Beginning Feb. 11, a new NASA Educator Resource Center will give Arkansans -- as well as neighboring states -- access to NASA expertise and educational materials in science, math and technology.
The new center is located at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., selected the university through a competitive application process that resulted in a two-year renewable agreement between NASA and the university.
The new center is an effort by NASA and the Marshall Center to expand their longstanding partnership with the education community. NASA's national network of Educator Resource Centers provides educators access to NASA materials such as lesson plans, videotapes, compact discs, audio cassettes, reference books, activities, posters and lithographs. Each Educator Resource Center is sponsored by a NASA facility under a regional system.
The Marshall Center is responsible for centers in six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee. On average, each center serves 7,000 to 10,000 people each year and delivers 8,000 to 12,000 publications and other education items per year.
All educators -- from public and private school teachers to parents who home-school their children -- may use these resources. For those unable to visit the center in person, the Internet will be used to distribute information to educators and students throughout Arkansas and neighboring states.
Dedication of the new center will be Friday, Feb. 11 at 1:15 p.m. NASA exhibits, including a replica of a Space Shuttle, will be on display for the event. Officials from the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and NASA will attend.
NASA attendees include Steve Cullivan, the Marshall Center's aeronautics educator; John Wood, lead optical engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and Tom Devlin, developer of "PCs in Space," interactive software that teaches elementary students about space.
Note to Editors / News Directors: Media interested in attending the dedication should call Lynne Hehr of the University of Arkansas at (501) 575-3875. Interviews with a representative from Marshall's Education Department are available to the media by contacting Jerry Berg of the Marshall Media Relations Department at (256) 544-0034. For an electronic version of this release, digital images or more information, visit Marshall's News Center on the Web at: www.msfc.nasa.gov/news Members of the media: To receive Marshall releases by e-mail instead of fax, please e-mail judy.pettus@msfc.nasa.gov. Include the name of your media outlet, your title, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and the headline of this news release.