded project included a Teacher-in-Residence program which enabled four teachers to work hands-on with the experiments and experiment plan as they were being developed. Two teachers had significant involvement in assembly and testing and participated onboard parabolic flights with the experiments. The year-long project developed into a partnership between scientific researchers, graduate students, and middle and high school students and teachers. Discussions about content and pedagogy led the teachers to develop and use standards-aligned lesson plans to help students understand the science and technology of the experiments. Student exercises included lessons centered around lunar exploration, analysis of large datasets of videos from the flights, examples centered around the use of Arduino and simple sensors, and exercises in Python to manipulate data such as that from the flights. Teachers developed educational products - such as infographics and coding tutorials - about Strata-2P for use by the K-12 community.

The success of the partnerships developed through Strata-2P could serve as a model for future Teacher-in-Residence programs and STEM outreach initiatives.