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NASA/Challenger Grant

This program is funded by a NASA grant to improve STEM education in Merced County through the Challenger Learning Center of the San Joaquin Valley and Merced County Office of Education.

Teachers who sign up for this program will receive:

  • All day GEMS training at Challenger Learning Center, including a simulated mission to outer space
  • A $100 stipend to attend training for the person who agrees to be lead teacher at their school. If more than one 8th grade science teacher signs up, the other(s) may attend at no charge.
  • One free set of kits and teachers' guides per school. Each set has 2 kits and 5 guides.
  • A free simulated mission to outer space for up to 36 students every year for 3 years.
  • $300 to pay for a bus to Challenger Learning Center - every year for 3 years. (On the same bus, you may bring additional students besides those participating in the free mission, but our regular fees will apply to any activities or missions they participate in while at our facilities.)
  • Technical support and numerous "freebies" from NASA and other educational sources for all participating teachers for 3 years.
  • Free re-stocking of the kits for 3 years.
  • After 3 years, the kits belong to your school.

To receive the above benefits, your lead 8th grade science teacher will be required to do all of the following for Challenger Learning Center and NASA:

  • Attend the all day training session.
  • Teach at least 2 of the 4 units every year for 3 years.
  • Administer pre- and post-tests for the units taught and send the graded tests to Challenger Learning Center.
  • Have one short meeting with our representative at your school site during the school year to discuss progress. This meeting can be done in conjunction with a lesson observation, a demonstration lesson by our representative, a question and answer session with one or more classes about astronomy and space exploration by our representative, a visit to your school's science fair, or any other way you wish to utilize our representative for one or two hours per year.

3553 North Challenger Way
Atwater, CA 95301
Phone: 209-726-0296
Website: www.challengersjv.org
 
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