NASA selects Art Borja for Prestigious Lift Off! Summer Institute

NASA selects Art Borja for Prestigious Lift Off! Summer Institute

Nationwide - June 27, 2024 (USANews.com) - Middle school science teacher Art Borja is the only Arizona teacher selected for this summer’s prestigious LiftOff Summer Institute. This nationally competitive program, sponsored by NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium and the University of Texas Center for Space Research, selects teachers who will increase their science, technology, engineering, and math knowledge through space education.

Liftoff 2024’s theme is Growing on Earth for Space Exploration! The institute provides teachers with the rare – and, for most, unique – opportunity to spend a week working with professional scientists and engineers at the cutting edge of space exploration. As human space exploration advances so should our knowledge and expertise in growing plants on long-duration space missions, the Moon, and other planets. Participants will increase their understanding of specialized environments for growth and development on Earth, in microgravity, and beyond! “I am very excited about this opportunity as I always look for new project ideas for my students. Last year, my students built a radio telescope to observe radio waves from the sun and Jupiter,” said Borja. A NASA / Arizona State University Space grant will fund Art Borja’s local institute expenses. He plans to use the know-how from the Institute to re-purpose a garden at the Bayer campus for student projects and experiments. Borja is a twenty-five-year teaching veteran with several degrees including a bachelor’s in biology. However, he states that his passion has always been astronomy. A life-long learner, Borja completed dual master’s degrees during the pandemic in astronomy and astrophysics and in space sciences. An educator who is passionate about learning and teaching science, Borja has also been involved in programs where he has contrinbuted to scientific research. He was a science communicator aboard Robert Ballard's (of Titanic discovery fame) exploration vessel E/V Nautilus. In addition to mapping the bottom of the ocean the ship added to the exploration of deep sea vents and the biology, chemiostry and geology of such environments. He has also reserached the effect climate change on caterpillars in Ecuador's rain forest through an EarthWatch grant, and he lived the adventure of a lifetime when he was selected for an Astronomy in Chile Ambassadors Program fellowship. He visited the premier astronomical observatories in Chile and met with not only the scientists but also all of the people that make the science possible. Borja stated. "bringing all of these experiences into the classroom from first-hand participation and crafting unique lessons is what it is all about."
He also serves as a volunteer NASA JPL solar system ambassador and also volunteered as an Astronomical Society of the Pacific Eclipse Ambassador this past year. Most recently, Borja attended the AstroEDUNC hosted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and led by Dr. Daniel Reichart. He hopes to bring the use of robotic telescope technology to his middle school classes to further spark interest in STEM. He is excited for the LiftOff! program and the tools that it will add to his teacher skill set and the opportunities that it will create for his students.

PROGRAM FEATURES:

■ Presentations by NASA scientists and engineers at Johnson Space Center

■ Hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities aligned to educational standards

■ Career Exploration

■ Teacher Feature (sharing of classroom lessons and activities)

■ Opportunity to interact with researchers dedicated to space missions

LiftOff is a collaborative effort of the University of Texas Center for Space Research, Texas Space Grant Consortium members and affiliates, NASA, and industry. Teachers apply for LiftOff and are selected competitively. The workshops are organized around an aerospace or space science theme drawn from NASA’s diverse engineering and scientific research programs. The weeklong institute features a series of workshops, hands-on activities, field investigations, and presentations by NASA scientists and engineers working on various missions.

We celebrate all that NASA has contributed in the past and will contribute to the future and the engineering behind its accomplishments at LiftOff 2024. Teachers selected for Liftoff will
return to their school districts to not only use materials received in their own classroom, but to train other educators. Educators selected will come together June 24 - June 28 to conduct experiments, hear from NASA subject matter experts and astronauts, and network with other educators while sharing innovative lesson plans and ideas.

The LiftOff workshops prove that the excitement teachers, and more importantly, their students, feel about Earth and space science can be used to enrich STEM education and inspire the next generation of explorers. “I feel very fortunate to have been selected for this program and look forward to interacting with the NASA scientists and engineers and with other passionate educators from around the country,” said Borja. “ The experience will translate into engaging lessons for my students at Bayer.

This nationally competitive, educational training for teachers is sponsored by University of Texas Center for Space Research and NASA’s Texas Space Grant Consortium. Teachers interested in learning more about LiftOff 2024 may visit the following URL: https://www.csr.utexas.edu/liftoff/.

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