Houston Schools Students Get Hands-on Experience At Space Center

NASAs Johnson Space Center Houston recentlyfrom NASA, BP America, Boeing and the United
hosted a two-day BP Physics Challenge for 886Space Alliance, who volunteered as mentors for
Houston schools students, mostly juniors andthe two-day experience. The Houston schools
seniors, with 800 more students expected tostudents were amazed to learn how math and
attend. The math and science students eitherscience can be applied to their everyday lives.
made their own rockets that would be launchedAs exciting as the two-day challenge was, the
outside at the Space Center or conducted otherheight of excitement came during a tour of the
experiments inside.Space Center for the Houston schools students.
For those Houston schools students, who madeBill Nye, known as the science guy, was on hand
their own rockets, they got the full astronautto meet the students, many of which he hopes
experience as most rocket launchings wereto see pursue a career in science, math or
scrubbed due to inclement weather. Unfortunately,engineering. Nye hosted an educational program
the weather quickly turned cold and drizzly,on PBS from 1992 to 1998 and is an icon to
canceling the launch of most rockets.many science and math students even today. He
Two Houston schools freshmen, however, did getwas instrumental in the creation of the popular
their rockets launched with different results.CBS NUMB3RS television series, where a math
Joshua Hawkins, from Booker T. Washington Highgenius/professor uses mathematical models to
School, had a successful launch and was thrilled toassist the FBI in solving crimes. For years, Nye
see how high his rocket soared. His friend,pitched ideas to television executives for
Keeland Bryant, had a foot-long rocket made ofprograms that would give todays children the
plastic and cardboard. It unfortunately burnedincentive to enter science and math careers,
during the launch good thing no astronauts wereconnecting the dots between these fields and the
aboard.real world. At age 51, he still annually applies to
While the rocket launches were either launching orNASA for entry into its astronaut program.
getting scrubbed outdoors, other students wereAt the Space Center, Nye encouraged the
conducting a metal ball drop experiment in orderHouston schools students to change the world,
to measure the mass of the Earth. Thetelling them people of all ages like science. They
experiment was chosen to allow the Houstonshould learn it, because it is fun!
schools students to work with straight-line graphsThe two-day event was designed to interest
and become more familiar with Isaac Newtonsstudents in the fields of math and science.
universal law of gravity, as well as learn severalStudents from across the Houston schools district
mathematical calculations taught by employeesparticipated.