Accepting Applications: North Carolina Space Education Ambassadors Program

NC Space Grant is pleased to announce the North Carolina Space Education Ambassadors (NCSEA) program application is open now until June 30.

Now entering its fourth year, the NCSEA program continues to build a statewide network of master teachers who deliver NASA educational content to their students, colleagues and communities. 

Since 2020, NC Space Grant has trained 44 educators from 26 counties in the state. Ambassadors have also led 55 activities beyond the classroom, including presentations at professional conferences and outreach to community groups, serving 500 teachers and over 5,000 students.

This year’s opportunity provides NC educators professional development in current NASA Next Gen STEM and NASA mission-related education themes. Selected ambassadors will receive a $1,200 stipend and earn 20 continuing education credits. The 2023-24 group also will travel to NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in June 2024 for professional development activities. NC Space Grant covers all travel expenses. 

Up to 12 in-service public and private classroom educators with a minimum of three years of service from elementary, middle and high school levels will be selected from eight education districts across the state. 

“We’re excited to bring in a new group of teacher leaders to serve as ambassadors for NASA and space education across North Carolina,” Jobi Cook, associate director of NC Space Grant, said. 

Working together as a cohort over the academic year, NCSEA are expected to implement space education, provide enriched STEM and space-theme instruction through hands-on activities, collaboratively develop lesson plans and partner with local institutions to provide meaningful STEM opportunities to students. In addition, NCSEA should work to align existing NASA education materials with the NC Standard Course of Study.

The NCSEA program helps meet two equal, nationwide needs: 1) to prepare pre-college students for STEM careers, and 2) to equip teacher leaders to inspire students. 

“NC Space Grant eagerly looks forward to welcoming the 2023-24 NCSEA cohort,” Cook adds.

Read more about NCSEA in the news:

• New NC Space Education Ambassadors Named (2022-2023 cohort)
• 2021 NC Space Education Ambassadors Selected (2021-2022 cohort)
• NC Teachers Selected for New Ambassadors Program (2020-2021 cohort)
• Fayetteville 5th-graders try to give egg ‘astronauts’ a soft landing
• Connecting Students with NASA Through Mission Patches
• Guilford County teacher selected for NC Space Education Ambassadors program sponsored by NASA
• Craven County educator selected for NASA/NC Space Grant Space Education Ambassador Program
• Cape Fear Middle School Teacher selected for NC Space Education Ambassador Program
• Cumberland County Educator Selected for NASA/NC Space Grant Space Education Ambassador Program

For more information, contact Jobi Cook, NC Space Grant associate director, at jobi_cook@ncsu.edu.

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