| Past Outreach | Essay Contest | Scholarship | WWW Links |
January 2007
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The AIAA San Francisco Section has maintained a very strong Precollege Outreach program. The section itself sponsors an annual essay contest and administers the NASA Ames/AIAA SF Galileo Memorial Scholarship. The section also sponsors a local team in the MATHCOUNTS competition.
In addition, the section participates in the NASA Ames Aero Expo program, the Sally Ride Science Festival. Members of the section are involved in the SVEC Discover "E" program and teacher workshops co-sponsored by NASA Ames.
The stated mission of the Precollege Outreach directorate is: Motivate students to take up Math, Science and Engineering, in the field of Aerospace
Held each year to commemorate Apollo 11's first manned landing on the moon;. the topic for the 2006 essay contest is: What steps can be taken to protect the earth from a major asteroid impact? See the winning entries by clicking HERE..
The topic for the 2005 essay contest was: With the success of SpaceShipOne, space tourism may be just around the corner. Where in our solar system would you go, and what would you do? See the winning entries by clicking HERE..
The essay question for 2004 was: Should we send humans to Mars? Winning essays were published in the Section Newsletter. (See also the winning entries from previous years: 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000.)
Volunteers are needed each year to judge essays on originality and realism of ideas presented, soundness of logic used to develop ideas, and quality of composition and clarity of expression. Winners are honored at an Annual Awards Banquet held in July or August where U.S. Savings Bonds, calculators, and AIAA seals flown in space are among the prizes. Each year's contest generally begins in March.
Established as a collaborative effort between NASA Ames Research Center and AIAA San Francisco, this annual Scholarship Program is held as a memorial to the NASA men who perished on the Ames Galileo I aircraft on April 12, 1973. Open to high school seniors who intend to pursue a career in engineering, mathematics, or physical or natural sciences. To contribute to the Galileo Scholarship fund, make out your check to AIAA-SF and mail it to:
Galileo Scholarship
c/o AIAA-SF
P.O. Box 1548, Mountain View, CA 94042-1548
See the 2007 Galileo Scholarship Announcement for more information.
MATHCOUNTS® is a national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory. The program is over two decades old, and is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students.
The AIAA San Francisco Section sponsored the team from Miller Middle School, San Jose, during 2005 and 2006. In both cases, the team placed highly in state competition.
Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut, invites 5th to
8th grade girls Reach for the Stars, that is, help keep them in
the science, math, and technology pipeline.
The Science Festival provides hands-on workshops.
There is also a street fair where various science-minded organizations such as
AIAA
provide activities and information.
The Sally Ride Science Festival came to NASA Ames in May 2006 and in October
2005. The festival first came to Stanford in October 2004.
The section supports annual Engineers Week activities including the ongoing program to send engineers into local classrooms. David A. Levinson is chairman of Discover "E" for the Silicon Valley Engineering Council. See the SVEC web page for more information.
For a week in April of 2005 the AIAA SF section had a booth in the NASA Ames 211 Hanger which was open to school children for this event. Young visitors were provided paper and designs for paper gliders and encouraged to test them for airworthiness. In the center of the hangar their planes could be lifted to the high ceiling and launched from the tether of a helium balloon. AIAA engineers, including our Section Chair provided technical expertise.
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In May of 2004 the section had a table in the Ames tent which was open to school children the day before the Big Air Show. Young visitors were asked to submit questions for which Space is the answer. See some of their responses by clicking HERE.
The Section continues with over nine years of Teacher Workshops co-sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center. Held at various sites in California, the workshops include hands-on science sessions, distribution of curriculum materials, facility tours, and presentations by AIAA members and Educator Associates.
For more information, or to volunteer for any of the above Precollege Outreach activities, please contact Pallavi Shah, Precollege Outreach Director: precollege at aiaa-sf.org
| Past Outreach | Essay Contest | Scholarship | WWW Links |
0/28/2006
