Educational Initiatives

NALI’s educational efforts support programs that advance scientific and technological literacy, while promoting training of the new and existent workforce needed for global competitiveness.

Entrepreneurial Science

Activities in both kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education focus on developing student interest in engineering and manufacturing opportunities and stimulating innovation and enterprise.  NALI is charged to:

• Engage students in project-based science, technology, and engineering activities to develop workforces of the future global economy

• Develop interdisciplinary, collaborative, and educational content that will engage and excite students, foster a multicultural appreciation and enhance technical competence

• Implement best practices for hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

LaunchQuest™ Program

NALI has partnered with CT-based UP Aerospace – a private entrepreneurial venture – for the LaunchQuest program, giving middle and high school students the opportunity to conduct science and technology experiments on a rocket fired into space.  Schools from throughout Connecticut participate in LaunchQuest, as well as teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Project Lead the Way, and NASA Explorer Schools around the country.  Experiments are recovered and returned to students for post-flight analysis.

• Experiments fly on a 20-foot UP Aeropace SpaceLoft™ XL sub-orbital sounding rocket

• Launches take place from New Mexico's Spaceport America facility

• Flight profile is approximately 70 miles, with 5 minutes of microgravity time occuring

• Students study physics and mathematics used in rocketry and space flight, and the properties materials must have to endure the rigors of flight

• Teams gain a unique opportunity to experience how entrepreneurship and scientific progress go hand in hand

For more information, visit the LaunchQuest Program website at www.launchquest.org

For further information on NALI education program please contact:

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