NASA Education Stakeholders Summit
At a kickoff event for National Aerospace Week NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden and AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey joined representatives from the U.S. Education Department, National Science Foundation, Ohio Aerospace Institute and the academic community to discuss the importance of generating the nation’s future scientists, engineers and explorers during the opening reception for NASA’s Education Stakeholders Summit.
Blakey informed attendees about their critical role in supporting the aerospace industry. “National Aerospace Week celebrates the accomplishments and importance of aerospace to our nation…. So, as you can imagine, ensuring a smart, skilled workforce is paramount for our industry, and it naturally follows that a comprehensive education is critical to our workers success.”
Other distinguished science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) participants included: Cora B. Marrett, Ph.D., Director (Acting), National Science Foundation; Michael Lach, Special Assistant for STEM Education, U. S. Department of Education; William Kelly, Ph.D., Manager, Public Affairs, American Society for Engineering Education; and Leland Melvin, Education Design Team Co-Chair and NASA astronaut.
The education summit brought together more than 200 members from government and the academic community from across the nation. The summit’s focus was on NASA’s One-Stop-Shop-Initiative, a website created to streamline the process and make central all the education activities - e.g. internships, scholarships, summer programs - that are available to students throughout the NASA community. AIA Industrial Base & Workforce Committee Chair Susan Lavrakas addressed STEM education from a national and state-level perspective.
AIA Source: audrey.koehler[at]aia-aerospace.org
