NASA Workshops at UVI Inspire Next Generation of Explorers

A team from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is visiting UVI's St. Thomas campus this week with the goal of "inspiring the next generation of explorers as only NASA can," according to Warren Edwards, coordinator of NASA's Urban and Rural Community Enrichment Program.

More than 160 St. Thomas middle and junior high school students participated in a day of "hands-on" workshops on Wednesday (February 18, 2004), learning the principles of flight by making and flying paper airplanes and kites. This week's NASA workshops also involve local math and science teachers and individuals training to be teachers. Next week the NASA team moves to UVI's St. Croix campus for another round of student and teacher workshops.

NASA participation is also planned at UVI's on-going Saturday Science Awareness Academies. The St. Thomas academy will be held on Saturday, February 21. The St. Croix academy will be held on Saturday, February 28.

Flying kites they helped craft in the NASA workshop are Montessori students, from left, Dayle Hill, Clifford Callwood and Denzel Browne. In the background, at left, are students from Addelita Cancryn Junior High School. Additional Montessori students, at right, include Sam Woods, Adam Fuller, Sean Cheetam and Zachary Schulterbrandt.

Montessori students, from left, Elizabeth Shulterbrandt, Holly Johnston, Elaina Wilson and Jenna Dicola work to achieve the principles of flight they studied in a NASA workshop.