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Melissa Pastorius and Keara Wright
University of Missouri – St. Louis
Advisor: Dr. Bruce Wilking
Abstract
The University of Missouri–St. Louis has directed a Fifth Grade Elementary School Outreach Program since 1992 with funding from the NASA/Missouri Space Grant Consortium. The program is designed to enhance the curriculum requirements of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students attend a variety of presentations including: a slide show on stellar evolution and the planets, a planetarium show, and comet and liquid nitrogen demonstrations. All of the teachers surveyed stated that the program increases students’ interest in math, aerospace sciences, and engineering. Our program incorporates both visual and physical concepts from the natural and astronomical sciences.
Melissa Pastorius earned her B.S. Physics and minor in Mathematics from the University of Missouri St. Louis in December 2007. She is currently working on her Masters in Astrophysics at the University of Missouri St. Louis and will be transferring to DePaul University in Chicago for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Keara Wright is from Lake St. Louis, Missouri, and is a senior in Physics at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Keara has been named in Who’s Who in Academic and Leadership in her department. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Physics, a minor in Mathematics, a minor in Psychology, and an Honors College Certificate. Keara is planning on attending graduate school for a Masters degree and eventually earn a Doctorate degree in Physics. She is interested specifically in Astrophysics as well as nonlinear dynamics and neuroscience. Keara hopes to eventually pursue a faculty position while continuing her research in related fields.
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