Gwinnett Teacher Selected For NASA LiftOff Institute

NORCROSS, GA — Rebecca May, a computer science teacher from Paul Duke STEM High School, will participate in the LiftOff Summer Institute to be held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center this summer in Houston. This nationally competitive program sponsored by NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium selects teachers who will increase their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math through space education, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) said in a news release.

The chosen educators will conduct experiments, tour facilities, and network with other educators while sharing innovative lesson plans and ideas from June 23-28.

LiftOff 2019’s theme is "The Legacy of Apollo." On July 20, 1969, culminating eight years of work by thousands of Americans, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and took “one small step” in the Sea of Tranquility. That historic journey started in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy announced the goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade, GCPS added.

LiftOff is a collaborative effort of Texas Space Grant Consortium members and affiliates, NASA, and industry. Teachers apply for LiftOff and are selected competitively. The workshops are organized around an aerospace or space science theme drawn from NASA’s diverse engineering and scientific research programs, GCPS said.

Teachers interested in learning more about LiftOff 2020 may visit the following URL: http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/liftoff/