AGI Boosts STEM Education with NASA Triad Site

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has launched an online professional development guide for workshops on NASA geoscience, technology, engineering and mathematics content. The official launch of the NASA Triad web site will be on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011, but an early preview is now available.

The web site (http://www.agiweb.org/education/NASA/) is a valuable resource for anyone that is planning a STEM-based workshop for teachers, and that is leveraging NASA resources. The project is expected to increase use of NASA’s STEM content in secondary classrooms nationwide.

Initially developed by AGI for use with lead teachers in the Triad program, the site is being made available online to all those who wish to help teachers incorporate NASA content into their lessons. The site includes a workshop “how-to” guide, advice from experienced workshop leaders, hands-on activities, and hundreds of NASA-based resources.

NASA Triad is supported by a two-year, $1.12 million dollar cooperative agreement with NASA. It is a three-pronged project in partnership with the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University to promote STEM components of NASA’s missions to grades 6-12 teachers and students nationwide. In addition to the website, the project includes:

• a national professional development network of lead teachers to deliver workshops to their local school districts; and
• The incorporation of NASA science and technology content into AGI’s nationally distribute middle and high school Earth science curricula.