A NASA education initiative designed to bring science,
technology, engineering and mathematics learning and
activities to U.S. educators, students and families is going
abroad to the Netherlands.
NASA’s Chief Education Officer, Dr. Adena Williams Loston,
today signed an Understanding among NASA, the European Space
Agency (ESA) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and
Science, establishing the Delta Researchers Schools (DRS)
Program. An Understanding is a written agreement regarding
mutual educational cooperation.
Patterned after the NASA Explorer School (NES) Program, the
DRS Program will identify and develop innovative methods to
inspire Dutch primary school students to pursue careers in
mathematics and science. The program will focus on
stimulating the interest of children — girls in particular –
– between the ages of 9 and 12. It also will generate
positive awareness of human space flight, the International
Space Station and other international cooperative projects.
The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
initially will launch, manage and fund activities for
selected schools for three-year periods.
The program’s name derives from the ESA Delta Mission, which
was conducted as part of the International Space
Station/Soyuz crew-exchange missions flown in April.
Dutch/ESA Astronaut Andre Kuipers carried out the Delta
Mission under a commercial arrangement between ESA and the
Russian Federal Space Agency.
“This understanding builds on existing collaborations to
strengthen and expand educational cooperation among the
Netherlands, ESA and NASA, using NASA’s extremely successful
Explorer Schools Program as a model,” Loston said.
“Considering the importance of education and the excitement
and unique activities the Vision for U.S. Space Exploration
will provide, this program personifies NASA’s commitment to
foster learning to inspire students to understand and protect
our home planet, seize opportunities to venture to the moon,
Mars and new worlds beyond,” she said.
“The Delta Researchers Schools initiative will undoubtedly
strengthen NASA’s ties with the Netherlands and the broader
European community now and in the future,” said Clifford
Sobel, U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands.
As part of the cooperation, NASA will provide opportunities
for Dutch teachers to participate in summer NES workshops at
NASA centers. Teachers will acquire new resources and
technology tools using NASA’s unique content. NES officials
will be available for content consultation and to coordinate
distance-learning capabilities to support the DRS Program.
One ham-radio opportunity will be scheduled each year for
Dutch students to talk with the Earth-orbiting Space Station
crew.
NASA’s NES Program provided more than 70,000 U.S. elementary,
middle and high school students’ information and interactive
activities on future careers, to pursue the fulfillment of
the Vision for U.S. Space Exploration.
The NES Program is a three-year partnership between NASA and
selected schools that offer opportunities and materials for
teachers to spark student interest in science and math.
Students, parents, teachers and education administrators from
diverse communities in 46 states and the District of Columbia
have participated.
The Vision for U.S. Space Exploration is a bold new course
into the cosmos, a journey that will return the Space Shuttle
safely to flight, complete the construction of the
International Space Station, take humans back to the moon and
eventually to Mars and beyond
To view the NES Program on the Internet, visit:
http://explorerschools.nasa.gov
For information about NASA education programs on the
Internet, visit:
For information about NASA and agency programs on the
Internet, visit:
For ESA information on the Web, visit:
