Phase one has closed, but Phase 2 is now Up and Running!
We are counting down to lift-off. High School Students at Petaluma High are busily drafting their design proposals. The Mission Patch Art design competition is getting underway both at the high school and at grade schools in Petaluma.
Please visit our
PHASE 2 campaign & consider contributing and sharing!
Short Summary
Who we are:
The Petaluma City Schools (PCS) in conjunction with National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) proposes to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program’s (SSEP) Mission 7 to the International Space Station (ISS). We propose to fully immerse 400 grade 9-12 students in real microgravity experiment design and proposal writing. We expect a minimum of 100 flight experiment proposals to be formally submitted by our student teams, with one selected for flight to the International Space Station in Spring 2015.
Participating in the SSEP would address all the skills and expectations inherent in the STEM education goals of Petaluma High School in meaningful ways. Our goals include continuous improvement of student achievement and closing of the achievement gap while building in our students 21st Century skills which will allow them access to jobs in the dynamic and locally expanding industries of biotechnology, biomedical engineering and manufacturing. Through participation in SSEP Petaluma High School will build partnerships with regional STEM business to both support our students now and to provide STEM businesses with a local workforce that is work-ready, possessing relevant skills. Challenging our students to participate in this exciting, project-based, real-world experience they will be fully engaged thereby enhancing their learning.
"The Student Space Flight Experiments Program (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in partnership with Nanoracks, LLC. This on-orbit educational research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. "
What We Need & What You Get:
- In order to participate in the SSEP we need to raise a total of $23,000. NCESSE will be assisting us in this task, but it is our hope to raise approximately half of this amount ($10,000) through the support of our community and people like YOU.
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ANY amount will be gratefully accepted (although check out the great perks offered at various funding levels)!
- All Donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, and all donors will receive a personalized thank you note hand-written by one of our students, and mission patch and/or stickers, and a video of program highlights (our students in action!)
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Participation in SSEP comes at a cost and all or your donations will be applied to cover the cost of our participation in the program. Cost are as stated by the program website:
Program Elements
a. Mini-Laboratory Slot (see Designing the Flight Experiment page)
b. Community-wide Flight Experiment Design Competition (see Flight Experiment Design Competition page)
c. Teacher and Student Proposer Resources (see Resources page)
d. Community Program (see Community Program page)
The Impact
The experimental design phase of the SSEP will provide a structure for students to observe their environment, question it, to create hypotheses to explain their observations, and to develop experiments to prove or disprove their hypotheses. This is a lot of what science is about. It will address content knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation- all the higher order thinking skills we are aiming for- in a relevant and real-world manner very difficult to achieve in more traditional in-class work. The almost unbelievable final reward that one of the developed experiments will actually be sent up to the International Space Station and will be performed by working astronauts in space has to make the experimental design work more real, more engaging, and therefore more meaningful to the students than the more traditional approaches.
The proposal and competition phase of the SSEP will address another important aspect of real science-that scientists are not working in a void, but rather work in a community of people, scientists and non-scientists, and that there is both necessary cooperation and competition for resources in the real world.
The students will need to learn to work effectively with each other in their experimental design teams, and as important, they will need to communicate their work and proposal effectively as well. They will also experience real competition if their motive is to get their experiment into space. These are invaluable skills and experiences which will benefit our students whatever they do next.
Participating in the SSEP would address all the skills and expectations inherent in the STEM education goals of Petaluma High School in meaningful ways. Our goals include continuous improvement of student achievementand closing of the achievement gap while building in our students 21st Century skills which will allow them access to jobs in the dynamic and locally expanding industries of biotechnology, biomedical engineering and manufacturing. Through participation in SSEP Petaluma High School will build partnerships with regional STEM business to both support our students now and to provide STEM businesses with a local workforce that is work-ready, possessing relevant skills.
Risks & Challenges
Participation in SSEP will challenge our teachers to do things differently. Trying out something new in the classroom on a large scale is like serving an untested recipe on your special guests; it could be a triumph or a disaster. It will also challenge our students to do things differently, to take ownership of their own learning.
- Our science department staff is highly qualified, motivated and united in our desire to inspire our students and guide them in this meaningful, project-based learning experience..
- Our administration is committed to supporting our efforts and have a demonstrated desire to build community partnership to support STEM education in our school.
- Our community has a demonstrated commitment to our kids, and an interest in career and technical education opportunities.
Other Ways You Can Help
While we are seeking financial support, we welcome ALL kinds of support
- Tell all your friends! Perhaps they might contribute. Help us spread the word.
- Use the Indiegogo share tools!
- Contact Linda Judah, lead teacher, at ljudah@petk12.org if you would like to mentor either a student team, or an entire classroom. Guest speakers are also welcome!
- We Thank YOU in advance for supporting our kids!