Birmingham City Students set to Experience NASA Careers
Contact:
April Odom|
Mayor’s Office of Public Information
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has requested all Federal agencies with science and engineering-oriented labs and research centers to participate in a national “My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Week at the Labs” to promote STEM education, particularly for students in populations that are underrepresented in STEM fields. Birmingham City Students will participate.
NASA/ Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Garrison-Redstone Arsenal will jointly host students from Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama on Wednesday March 2, 2016. Approximately 100 students are expected to participate. All seven (7) Birmingham City High School Career Academies, John Herbert Phillips Academy STEM Program Participants and Guide Right Youth Development Program of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
“This is an opportunity for our students to experience science and math careers in a way that is both exciting and hands-on. We appreciate the joint effort between Birmingham City Schools, Division of Youth Services, NASA, and the White House and hope the day will be memorable and give a broader perspective to Birmingham students,” said Mayor William Bell.
President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper (https://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper) initiative in February 2014, “to address persistent opportunity gaps and tear down barriers that too often prevent that often prevent boys and young men of color and other young people from realizing their potential.” Birmingham Mayor William Bell is the national co-chair for the effort. In September 2014, the President challenged cities, towns, counties and tribes to become “MBK Communities,” and to develop cradle-to-college-to-career strategies to provide all young people with the opportunity to reach their full potential.
There are now approximately 200 mayors, tribal leaders and county executives across the country who have accepted the MBK Community Challenge and serve as MBK Community Challenge leaders.
My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week will be a government-wide effort to bring students from underrepresented communities into labs and research centers for a day of hands-on activities, tours, and speakers during the week of February 29- March 4, 2016. The goal is to reach students who may not traditionally have opportunities to visit such facilities and engage them in STEM- related activities and learning in the hopes of helping them see science, technology, engineering and math as fun and interesting.
The schedule for the day (Wednesday, March 4th) is as follows:
9:00am Arrival of students and processing through Redstone Arsenal Security
10:00am Round robin tours of Redstone Arsenal
- Test Stands
- Payload Operations Integration Center
- Army Flight Center
- Garrison Facilities
Noon Lunch – Brought by Participants
1:00pm Guest Speakers at MDA Auditorium Two speakers- one representing NASA and one representing MDA
2:00pm Hands-On STEM Activities
3:30pm Departure
This event helps meet NASA STEM Engagement Objective 2.4: Advancing the Nation’s STEM education and workforce pipeline by working collaboratively with other agencies to engage students, teachers, and faculty in NASA’s mission and unique assets.
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