is the Sr. Education and Outreach Coordinator for NASA's Texas Space Grant Consortium in Austin, Texas. She has worked for over thirty years in youth development and education. During that time, Margaret has worked in public schools, for the Texas Cooperative Extension Service 4-H & Youth Development Program, managed a USDA Science and Literacy project for at-risk youth, and promoted space education to students, teachers and the general public through the Texas Space Grant Consortium.
has served on the faculty of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin since 1965. His early research focused on low thrust interplanetary trajectory optimization. In the 1970s, his research focus broadened to include spacecraft attitude dynamics, tumbling satellite dynamics and retrieval, spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations, and spacecraft / mission design. His current research centers on spacecraft / mission design and space systems engineering.Dr. Fowler's has received over a dozen local, regional, and national teaching awards. He is a Fellow of both the ASEE and the AIAA. This paper demonstrates the success of the Summer of Innovation program over a four year period and answers the question "Does summer STEM engagement increase student interest and teacher instruction among underrepresented and underserved youth?"Summer and after-school programs present a prime venue for fostering student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) because of their informal atmosphere and their unique ability to inspire and excite children through enrichment experiences and hands-on, project-based group activities. Out-of-school time (OST) activities allow students to connect with STEM on a personal level, which is especially important for students who are underrepresented in these fields and may not have previously felt encouraged to pursue STEM. Summer of Innovation (SoI) was designed to give students an opportunity to engage in OST learning at an early age and during a critical period in the education cycle: summer. While professionals in STEM may attribute their decision to pursue STEM careers to an out-of-school experience, many formal and informal educators do not feel they have the skills and knowledge to successfully engage youth in programs to positively impact STEM learning.In 2009, President Obama announced the "Educate to Innovate" campaign to foster a renewed commitment to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. In January 2010, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Summer of Innovation (SoI) project in response to the President's call to action. SoI's clearly articulated Vision, Mission, and Objectives are centered on building local educational capacity for supporting STEM education for underserved and underrepresented middle school students.
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