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The summer months are usually a time for teachers to take a break from the classroom and enjoy some well-earned rest. But at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston, two experienced educators dedicated their summer vacations to learning how to enrich their students\u2019 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and inspire them to achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) welcomed Jerry \u201cDenise\u201d Dunn and Shawnda Folsom as full-time interns for the summer. Both women came to Johnson through the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium, which not only supports students pursuing STEM careers but also provides curriculum enhancement and professional development opportunities for educators. Dunn and Folsom were invited to become interns after completing STELLAR, the consortium\u2019s yearlong mentorship program that immerses educators in hands-on STEM-based activities for classroom application.<\/p>\n
For Dunn, a middle school special education teacher in the small town of Checotah, Oklahoma, participating in STELLAR opened several doors that ultimately led to her internship. Dunn works primarily with students who have severe and profound disabilities and is fiercely passionate about increasing their access to STEM education and opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the research, there\u2019s been a big push for STEM for everyone except kids with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities in STEM-related fields hasn\u2019t changed in a decade,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to promote that more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dunn suggested that she and her STELLAR colleagues support Challenge Air, a program that teaches children with disabilities about aviation and lets them co-pilot a plane. The STELLAR group set up activity tables at a Challenge Air event where kids could build rockets or make Moon craters and learn about space exploration. That experience inspired the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium to create an annual STEM engagement event specifically for kids with disabilities and their families.<\/p>\n
Dunn subsequently attended the Space Exploration Educators Conference where she connected with Tracy Minish, a former Johnson employee with more than 30 years of experience in the Space Shuttle Program and Mission Control Center who is also legally blind. Minish met virtually with Dunn\u2019s students to encourage them to pursue their dreams, then invited her to Johnson to learn about the accommodations and support NASA provides to employees with disabilities. Dunn used what she learned to create a teacher workshop that shared practical strategies for STEM special education. These efforts and the connections she made at Johnson paved the way for her internship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to know more about what NASA does to support its employees with disabilities. I also want to know more about those employees and their stories so that I can share that with my students,\u201d she said. Dunn also appreciated connecting with Johnson\u2019s No Boundaries Employee Resource Group because they have the power to provide representation for kids with disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids with disabilities are just natural problem solvers and they have unique perspectives, and they need to see their value,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd NASA \u2013 what a great place for them to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Folsom, an elementary-level science and social studies teacher for Velma-Alma Public Schools, the internship offer came at a time of personal and professional change. In addition to planning her upcoming wedding and a move, juggling her kids\u2019 schedules, and pursuing a master\u2019s degree in education, Folsom was also preparing to take on a new, school district-wide role. \u201cI am ecstatic to take on a new challenge \u2013 building, implementing, and teaching a comprehensive STEM program for students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade,\u201d she said. She saw the internship as a chance to immerse herself in NASA\u2019s work and bring new opportunities for STEM learning and engagement back to her students. \u201cI was not aware of all of the student design challenges that NASA has, so I am super excited to share these and have future classes participate in them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Folsom is also determined to see more NASA interns from her school district, which is extremely rural and qualifies for Title I support. \u201cMy goal is to shake the right hands and make the connections that will allow me to set my students up for their future, which hopefully will include an internship for many of them,\u201d she said. \u201cI want my \u2018small town\u2019 mindset students to realize how much talent and potential they each have. I want them to know they can do anything.\u201d She noted that her own story \u2013 which involves a nontraditional career path and now, at 41, an internship \u2013 could help inspire her students. <\/p>\n
Together with their OSTEM mentors and teammates, Dunn and Folsom spent their summer creating hands-on activities for children who attended events like Johnson\u2019s Bring Youth to Work Day and the Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo dedication. They prepared an aerodynamics lesson plan and STEM activity for the MLB Players STEM League Global Championship in July, supported and participated in NASA-led professional development programs for teachers, and worked on a new camp experience resource to complement OSTEM\u2019s \u2018First Woman\u2019 camp experience.<\/p>\n
Both women look forward to returning to their schools later this month and to sharing what they learned with their students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to expose my students to higher-level thinking and new STEM challenges,\u201d said Folsom. \u201cI want them to have those \u2018a ha\u2019 moments that will possibly launch their lives down a path they never fathomed could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis internship has made me more aware of opportunities, not only to continue to advocate for my students, but for myself,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cKeep going. Keep dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n