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Project Progress

The New York Center for Astrobiology hosted its fifth annual Astrobiology Teachers Academy (ATA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on July 22-25, 2013. The goal of the ATA is to inspire, engage, and assist high school science teachers to infuse Astrobiology themes and content into existing science curricula aligned with New York State learning standards. The 4-day Academy was attended by 15 high school science teachers from New York State. Amongst the teachers were several “ATA Fellows,” returning alumni from previous ATA workshops who mentored first-time participants. The Fellows had been competitively selected following an application process modeled after SETI’s highly successful ASSET program (Astrobiology Summer Science Experience for Teachers). All of the local NAI-funded scientists from RPI contributed to this Academy during its entire 4-day program through formal presentations and discussions with teachers in developing learning modules. The ATA has a facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Astrobiology-Teachers-Academy/159052910896815?ref=stream. Wayne Roberge continues to meet with ATA Fellows and educational consultants from the Association for Cooperative Advancement of Science and Education (ACASE). Their current goal is to align NYCA’s internal EPO assessment of the ATA with NAI’s assessment rubric.