HSGC
Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary School teacher Chayanee Brooks was selected for the Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program, giving her the opportunity to help carry student experiments aboard a reduced-gravity research flight.
Brooks was one of only twelve educators chosen for the national program. Through the experience, she will work with the University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research and help connect classroom learning with real-world aerospace research.
The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium is supporting Brooks by covering travel and research-related costs tied to the flight opportunity.
The original HSGC announcement highlighted how programs like this extend local STEM opportunities beyond the classroom by letting Hawai'i teachers take part directly in hands-on spaceflight projects, then bring that experience back to their students.
According to Laura Tomlin, Director of Education for the Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium, the award reflects the program's mission of expanding access to aerospace education and helping educators build stronger pathways for student research and exploration.
About the Program
The Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program places educators into authentic research environments where they can contribute to flight activities, collaborate with scientists and engineers, and translate that work into future classroom lessons. In this case, Brooks' participation helps ensure that Hawai'i students can see their own teacher involved in national space research efforts.
