LOS ANGELES, June 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Foundation is accepting teacher applications for the 2009 Weightless Flights of Discovery. This annual professional development program allows teachers to prepare for and participate in micro- and zero-gravity flights to test Newton's Laws of Motion with the purpose of taking the experience back into their classrooms to energize their students in science and math subjects during the formative middle-school years.
Middle-school math and science teachers are welcome to seek additional information and apply for the program by visiting www.northropgrumman.com/teachers.
Educators are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for the remaining seats on flights in Albuquerque, N. M.; Detroit; and Washington, D.C. The Norwalk, Conn. flight is full. This year's flights will take place according to the following schedule.
Albuquerque, N. M. Washington, D.C.
Workshop - Saturday, August 22 Workshop - Saturday, August 15
Flight - Tuesday, September 22 Flight - Friday, October 2
Detroit
Workshop - Saturday, August 1
Flight - Thursday, September 24
For the fourth consecutive year, Northrop Grumman is partnering with Zero-G Corporation to offer the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, one of several initiatives the Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsors in support of promoting education and student interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Selected teachers will participate in a full-day orientation program several weeks before their flights. Teachers then will work with their students to develop experiments to be conducted in-flight, in environments simulating lunar gravity, Martian gravity and weightlessness. Following the two-to-three-hour flight, each teacher will share his or her experiences back in the classroom with photography and video.
The United States is experiencing a shortage of college graduates in the STEM disciplines, a negative trend that bodes ill for the nation's industries that depend on talented scientists and mathematicians. Because studies have indicated most children make the decision to pursue math and science education and careers during middle-school, Northrop Grumman developed the Weightless Flights of Discovery to engage teachers, key influencers in the lives of students during these crucial years.
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.