HAMPTON, Va. – On March 12, 2008, 42 fifth graders from G.L.H. Johnson Elementary School in Danville, Va. traveled to Hampton on an aerospace field trip.  The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), the University of Maryland and NASA Langley Research Center worked together to offer at-risk students a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  For the past few months Johnson Elementary students have collaborated via videoconference with Lindsay Middle School in Hampton, Va. and last week met face-to-face for the first time. 

Johnson students started their day at NIA, greeted by their mentor and Danville native, Dr. James Hubbard.  They toured NASA’s model shop and gantry and spent the afternoon with sixth graders from Lindsay at the Virginia Air and Space Center discussing their goals to become scientists, engineers and astronauts. 

“This was such a kid-friendly event,” said Gail Gunn, media specialist at G.L.H. Johnson Elementary School.  “Dr. Hubbard and his team interacted with the students and really tapped into their enthusiasm.”

An initial telephone call from NIA’s educator-in-residence Virginia Potocki to Gunn in September 2007 culminated this collaborative effort between the three organizations and the Hampton and Danville school divisions.  Wanting to give back to his community, Hubbard has helped to establish what Johnson students call “The Hubbard Station,” which offers them the chance to share ideas and information via videoconference.

“What started out as a small classroom activity has really affected these children,” commented Dr. Hubbard, University of Maryland’s Samuel P. Langley Professor at NIA.  “It has been very exciting to see these kids grasp onto the science lessons and technologies that make this collaboration exist.  This is our investment in the future of our Nation and it’s easy to see it paying off.”

About NIA
NIA is a non-profit research and graduate education institute headquartered in Hampton, Va.  It was formed in 2002 by a consortium of research universities to ensure a national capability to support NASA’s mission by expanding collaboration with academia and leveraging expertise inside and outside NASA.  NIA performs research in a broad range of disciplines including space exploration, systems engineering, nanoscale materials science, flight systems, aerodynamics, air traffic management, aviation safety, planetary and space science, and global climate change.  The Institute’s graduate program offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the fields of engineering and science through its university partners:  Georgia Tech, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, and the College of William & Mary. 

More information about the National Institute of Aerospace is available at http://www.NIAnet.org.