Houston Schools' Students Get Hands-on Experience At Space Center

NASA's Johnson Space Center Houston recentlyfor the two-day experience. The Houston schools'
hosted a two-day BP Physics Challenge for 886students were amazed to learn how math and
Houston schools' students, mostly juniors and seniors,science can be applied to their everyday lives. As
with 800 more students expected to attend. Theexciting as the two-day challenge was, the height of
math and science students either made their ownexcitement came during a tour of the Space Center
rockets that would be launched outside at the Spacefor the Houston schools' students. Bill Nye, known as
Center or conducted other experiments inside. Forthe science guy, was on hand to meet the students,
those Houston schools' students, who made theirmany of which he hopes to see pursue a career in
own rockets, they got the full astronaut experiencescience, math or engineering. Nye hosted an
as most rocket launchings were scrubbed due toeducational program on PBS from 1992 to 1998 and
inclement weather. Unfortunately, the weatheris an icon to many science and math students - even
quickly turned cold and drizzly, canceling the launch oftoday. He was instrumental in the creation of the
most rockets. Two Houston schools' freshmen,popular CBS "NUMB3RS" television series, where a
however, did get their rockets launched withmath genius/professor uses mathematical models to
different results. Joshua Hawkins, from Booker T.assist the FBI in solving crimes. For years, Nye
Washington High School, had a successful launch andpitched ideas to television executives for programs
was thrilled to see how high his rocket soared. Histhat would give today's children the incentive to
friend, Keeland Bryant, had a foot-long rocket madeenter science and math careers, connecting the dots
of plastic and cardboard. It unfortunately burnedbetween these fields and the real world. At age 51,
during the launch - good thing no astronauts werehe still annually applies to NASA for entry into its
aboard. While the rocket launches were eitherastronaut program. At the Space Center, Nye
launching or getting scrubbed outdoors, otherencouraged the Houston schools' students to change
students were conducting a metal ball dropthe world, telling them people of all ages like science.
experiment in order to measure the mass of theThey should learn it, because it is fun! The two-day
Earth. The experiment was chosen to allow theevent was designed to interest students in the fields
Houston schools' students to work with straight-lineof math and science. Students from across the
graphs and become more familiar with IsaacHouston schools' district participated.
Newton's universal law of gravity, as well as learnPatrica Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12,
several mathematical calculations taught byproviding free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and
employees from NASA, BP America, Boeing and theprivate K-12 schools.
United Space Alliance, who volunteered as mentors