|
 Richland
School District One held dedication ceremonies for South
Carolina’s only Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL)
Jan. 24 at the Challenger Learning Center which is the
location of the AEL.
Participants
in the dedication included Congressman James E. Clyburn, John Hairston, director of external programs at NASA’s Glenn
Research Center, Dr. Carolyn Randolph, president of the
National Science Teachers Association, as well as district
and local officials.
The
AEL has been named in honor of Congressman Clyburn of the Sixth Congressional District, who was
instrumental in implementing this program in the
state. It is one of only 20 such sites in the country.
Funded
by a NASA/SEMAA grant, the AEL is a state-of-the-art
electronically enhanced, computerized classroom that puts
cutting-edge technology at the fingertips of participating
students.
 The
AEL features 10 workstations that provide a unique
learning experience in aerospace technology. The
workstations are equipped with aeronautics and micro
gravity hardware and software that allow students to
conduct activities that model real-world challenges in
aerospace. It
also serves as a training facility for per-service and
in-service teachers on the SEMAA curriculum.
In
the AEL, students may participate in such activities as
Virtual reality flight station, wind tunnel control
station, remote sensing, GPS/amateur radio communications,
living in micro gravity, virtual reality, fluids
physics/combustion science and biotechnology/material
science.
The
AEL is a Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace
Academy (SEMAA) program.
SEMAA is an innovative national program designed to
increase participation and retention of K-12 students who
are under-represented in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics.
For
more information about the aerospace education laboratory,
call the Challenger Learning Center at 803-929-3951.
|
