UT Tyler Joins NASA Network

February 16, 2012

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Joins NASA Professional Development Network

February 16, 2012

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

February 16, 2012

Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Public Affairs Specialist
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.565.5769 or 903.539.7196 (cell)

The University of Texas at Tyler will further collaborate with National Aeronautics and Space Administration Education by designing and delivering ongoing professional development activities that will enhance K-12 teaching and learning, Dr. Michael Odell, associate vice president for sponsored research and director of federal relations, announced.

Joining a select group of high quality development providers in the NASA Professional Development Network, UT Tyler will help identify Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics professional development needs for area teachers, develop workshops that align with those needs and provide facilities conducive to teacher learning.

A NASA aerospace education services project education specialist will work with the UT Tyler Ingenuity Center to capitalize on unique perspectives and the connections both organizations have to regional educational leaders.

“We are working together to make a difference in STEM education through collaborations that identify and serve appropriate audiences, providing them with sustained access to NASA resources and assets,” Odell said.

Plans are to build a customized strategy, employing onsite and/or online activities involving NASA’s education specialists, scientists, engineers as well as educational resources that maximize the impact of professional development efforts and efficiently serves targeted educator audiences.

Joining the network is due to and expands on excellent past collaborations with NASA Education, Odell added.

For more information, contact Brandon Reynolds, Ingenuity Center marketing/project development manager, 903.565.5950 or breynolds@uttyler.edu.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.