Students Get Excited About Math and Science Through Hip-Hop Music and Dance; Local Teacher Chosen to Attend Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy
Principal Earl Sanderson glided face first into a giant cream pie to bring Newton’s Three Laws of Motion to life for West Genesee Middle School students. Principal Sanderson’s demonstration provided an opportunity for students to learn math and science in a captivating and memorable way as part of Honeywell and NASA’s award-winning science education program, FMA Live!
“It was really fun to be in the show,” said Allison Draveck, an eighth-grade student from West Genesee Middle School who participated in a science demonstration on stage. “It helped me learn the Three Laws of Motion.”
Nearly 400 students from West Genesee Middle School and Camillus Middle School attended FMA Live! performances Monday at West Genesee Middle School.
“Our partnership with NASA provides students with real-world, hands-on experiences that create excitement about career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math and inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers,” said John McAuliffe, Honeywell Syracuse Program Director.
Named after Sir Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion (Force = Mass x Acceleration), FMA Live! uses original hip-hop music and choreography, cutting-edge video, and interactive science demonstrations to teach Newton’s Laws of Motion to middle school students. Launched in 2004, the program has traveled more than 92,700 miles, reaching more than 297,300 students in the U.S. and Canada. The spring 2012 tour will reach more than 16,000 students during its 10-week, 20-city tour of the United States. On April 5, the show will be at Solvay Middle School.
During each FMA Live! performance, students, teachers, and school administrators interact with three professional actors on stage to experience Newton’s laws firsthand through science demonstrations, including a giant sticky wall, extreme wrestling, and go-carts. All three of Newton’s laws are demonstrated simultaneously when a futuristic hover chair collides with a gigantic cream pie.
Before the first performance, McAuliffe and Sanderson surprised West Genesee Middle School technology teacher Dan Howard by announcing that he has been awarded a scholarship to attend Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., this summer.
“To be one of 200 teachers chosen from around the world to participate in Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy is a really high honor,” said Howard. “I’m hoping to learn more team building skills that my students can use and get them excited about engineering, science, math, and technology.”
“West Genesee has a great tradition of sending teachers to Space Academy,” said West Genesee Central School District Superintendent Dr. Chris Brown. “Their commitment to their students and enthusiasm for education puts them in a position where they are able to apply and receive an award like this.”
Created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in 2004, Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy is designed to help teachers move beyond the standard math and science curriculum with supplemental teaching techniques developed through simulated astronaut training.
“We are fortunate to have such a committed and inspiring teacher like Mr. Howard represent Central New York at Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy this year,” said McAuliffe. “His enthusiasm to bring innovative teaching techniques to the classroom will encourage student interest in science and technology.”
Participants in Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy engage in unique activities such as astronaut training exercises including high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space missions, land and water survival training, and state-of-the-art flight dynamics programs. They receive 45 hours of professional development; an intensive curriculum focused on space science and exploration; and classroom, laboratory, and field training that are linked to science and math teaching standards.
Since the program’s inception, Honeywell and its employees have sponsored more than 1,650 scholarships for teachers from 45 countries and 50 U.S. states to participate in the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy programs.
Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy and FMA Live! are part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative which focuses on areas of vital importance: Family Safety & Security; Housing & Shelter; Science & Math Education; Habitat & Conservation; and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information on Honeywell Hometown Solutions, visit www.honeywell.com/hhs.
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