ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., June 22, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Foundation today announced the sponsorship of four students and one teacher from the Rolling Meadows, Ill., community to attend Space Camp® July 18-24 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) in Huntsville, Ala. Nationally, Northrop Grumman is sponsoring 48 students and 16 teachers at Space Camp® this year.
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This year's sponsored space campers are from Winston Campus Junior High School. David Gutierrez, Andrew Salgado, Cynthia Alvarado and Chelsea Towner will experience the ultimate space adventure this summer, participating in activities such as rocket building and launching, experiencing weightlessness in an astronaut-training simulator and simulating shuttle mission preparation. Genevieve Roberts, their Winston Campus science teacher, will accompany the students to Huntsville to attend the Space Academy for Educators, a program to provide teachers the tools to enhance how they present science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts in their classrooms.
"Year after year, Space Camp® inspires the next generation of explorers, scientists and engineers giving them the motivation to dream big and work hard to make those dreams a reality," said John Buckley, vice president of engineering and manufacturing, central region for Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "The sponsorship will provide life-changing experiences to these students by immersing them in a hands-on, stimulating learning environment."
The sponsorship is part of Northrop Grumman's K-12 Initiative, which aims to advance the United States' excellence in STEM by encouraging instruction from elementary school through high school.
The sponsored students were chosen based on their potential to become high achievers in the fields of math and science, when provided with the right motivation. They must be in 7th or 8th grade at the time of Space Camp® attendance, be at least 12 years of age and their families must be otherwise unable to send their child to Space Camp®. The sponsored educator must teach either 7th or 8th grade science, and is selected by their school or school district.
The USSRC Space Camp® is the premier provider of authentic, inspiring and entertaining educational experiences in space science and aviation. The Space Academy for Educators amplifies that mission by using the excitement of the program to create an immersive learning environment where teachers learn new ways to present concepts in their classrooms effectively.
Additional information about this year's Space Camp® can be found at http://www.spacecamp.com/
The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative education experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
