Maryland Professor To Train At NASA Astronomy Research Facility

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The only teacher from Maryland selected to become a 2021 NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors hails from Anne Arundel County. Only 30 teachers were chosen from across the country by the SETI Institute to participate. Deborah Levine, an assistant professor of astronomy at Anne Arundel Community College, will represent Maryland with the AAA.

Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors is a professional development program for science teachers designed to improve science teaching and increase student learning and STEM engagement. This year’s expanded AAA program includes not only high school teachers but also middle school and community college teachers.

“Over its history, our NASA-funded AAA program has impacted tens of thousands of high school students through the immersive and inspirational experience of their teachers,” Bill Diamond, CEO of the SETI Institute, said in a news release. “This powerful STEM program will allow the SETI Institute to help bring NASA science into classrooms across the country.”

AAA teachers receive training in astrophysics and planetary science. Their training includes a week-long STEM immersion experience at a NASA astronomy research facility such as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. After their training, the AAAs teach a physical science curriculum module created by the SETI Institute that connects curriculum concepts to NASA- and SOFIA-enabled research. WestEd education consultants assess the impact of the specialized curriculum module on student STEM learning and engagement. Past evaluations of the AAA program have shown statistically significant improvements in performance and STEM engagement among students whose teachers participated in the program.