Sonja Alexander

Headquarters, Washington, DC

(Phone: 202/358-1761)

Lori Rachul

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

(Phone: 216/433-2901)

Sean P. Nichols

Congresswoman McKinney’s Office, Washington, DC

(Phone: 202/225-1605)

MEDIA ADVISORY: m00-128

Science and technology introduced themselves to the Dekalb
School System as NASA and Representative Cynthia McKinney
dedicated a new Aeronautics Education Laboratory (AEL) at the
Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta, GA.

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and Representative McKinney,
along with Astronaut Joan Higgenbotham, other NASA officials, and
staff from the Dekalb School System opened the lab doors at a
dedication ceremony yesterday morning.

“When I was your age,” McKinney told the group of young
students in the audience, “there weren’t programs like this.
Today is a different story — today there is a world of
opportunity out there for each of you. Just believe in yourself.”

The AEL moves beyond traditional classroom boundaries and
offers a state-of-the-art, electronically enhanced, computerized
environment that puts cutting-edge technology in the hands of
students in grades 7 to 12. At the various workstations, students
will strengthen math and science skills as they examine elements
of satellite global positioning, remote sensing, amateur radio and
aircraft design.

“Science and technology are essential to our nation*s future
prosperity. Our students need every opportunity to develop the
skills they need to succeed. The AEL labs give students the
chance to explore the fascinating world of aeronautics and learn
of the endless opportunities education can provide,” said Goldin.

NASA’s Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Washington,
D.C., provided a grant for the partnership to establish the
laboratory. NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field,
Cleveland, OH, is responsible for the design and implementation of
the AEL.

A vision of former Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, the program
was established in 1993 by Glenn and Cuyahoga Community College,
Cleveland, OH, to help foster understanding and enthusiasm in
school-age children for science, math and technology fields.
Since its inception, the Science, Engineering and Mathematics and
Aerospace Academy and its laboratories have grown from a single
location to a multiple-site organization.

-end-