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ROB MCCLENDON: HELLO EVERYONE; THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE ON
HORIZON.
WELL OKLAHOMA IS HOME TO MANY A SPACE PIONEER FROM GORDON COOPER TO THOMAS
STAFFORD, AND TOO MANY MORE TO EVEN LIST.
AND WHILE WE DO HAVE A RICH SPACE AGE HERITAGE, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT
ATTRACTING A NEW GENERATION INTO THE SPACE PROGRAM AND THE SCIENCE
CLASSES IT TAKES TO GET THEM THERE.
JOINING ME NOW IS OUR KELA KELLN.
KELA: WELL ROB, MOST KIDS ARE FASCINATED WITH SPACE, BUT OFTEN NOT SO MUCH WITH
THE SCIENCE AND MATH.
THAT'S WHY NASA IS WORKING WITH SCHOOLS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AND GET THEM
INVOLVED BY SHOWING THEM FIRST-HAND WHAT STUDYING THESE FIELDS HAS TO OFFER.
KELA KELLN: STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER GATHER AT GREAT PLAINS TECHNOLOGY CENTER
EAGER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPACE DAY.
ERIKA LAMBERTH IS A MULTI MEDIA DIRECTOR FOR NASA.
ERIKA LAMBERTH: THIS IS THE DRIVEN TO EXPLORE TRAILER.
IT BRINGS TO LIGHT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM.
AND SOME OF THE FUTURE PLANS THAT WE HAVE FOR EXPLORING SPACE IN THE
FUTURE, SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS, LIKE ORION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HAS BEEN ORBITING THE EARTH FOR OVER 12
YEARS NOW, A LITTLE BIT OVER 12 YEARS.
SO A LOT OF THE STUDENTS DON'T REALIZE THAT WE'VE HAD MEN AND WOMEN LIVING
AND WORKING IN SPACE FOR THAT LONG.
SO HERE IN THE TRAILER WE ARE TRYING TO SHARE WITH THEM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE AND WORK IN SPACE.
WE HAVE A WINDOW VIEW THAT GIVES THEM AN IDEA OF WHAT THE EARTH LOOKS LIKE TO
THE ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD THE SPACE STATION.
WE TALK ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF THE HUMAN BODY, HOW WE HAVE TO LEARN HOW OUR
BODIES CAN WITHSTAND LIVING IN SPACE FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME.
AND OF COURSE WE HAVE SOMETHING REALLY COOL, WHICH IS A MOON ROCK
THAT'S OVER 3 BILLION YEARS OLD THAT WE BROUGHT BACK FROM OUR LAST MISSION
TO THE MOON ON APOLLO 17.
SO NASA IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND LOOKING TO EXPLORE SPACE IN THE FUTURE AND
KEEP THESE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, MATH, ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY.
KELA: ASTRONAUT MIKE FOREMAN TRAVELS THE COUNTRY ENCOURAGING
STUDENTS AS YOUNG AS GRADESCHOOL TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN STEM.
MIKE FOREMAN: AS AN ASTRONAUT IT'S EASY TO PROMOTE STEM BECAUSE I GO
AROUND THE COUNTRY, I TALK TO STUDENTS AND I SAY I'M AN ENGINEER AND I'M AN
ASTRONAUT.
NOW DON'T YOU WANT TO BE AN ENGINEER?
AND A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE, ARE, THEY PERK UP AND THEY SAY WOW MAYBE ENGINEERING
WOULD BE COOL CAREER, CAUSE HERE'S A GUY THAT HAS A PRETTY NEAT JOB,
HE'S AN ENGINEER.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE CONSIDER THAT AS A CAREER FIELD BECAUSE
THEY'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT BEING AN ENGINEER AND WHAT I GET TO DO.
KELA: AN INFORMATIVE AND FUN WAY OF GIVING STUDENTS AN IDEA OF WHAT AN
ENGINEERING CAREER HAS TO OFFER.
FOREMAN: WELL IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU KNOW WE ARE LOSING OUR TECHNOLOGY
EDGE, I THINK, TO OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AS
MANY STUDENTS AS WE ONCE DID STUDYING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING
AND MATH.
AND WE JUST NEED TO KEEP PROMOTING THAT TO STUDENTS SO WE CAN GAIN THAT EDGE
BACK AND BE A LEADER IN THE WORLD IN TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING.
SO THAT'S THE REASON WE GO AROUND, AND SELFISHLY FROM NASA, YOU KNOW WE ARE
WORRIED ABOUT REPLACING OUR AGEING ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS, AND WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD POPULATION OF STUDENTS TO CHOOSE FROM
WHEN WE ARE HIRING NEW PEOPLE TO REPLACE OLD GUYS LIKE ME.
KELA: THAT'S WHY ASTRONAUT FOREMAN ALONG WITH LIEUTENANT GENERAL BRUCE
LITCHFIELD TOOK PART IN A PANEL TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF STEM EDUCATION.
BRUCE LITCHFIELD: WELL IF I LOOK AT WHAT OUR NATION'S DONE OVER THE
LAST HUNDRED YEARS IN TERMS OF HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS GROWN AND LOOK TO THE
NEXT 10 TO 20 YEARS, I THINK WE ARE GOING TO DOUBLE WHAT WE HAVE DONE
IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS.
AND SO WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS THAT ARE COMING UP THROUGH THE
SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE PART OF THAT TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION
HAVE THE RIGHT TRAINING, HAVE THE RIGHT SKILL SETS TO MAKE US ABLE TO
COMPETE, NOT ONLY LOCALLY, BUT INTERNATIONALLY IN TERMS OF BEING THE MOST
PRODUCTIVE NATION ON THIS PLANET.
WHAT THIS DOES IS START PLANTING THE SEEDS YOUNG AND EARLY SO THAT THE
FOLKS AREN'T AFRAID OF WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS OUT THERE AND CAN BE PART OF
IT, NOT A SPECTATOR IN WHAT THE GROWTH IS GOING TO BE OVER THE NEXT 10 TO
20 YEARS NATS: WE'VE SEEN CHANGE, AND WE'VE SEEN IT VERY RAPIDLY.
KELA: CONGRESSMAN TOM COLE SAYS OUR NATION IS HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,
BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE TO STAY A WORLD LEADER IN TECHNOLOGY.
TOM COLE: WHOEVER MASTERS SCIENCE AND MATH IS GOING TO MASTER THE FUTURE.
IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE AND THAT PROFOUND AT THE SAME TIME.
AND WE KNOW THAT, FRANKLY, WE'VE NOT BEEN ACHIEVING AS A COUNTRY AT THE SAME
LEVEL HISTORICALLY THAT WE USED TO.
THIS IS THE KIND OF PROGRAM THAT HAS BEGUN TO TURN THOSE THINGS AROUND
PRETTY DRAMATICALLY AND SHOWN QUICK RESULTS AND IT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING TO
SEE HOW RECEPTIVE STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS HAVE BEEN, AND HOW THEY'VE PUT THE
TOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THEM BY CORPORATE SPONSORS TO REALLY
EXCEPTIONAL USE.
IF WE CAN DO THAT HERE, WE CAN DO THAT IN A LOT OF OTHER SCHOOLS ACROSS THE
STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
KELA: WORKING TO PAVE THE WAY TO A SMARTER FUTURE.
KELA KELLN: ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE SPACE DAY PANELISTS, THE BEST WAY TO
CONVINCE STUDENTS TO TAKE TOUGHER SUBJECTS IN HIGH SCHOOL IS TO HELP THEM SEE
PAST THE DIPLOMA AND HOW THEIR STUDIES WILL HELP THEM LAND IN AN
INTERESTING CAREER.
ROB: SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE THOSE IN EDUCATION CIRCLES REFER TO AS
CREATING RIGOR WITH RELEVANCE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH KELA.
KELA: YOU'RE WELCOME ROB.
ROB: WHEN WE RETURN, HONORING SOME OF OKLAHOMA'S SPACE-AGE
TRAILBLAZERS.