Supernova inc. part 1

Infinite

Possibilities

SUPERNOVA
INC.

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary……………………….3-4

Situation Analysis………………………..5-8

Budget Summary…………………………9-10

Secondary Research…………………..11-22

Primary Research……………………...23-33

Summary of Key Findings…………….34-35

Target Audience………………………..36-38

SWOT Analysis…………………….……39-41

Planning Section………………………42-52

Executions……………………………….53-96

Sources of Information……………...97-99

Appendix……………………………….100-106

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Executive Summary

3

Executive Summary
Supernova Inc. has developed a plan to address the client’s goals. The first goal is to create
nationwide support for STEM education and programs. The second goal is to influence students
to pursue aerospace careers.
To achieve the first goal, we propose a month-long campaign renaming April 2012 “Science
Month: Explore Infinite Possibilities,” which is designed to create public awareness and support.
The Coalition needs support and funding from policy makers, parents, and teachers to enhance
STEM performance among students.
We recommend the Coalition make adjustments to its social media approach. Our research
found that the vast majority of students have Facebook accounts. The student presence on Twitter
pales in comparison. To reach students using social media, it is recommended to enhance the
Coalition’s presence on Facebook.
We recommend targeting school administrators in order to emphasize STEM education, and
to help launch “Science Month.” The Coalition should become a member of the STEM Education
Coalition in order to receive the benefits of networking and legislative activity. The Coalition can
receive positive publicity by sending teachers from under-funded schools to STEM education
workshops on a scholarship grant. By enhancing the teacher’s education, the Coalition can
enhance student education. The Coalition should encourage more extracurricular STEM
activities, because research found students spending more time involved with STEM outside of
school are not only more likely to become STEM advocates, but also consider pursuing STEM
careers.
In order to achieve the second goal of influencing students to pursue aerospace careers, we
recommend the Coalition sponsor events at Science Olympiad. Our research found that if students
participated in STEM-related competitions, they were more likely to pursue STEM careers. These
students are also more likely to have a more favorable impression of STEM. The Coalition’s
sponsorship money could influence Science Olympiad to run more space-themed events. The
Coalition could then award scholarship money to event winners. Sponsoring an event can be done
for $5,000, and we recommend investing at least $1,000 in scholarship prizes.
Our research found that 94 percent of survey respondents in middle school and high school
said they had thought about careers. To achieve the second goal of influencing students to pursue
aerospace careers, we recommend creating a committee of high school students, called “Junior
Ambassadors.” This committee will work with the Coalition’s Gen Y Board Members to
communicate with secondary education students about career opportunities. Junior Ambassadors
can also be given access to the Coalition’s Facebook page in order to provide a familiar voice to
the target audience. Junior Ambassadors can also be in charge of any videos, blogs and other
social media, under the moderation of the Gen Y Board and Coalition. The Junior Ambassadors
will also be acting as liaisons with Science Olympiad in order to see the Coalition’s sponsorship
is being communicated with secondary education students online and in the competition’s stages.
Research showed that students felt one-on-one interaction with STEM experts created more
interest in the subject. “Aerospace Career Mentors” can provide a link between students and
STEM experts, and would help put a face on professionals in STEM fields. This will help make
STEM careers seem more personable to prospective students interested in STEM careers.
Supernova Inc. tentatively plans to spend a little over budget, with costs totaling $110,761.75.

4

Situation Analysis

5

Situation Analysis
Client: The Coalition for Space Exploration

“The mission of the Coalition for Space Exploration is to promote the importance of
space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach
activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and
budget resources for NASA and space exploration,” (“About Us,” spacecoalition.com).
The Coalition is an advocacy group campaigning for increased support and policies
of space exploration. Its members include Aerojet, ATK, Boeing, Harris, Honeywell,
Jacobs, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and United Space Alliance. Its contributors
include AGI, Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Paragon, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and
Parametric Technology Corporation. Its partner associations include Citizens for Space
Exploration, National Space Society and the Planetary Society.
Members of the Board of Advisors range from middle school teachers, to former
NASA astronauts and flight directors, to an Academy Award-winning director. Members
and partners of the Coalition employ 689,470 people.

Challenges:

The new 2011 NASA budget request unveiled by the White House on Feb. 1, 2010
cancels NASA’s Constellation program, which included a replacement for the retiring
space shuttle program (“Obama’s budget would scrap NASA’s moon mission,”
www.CSMonitor.com).
Private, non-governmental space exploration initiatives such as the Ansari X Prize
and Google Lunar X Prize have had much success. The former generated a low-cost,
reusable manned spacecraft able to enter space frequently over short periods of time. The
latter is an on-going contest to land a robot on the moon. (www.xprize.org)
Private sector space exploration may have benefits, but according to Lockheed
Martin, “there’s too much risk associated with commercial space flight to make that a
viable alternative to a government program.” Commercial space programs are unregulated,
expensive and often wasteful (www.thenewamerican.com). By scrapping the Constellation
program, and following the retirement of the space shuttle, “NASA would rely on private-
financed rockets built by commercial launch companies, to ferry astronauts and cargo to
and from the International Space Station,” (CSMonitor.com) or perhaps rely on foreign
countries for transportation to the International Space Station.
The Coalition believes the United States is losing its edge in the space industry. It
wants a campaign focused on middle school students interested in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM), in order to motivate these students to graduate college with
a STEM-related degree, and enter jobs in the American space industry.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has looked at public school
STEM teacher’s backgrounds and found that nearly four out of ten 7-12th grade math
teachers do not have a college major in the subject they teach (www.scienceprogress.org).

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About one-third of the fourth-graders and one-fifth of eighth-graders cannot perform basic
mathematical computations (National Center for Education Statistics).
Young American student interest in science and technology has eroded over time.
In 1960, one out of every six (17 percent) U.S. bachelor or graduate degrees was awarded
in engineering, mathematics or the physical sciences. By 2001, that number had dropped to
less than one in 10 (just 8 percent) of all degrees awarded in the U.S (National Science
Foundation. Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004).

Environment:

The Coalition for Space Exploration operates with a yearly budget of less than $1
million.
While the Obama administration has ended the Constellation program, “The
President’s Budget invests an additional $6 billion in NASA over the next five years – an
overall $100 billion commitment to the agency,” (The Federal Budget, Fiscal Year 2011,
NASA, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/factsheet_department_nasa/).

The new federal budget’s investment in new science, innovation and jobs includes:

• “1.2 billion for transformative research in exploration technology that will
involve NASA, private industry, and academia, sparking spin-off
technologies and potentially entire new industries.”

• “150 million to accelerate the development of new satellites for Earth
Science priorities.”

• “170 million to develop and fly a replacement of the Orbiting Carbon
Observatory, a mission to identify global carbon sources and sinks that
was lost when its launch vehicle failed in 2009.”

• “500 million to contract with industry to provide an astronaut
transportation to the ISS, reducing the sole reliance on foreign crew
transports and catalyzing new businesses and significant new jobs,”
(“Invest in New Science, Innovation, and Jobs,”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/factsheet_department_nasa/).

In addition, the new federal budget calls for NASA to “Increase annually the
percentage of NASA higher education program student participants employed by NASA,
aerospace contractors, universities, and other educational institutions,” (whitehouse.gov).
The Gallup Organization polled 1,1018 national adults aged 18 and older about
space on June 10-12, 2009. Of those polled, 67 percent said they were “very interested,” or
“somewhat interested,” in space. Attitudes toward NASA were 58 percent “excellent,” or
“good.” The benefits justified the cost of space exploration for 58 percent of those polled,
and 60 percent said they would maintain or increase the federal space budget.

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President Obama launched the “Educate to Innovate,” program on Nov. 23, 2009, to
improve the participation and performance of American students in STEM education
(whitehouse.gov).

Why it is necessary to take action at this time:

Fifteen of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2014 require significant
mathematics or science education to realistically compete for a job (Bureau of Labor and
Statistics, Fastest growing occupations, 2004-14, http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab21.htm)
STEM education is necessary to create “life sciences and biotech, clean energy, and
green jobs,” (Tim Murray, Lt. Gov. of Massachusetts in Converge Magazine).
Our country’s industrialized economy depends on products and innovation, which
rely heavily on knowledge in math, science and engineering. (www.stemedcaucus.org)
American students need to improve STEM test scores and enter the space industry
to assuage fears that the U.S. has lost its edge in the space industry to nations such as China
– a nation with plans to land on the moon before the U.S. can return – and Russia – a nation
NASA would rely on for transportation to the International Space Station after the space
shuttle is retired.
NASA and private industry needs young, qualified employees entering the
workforce from America’s colleges and universities to meet the competitive challenges of
space exploration in the 21st century, and to achieve the high-priority performances goals
laid out in President Obama’s federal budget.

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Budget Summary
Science Month Web site $1,500.00
Obama’s proclamation & media kit 5,000.00
Create network of partner associations 165.00
Logo contest 500.00
Create parent page for Science Month 1,000.00
Sending bumper stickers to parents 6,000.00
Planetarium and science museum month 1,600.00
Producing online videos 7,000.00
Science Month promotion at AASA 10,000.00
Space/science education activities packet 6,000.00
Sending teachers to space workshop 7,500.00
3-month magazine ad 15,750.00
Career center website on Coalition’s site 1,000.00
Space Career Mentors 1,500.00
Space Career Mentors posters 2,047.50
Junior Ambassador’s Committee 10,000.00
Science Olympiad liaison 1,000.00
Junior Ambassador’s access to social media 19.25
Produce videos, blogs, podcasts and Facebook status updates 2,000.00
Sponsor Science Olympiad Nationals 6,000.00
Host Science Olympiad Nationals 20,000.00
Press release with Science Olympiad 180.00
Coalition member to speak at Nationals 5,000.00
Budget total $110,761.75

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Secondary Research

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Secondary Research

Client

The beginnings of the Coalition for Space Exploration start with the creation of
NASA in 1958 as a government agency in charge of the nation’s civilian space program. In
1983, industry leaders in the space field developed the non-profit, non-partisan U.S. Space
Foundation "to foster, develop and promote, among the citizens of the United States of
America... a greater understanding and awareness ... of the practical and theoretical
utilization of space ... for the benefit of civilization" (spacefoundation.org).
The Space Foundation, among other things, created the Space Technology Hall of
Fame, honoring scientists and engineers responsible for new technologies developed in
space (spacetechhalloffame.org). The Foundation, comprised of nearly 100 corporate
supporters, also runs The Space Certification Program, which allows products using space
technology to use the NASA logo, such as Tempur-Pedic (spaceconnection.org) and
annually publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity.
In 2004, the Foundation wanted to support President Bush’s Vision for Space
Exploration. Thus, the Coalition for Space Exploration was created “under the umbrella of
the U.S. Space Foundation” (Covault 57). About half of the Foundation’s corporate
members also became member companies of the Coalition along with many partner
associations. The Coalition has since advocated for continued government funding for
space exploration.
Recent news of President Obama’s proposed budget has had an impact on the space
community. The 2011 budget ends NASA’s Constellation program and outsources low-
Earth orbit travel to commercial firms (Achenbach). The federal budget still increases
NASA’s budget by $6 billion over five years. The budget shift is possibly a result of the
unrealistic nature of the Constellation program succeeding. Former Lockheed executive
Norman Augustine admits that Constellation would have “little chance of ever having a
‘useful role,’” (Achenbach).

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The Coalition for Space Exploration has eight major member companies, including
Lockheed, Honeywell, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Each of the major companies
supports its local community through educational support. The key here is local
community. Aerojet, for example, funds the Sacramento Challenger Learning Center where
kids learn through hands-on activities (Aerojet.com). Aerojet does not assist funding for the
network of 44 other Centers (Challenger.org). The Harris Foundation, as well, reaches out
to students aspiring to pursue STEM-related careers but only offers scholarships and grants
to local schools. Lockheed has a program called “Engineers in the Classroom,” where
practicing engineers assist teachers in supplementing curriculum with hands-on lessons.
However, this program is only for schools located near its facilities (Adams).

The Coalition and Social Media
The Coalition’s Web site conveniently provides access to educational materials and
curricula offered by NASA and member companies on a page titled, “education station.”
There is also a well-defined “Kids Space,” with links to many space-themed online games.
Even so, navigating the Web site to find these resourceful materials is difficult. The Web
site has no ads and yet continues to use Web-banner type links for routing. One helpful
page listing links to space-related contests is only discoverable by finding the Education
Station and clicking two images which both look like advertisements. Several links are
repeats or dead, a heavy emphasis is placed on NASA Web sites and resources, there’s no
information on scholarships or grants offered by member organizations and the site map
does not function (SpaceCoalition.org).
The Coalition has a Twitter account with four tweets per day on average, each of
which provide links to articles of interest to space exploration (Twitter.com). With 857
followers, the profile doesn’t measure up to the most influential Twitter profiles with 1.2
million followers (Twitalyzer.com). The profile in the past five days was uniquely
retweeted only four times. The Coalition doesn’t need to use Twitalyzer to determine its
Twittering has much to improve. At this point, the frequent tweets waste time and energy
for the measurable outcomes.

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The Coalition’s Facebook fan page similarly lacks much accomplishment and
influence. There are many posts linking to online, space-related articles, about three per
day. Unfortunately, there has been almost no interaction with fans, only nine fan posts by
three of their 395 fans – a small number compared to NASA’s 35,000 (Facebook.com). The
number one reason for creating a fan page is to engage your audience with your brand and
message (Farr). No one is engaged, and there is little traffic flow.
Finally, the Coalition attempted to develop its own social network using Ning,
launched in 2005. The site has 127 users, and most of whom have not uploaded a profile
picture. With two groups, 12 total blog posts, one listed event and two discussion forums;
one might simply skip this site. However, the Ning page has a generous archive of 65
photos and 81 videos in comparison to its Facebook counterpart. This site has done a better
job attempting to engage its members. However, traffic is still noticeably low. “The reality
of Ning is that it’s lost whatever coolness it had, no one uses it and Ning is going to have a
very hard time getting people’s attention” (Arrington).
Even with the plethora of videos, photos and blogs, emerging analysts and experts
of the recent social media phenomenon recommend businesses and organizations do more.
In the age of Web 2.0 “Placing the video is not enough… you have to do ‘PR’… tagging,
linking and having others point to it and republish it to spark the viral potential of your
content” (Solis). The one thing the Coalition’s Facebook Fan page lacks is participation in
others’ work, especially that of middle and high school students. One of the top 10 things
Solis mentions in his text, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media
is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR, is to “Listen. Learn. Respect.” A successful
Facebook page engages with others and humanizes the process of messaging by
conversing. “Once properly guide [younger generations] have an advantage for joining and
leading more strategic communications online [for your brand]” (Soils).

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Audience
The client has stressed the importance of reaching middle and high school students
to discover how to make science “cool,” and encourage them to pursue degrees in STEM
education.
The U.S. is experiencing a declining student interest in STEM majors. The well-
known college admission and placement exam company ACT, Inc., has documented this
decline. The ACT includes an interest inventory, or UNIACT, with its college admission
tests. The UNIACT asks questions about a student’s basic interests, and that information is
used to compile a report suggesting career options and majors for the student. Interest
inventory data found that the percentage of ACT-tested students who said they were
interested in majoring in engineering has dropped steadily from 7.6 percent to 4.9 percent
over the past 10 years (ACT, Inc. 1).
Several studies have investigated methods of increasing general science interest.
One survey measured the relationship between the types of resources used in classrooms
and students’ interest in science careers. Resources were analyzed based on their
“sociableness” and “webnicity.” Highly sociable resources provide information through
interactions with people, such as guest speakers and experts. Resources low in sociableness
include books, posters and models. Resources high in webnicity, such as the Internet, have
fluid connections to supporting information. Resources low in webnicity have limited
access to supporting information, are not easily accessible and often require students to
leave the classroom to find additional information. Low webnicity resources can include
books, posters and computers without Internet. More than 600 middle school students rated
their interest in pursuing a science career. Their interest levels were then compared to their
respective classroom’s sociableness and webnicity resource levels. In general, students in
the classrooms with more social and web resources reported higher interest levels of
science career interest (Koszalka).
It should also be noted that guest lecturers and other human resources were
significant predictors of high science career interest for both boys and girls. However,
while increased use of Web resources correlated with increased science interest in girls,
Web resources had little effect on boys (Koszalka).

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Large percentages of “tweens” – an age group ranging from 10-14 in this study by
Stuart Larkins – said that they spent at least an hour per day online and nearly half go
online more than three times a day for at least half an hour each time. This age group also
has a high representation on MySpace and other social networking sites, and uses Google
for its search engine. Forty percent of respondents said they use search to further learn
about a product or service after seeing an ad. Through this study it is clear that in order to
gain attention from this population the Internet would be a smart place to go whether it be
on social networking sites, Google advertisements, or other aspects of online media
(Larkins).
One study evaluated the long-term impact of a high school summer science
program on students’ interest and perceived abilities in science. The University of
Rochester’s Life Sciences Learning Center has offered a Summer Science Academy (SSA)
for high school students since 1996. The SSA lasts two to four weeks each summer and
offers guided and independent lab projects, bioethics discussions, a biocomputing course,
scientist seminars and field trips. Of the 96 former SSA participants who were surveyed, 80
percent of them said attending the SSA contributed to their interest in a science career.
Students also commented that their experiences at the academy motivated them to excel in
their science classes at school, led to an increased confidence in their scientific abilities,
and had a positive influence on their attitudes toward science (Markowitz).
Another study examines the link between a high school academic competition and
the participants’ career choices and lifelong commitment to science. The National
Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a “quiz bowl” type of competition for high ability
secondary students. Of the 303 previous participants surveyed, 41 percent agreed or
strongly agreed that NOSB participation influenced their career choice. Also, 48 percent
agreed or strongly agreed that ocean or science-related hobbies influenced the selection of
their career or college majors. The strongest influence on career selection was students’
perceptions of their own abilities (Bishop and Walters).
A large proportion (87 percent) of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that
participating in the competition encouraged an overall interest in science. Even participants
who did not pursue a major or career in a STEM area said they are still highly concerned

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about environmental and ocean issues. The competition gave them a positive lasting
impression of science in general (Bishop and Walters).
More than 300 high school students who participated in the National Ocean
Sciences Bowl were surveyed about their experiences in the competition. When these
students were asked a question regarding career rewards, they strongly indicated a desire to
make a difference in the community or world. They value service to humankind in general
and social good (Bishop and Walters).
Youth engagement has become a large push in the educational community.
Anderson Wiliams, co-author of The Core Principles for Engaging Young People in
Community Change, encourages educators and non-profits to give youth the opportunity to
lead and serve as a way of learning. This also works well for organizations to us as
resources now. In other words, putting youth on a board of directors, as the Coalition has
done, is a great start but activating those youth to carry out initiatives and represent the
Coalition is the next inevitable step. Williams does not believe ‘youth are the future.’ He
asks the question, “With effective, ethical leadership and a breadth of transferable
leadership skills fundamental to healthy individual development and critical for positive
economic, social and cultural development, why would we wait to cultivate or to engage
our youth and defer their leadership to some nebulous future?” (Williams).

Challenges

One of the problems the client currently faces is the cancellation of NASA’s
Constellation program. Transportation to and from the International Space Station will be
out of the federal government’s hands. American astronauts will have to rely on private
industry or foreign space programs. Ending Constellation also results in an end to the
space shuttle fleet, without an immediate replacement vehicle.
Another problem are low math and science test scores posted by American students
in comparison to international students, particularly Asians. Results of the Trends in

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International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2008 showed that American
students have not improved since the first testing in 1995 (washingtonpost.com).
America’s industrialized economy depends on products and innovation, which rely
heavily on knowledge in math, science and engineering (www.stemedcaucus.org). This is
equally true of the global economy. These test scores raise concerns that American
students are not being educated and prepared to compete in the global economy.

Opportunities
Canceling NASA’s Constellation program also presents an opportunity. As
mentioned in the client research, the new federal budget actually increases NASA’s budget
by $6 billion over five years, and allows private industries to compete for the chance to
create a deep-space transport. This may give NASA a chance to refocus its goals for the
future.
Federal programs are already addressing the problems created by American
students underperforming in STEM disciplines. President Barack Obama spoke to
American students in September at the White House’s Back to School Event, and said,
“We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can
help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re
not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country,” (whitehouse.gov). Among
the difficult problems facing America in the 21st century are STEM-related issues – such as
developing clean sources of energy and developing cures for cancer.
The White House held an Astronomy Night on Oct. 7, 2009 for students who had
made astronomical discoveries. In the future, the White House plans to begin hosting an
annual science fair showcasing the student winners of national science, technology, and
robotics competitions.
When announcing the Educate to Innovate program Nov. 23, 2009, President
Obama said, “We’re going to show young people how cool science can be.” To show its
commitment, the White House made $4.35 billion in federal grants available to schools that
can innovate in STEM disciplines. The three goals of Educate to Innovate are to increase

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STEM literacy among all students to improve critical thinking in STEM disciplines,
improve the quality of math and science teaching to keep American students competitive
with international students, and expanding STEM education and career opportunities to
underrepresented groups. The grant program is titled, “Race to the Top,” and it is bolstered
by an additional $260 million commitment from the private sector. Race to the Top funds
will be given to states that can, among other criteria, raise standards of student
achievement, increase teacher effectiveness, and “make it possible for STEM professionals
to bring their experience and enthusiasm into the classroom,” (whitehouse.gov).
John Holdren, science advisor to President Obama, hopes Educate to Innovate and
Race to the Top will help inspire kids in the classroom as well as at home, in part by
showcasing careers that are available in STEM.

The original five public-private partnerships announced include:
• Time Warner Cable’s “Connect a Million Minds” campaign, in
partnership with FIRST Robotics and the Coalition for Space After
School, which will attempt to connect more than one million students with
after-school STEM activities that already exist in their area.
• Discovery Communications’ “Be the Future” campaign, which will air
content over Discovery’s 13 U.S. networks, and will create STEM
Connect – a national education resource for teachers.
• “Sesame Street’s Early STEM Literacy Initiative,” which will commit
20 new episodes to focus on STEM, 13 on science and seven on math.
• “National Lab Day,” a partnership between science and engineering
industries and foundations, which will attempt to upgrade science labs,
support project-based learning, and build communities for STEM teachers.
• National STEM game design national competitions to design STEM-
related video games, one of which will be open only to children
(whitehouse.gov)

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President Obama announced an expansion of the Educate to Innovate campaign on
Jan. 6, 2010. The expansion includes an additional $250 million in five new public-private
investments, a commitment to training more than 10,000 new and more than 100,000
existing teachers, and NASA’s official initiative in cooperation with the campaign
(whitehouse.gov).

The five new public-private partnerships:
• “Intel’s Science and Math Teachers Initiative,” a ten-year, $200 million
campaign to provide training to more than 100,000 science and math
teachers over the next three years at no cost to the teachers.
• “Expansion of the National Math and Science Initiative’s UTeach
Program” – to prepare more than 4,500 STEM undergraduates to be new
math and science teachers by 2015, and 7,000 new teachers by 2018.
• A campaign led by the presidents of more than 75 public universities
committing to Train 10,000 Math and Science Teachers Annually by
2015.
• “The PBS Innovative Educators Challenge,” with an annual
“Innovative Educators Challenge,” highlighting 50 teachers and creating a
platform to spread effective methods and practices.
• “Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships in Math and Science,” which
plans to provide future math and science teachers with a Master’s degree
in education, and employ them in difficult-to-staff middle and high
schools in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio (whitehouse.gov).

In cooperation with Educate to Innovate, NASA announced a “Summer of
Innovation” – multi-week learning programs (combining classroom time, camps,
internships, and mentoring) in summer 2010 with middle school students and teachers in
STEM education. “The Summer of Innovation pilot will infuse NASA content and products
into existing, evidence-based summer learning programs at the state level coupled with
design competitions and events open to students and teachers nationwide. The program will

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culminate in a national event, in partnership with other departments and agencies,”
(nasa.gov).
In addition to the Summer of Innovation, NASA sponsors many other competitions
and programs, which can be found on its Web site. One such organization is the After
School Astronomy Clubs (ASAC), which is sponsored by NASA, and it allows schools
across the nation to register as an official after-school club. The after-school club is for
grades K-12 and registration is an online procedure.
Planetary Scientist Louis A. Mayo believes that the reason young students haven’t
taken a strong interest in sciences, especially astronomy, isn’t because of a mere lack of
interest, but simply because the science of astronomy gets paid little or no attention to in
school. Space science is buried within Earth Science curriculum and is often taught by
teachers who have had no training in that field.
To change what he thought schools were lacking, Mayo decided to start his own
after-school astronomy club. Community involvement and training are key factors in this
procedure. Contacting local professional and amateur astronomers to talk to students and
the club could inspire them to become further involved in sciences and more specifically,
space sciences. Reaching out to boy and girl scouts is also an effective way to inspire these
students. By getting local businesses to do volunteer work activities and philanthropy, this
could further the after-school system for a science club.
If a particular school is uncertain or is lacking information in terms of starting an
after-school science club, Mayo went as far as writing up a 16-page handbook on how to
run an after-school astronomy club. The guidebook touches on working with the school,
designing the club, teacher involvement, parent involvement, community involvement and
direct observation.
As for the students themselves, Mayo recommends hands-on activities to get the
students engaged. He says, “Children (and adults for that matter) learn best when they are
allowed to participate actively in the process of discovery and evaluation.” Hands-on
activities promote better memory retention within the classroom than traditional teaching
methods (astrosociety.org).

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The NASA Ames Research Center has developed an excellent Web site full of
resources and fact sheets of NASA career opportunities in a variety of fields such as
physics, engineering and biology (Day). The information is not organized in a database nor
does it offer a way to identify careers that match users’ interests. It does offer a short
biography and tips from real-life NASA employees.
Finally, an excellent nationwide competition allows organizations and businesses to
sponsor events. Science Olympiad is a K-12 team competition that requires knowledge of
science and engineering ingenuity. Every May, Science Olympiad hosts a national
tournament for its middle and high school divisions with various events. Organizations can
donate $5,000 to sponsor a single event at the National Science Olympiad Tournament.
Other donations are used to provide scholarships for winners.

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Primary Research

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Primary Research

Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center Survey
This survey was conducted March 3-13, 2010, under the auspices of the Kansas
Cosmosphere and Space Center (KCSC). Students enrolled in JOUR 676 Strategic
Communication Campaigns at the University of Kansas generated questions for the survey
on behalf of its class client, the Coalition for Space Exploration. KCSC e-mailed a link to
an online survey to 1,242 former Space Camp participants. Two hundred seventy-nine e-
mail accounts were invalid and 411 of e-mails were opened. Twenty-eight students and one
professor from JOUR 676 were also invited to participate. The survey response rate was
just over 10 percent.

The questions on the survey related to the students’ interests, mainly highlighting their
inspirations, influences, school subjects and their knowledge and curiosity of space.
Because the results come from KCSC, there is little surprise that 77.2 percent like math and
92.1 percent like science. Also of little surprise, 92.7 percent of the participants showed
interest in space exploration (53.3 percent responded, “Strongly agree,” and 39.4 percent
“Agree.”), and 96 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the
statement, “I admire astronauts,” (59.8 percent “Strongly agree,” 36.2 percent “Agree.”).

The middle and high school demographic is thought to value cliques and being popular. We
believed students would be highly influenced by their peers regarding what’s “cool” and
what isn’t. Also, children are often depicted as rebellious and resistant to parental
influence. However, according to the KCSC survey, only 40.9 percent claimed their friends
influenced their interest in school while 81 percent said their parents are a large influence
in their school participation.

Survey participants were asked to rank a list of media using “1” to represent the medium
they use the most, “2” the second-most, etc. Each medium’s total score was averaged. A
low average represents a frequently-used medium. This is counterintuitive, but a low

24

average score means that medium received more number 1 and 2 rankings. “Computer
(Internet use)” received a 1.47 average response rate, and television ranked a distant second
with an average of 3.02. The preferred medium of these survey participants is by far
“Computer with Internet use.”

Of the 95 percent of students with parents in a STEM career, 78 percent said they like math
and 98.7 percent said they like science. These results seem to indicate that children with
parents who work in a STEM field are more likely to enjoy math and science. That could
be extrapolated even further to hypothesize that these same children are more likely to
pursue STEM careers themselves. Though these results seem promising for a potential
boost in STEM careers, they also only reflect the thoughts and opinions of students who
visited the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.

Focus Group
On March 4, 2010, two members of Supernova Inc. traveled to Leawood Middle School in
Leawood, Kan., to conduct a focus group. It was organized with the full cooperation of
Marcia Eaton, a paraprofessional at the school, who co-moderated the focus group. The
group consisted of eight students from 6th to 8th grade who were Science Olympiad
participants. Science Olympiad is an annual K-12 standards-based science competition,
comprised of school-based teams of up to 15 students competing in more than 240 regional
and state tournaments, culminating in the Science Olympiad National Tournament. Among
other things, Supernova Inc. wanted to find out what makes science, math or technology
interesting to middle school students, what they think about NASA and space, and what
their classes are like.

The students said they think science is “awesome,” because it makes them feel smart and
helps them to discover answers to experiments and questions. They said they feel that math
is a subject that gives you right or wrong answers. When one student said, “Math applies to
everything you do,” another said, “So does science!” These students are possibly more
likely to see the big picture about math and science, because several of them have parents

25

and older siblings who inspired and pushed them to be successful in STEM disciplines.
Several of the students have parents who work in STEM fields.

The students all agreed they like computers. All but one has a mobile phone. One student
observed that they and their peers are “really dependent on technology—maybe over
dependent.”

When asked if they have considered college or careers, some said they hadn’t yet because
they are only in middle school. One student said they are considering architectural
engineering. Another student said it’s their dream to be a forensic scientist like on the TV
show “CSI.” One student is thinking about being a veterinarian, and another is considering
designing video games.

When asked about Science Olympiad, the students were all very enthusiastic about the
competition. The students were also excited about being able to learn with their friends,
and having the opportunity to hang out and travel with their friends to these competitions.

When asked about space exploration and NASA, the students showed knowledge of recent
developments in the federal budget. One didn’t understand why Obama would cut the
shuttle program, but another one saw it as an unnecessary expense at this point with the
economy. There was a general consensus that space exploration is important, to discover
and learn things from outside Earth, but that maybe it could take a backseat for now with
some of the problems here. The student who had earlier considered a profession in video
game designing admitted an interest in becoming an astronaut.

The discussion switched gears into lively dialogue about the students’ science classes. The
group complained about science classes being too boring because of repetitive review, the
slow pace, teachers not going in-depth with the subject–possibly because of a lack of
knowledge, and a certain teacher being a hard grader which makes other students not enjoy
the subject. Some of the students said they learned more by reading the book themselves,

26

going in-depth and at their own advanced pace. It seems the students dislike busy work and
waiting for the entire class to be ready before they move on. They agreed that “any hands-
on lab is awesome,” except when the teacher doesn’t trust students to do the experiment.

The focus group concluded after the students were asked to use only one word each to
describe science, math and technology. Their responses for science included “pwns,” “fun,”
“mysterious,” “interesting,” “question-answering,” and “experimental” (pwn: Internet slang
derived from the verb, “own,” possibly developed as a common typo, meaning victory or
triumph over an opponent. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwn). Their math
responses included “fun,” “straightforward,” “interconnected,” “interesting,” “awesome,”
and “hardcore.” Responses for technology included “innovative,” “complicated,”
“dependable,” “newfangled,” “evergrowing,” “sleek,” and “helpful.” Supernova Inc. took
these one-word responses from the focus group to help form a question on a survey
developed for middle and high school students.

Supernova Inc. Survey
Group members of Supernova Inc. developed and distributed a survey to middle school
students attending Pleasant Ridge Middle School in Overland Park, Kan., South Junior
High in Lawrence, Kan., and high school students attending Blue Springs High School in
Blue Springs, Mo. This survey was similar to the KCSC survey. We received responses
from 53 middle school students and 83 high school students. Among other things,
information sought by the survey included reasons that a class or subject is interesting, if
students had thought about a career, feelings about math or science competitions, and
media use.

The first section of the survey asked students to respond to statements by selecting their
level of agreement. Possible responses ranged from “strongly disagree,” which earned a
score of “1,” to “strongly agree,” which scored a “5.” Each question’s scores were
averaged. Higher average indicated students often agreed or strongly agreed with the
statement, while lower average indicated students mostly disagreed. Results found that 113

27

out of 136 (83 percent) participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “If my
teacher is excited or engaged, I am more interested in the class or subject,” and it scored an
average of 4.23 out of a possible five.

The second section asked participants to select what makes a class or subject interesting
from a given list of options. The most often selected choices were hands-on experiments
(115 of 136, 85 percent), in-class discussions (97 of 136, 71 percent), videos (95 of 136, 70
percent), the use of technology in class (94 of 136, 69 percent) and field trips (91 of 136, 67
percent). Perhaps the most surprising result is the high percentage “in-class discussions”
received. This may be related to the fact that students said they respond well to an exciting
and engaging teacher.

The survey found that 94 percent (128 of 136) of participants said they had thought about a
career already, as highlighted in figure 1. When discussing career options, 88 percent (120
people) had spoken to parents or guardians, 85 percent (115 people) had spoken to friends,
46 percent (62 people) had spoken to teachers, and only 38 percent (52 people) had talked
with guidance counselors about careers. Figure 2 presents a visual interpretation of these
results. It appears students are reaching out to parents and friends more often than guidance
counselors or teachers for career advice.

Three survey questions measured who most influences students’ interests in school.
Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the statement, “My parents
have influenced my interest in school.” Similar questions were asked regarding teachers
and friends. Each question’s “agree” and “strongly agree” responses were combined to
determine the percentage of students who agreed with the statement. From the three groups
of people we asked about, parents influence students the most (76 percent agreed or
strongly agreed), teachers influence students second most (66 percent agreed or strongly
agreed) and friends influence students the least (52 percent agreed or strongly agreed).
Figure 3 illustrates these results. Teachers may be underutilized resources for steering

28

students toward STEM careers because of their powerful influence on students’ interests in
school.

Participants were also asked, “When you think of science, what three words come to
mind?” From a list of ten words (Cool, Straightforward, Uninteresting, Exciting, Boring,
Interesting, Nerdy, Awesome, Mysterious, Difficult) the most selected response was
“Interesting,” (94 of 136, 69 percent). Only 21 of 136 (15 percent) selected
“Uninteresting.” Participants were also asked to choose three words to describe math, and
“Straightforward,” was the most selected response (72 of 136, 53 percent). The gap
between “Interesting,” and “Uninteresting,” was also close, with 53 (39 percent) and 39
responses (29 percent), respectively.

Results concerning social media use found that 76 percent (103 of 136) of participants
belong to or use Facebook, and 74 percent (100 people) belong to or use YouTube. Only 10
percent (14 of 136) of participants belong to or use Twitter. These results are presented in
figure 4.

Supernova Inc. survey data from high school and middle school students

Figure 1 “Have you thought about a career?”

No - 5% Unanswered-‐
1%

Unanswered - 1% Yes - 94%

29

Figure 2 “I have discussed career options with…”
Percent “Yes”

Parents/ Friends Teachers Guidance
Guardians Counselors

Supernova Inc. survey data from high school and middle school students (continued)

Figure 3 “These people influence my interest in school…”
Percent of students who agreed and
strongly agreed

Parents Teachers Friends

30

Figure 4
“I belong to/use these social media sites:”
who use this form of social media
Number of students (out of 136)

Facebook YouTube Myspace Other Twitter Blogs

Spahr Library Survey
This survey was conducted at 1:00 p.m. on March 10 at the Spahr Engineering Library on
the University of Kansas campus. Free pizza was available for those who participated in the
survey. Thirty-six students responded, 21 males and 15 females, and the average age was
22.

Thirteen of the survey’s 29 questions asked participants to respond to statement by
selecting their level of agreement ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
Similar to the previous two surveys, “1” denoted a “Strongly disagree” answer, and “5”
denoted “Strongly agree.”

There were several interesting results. Responses to the statement “In high school, I believe
my friends influenced my interest in school,” averaged 2.6, indicating general
disagreement. The people surveyed did not feel that friends had much influence on their

31

interest in school. However, responses to the statement “My teachers have influenced my
interest in school,” averaged 4.08, indicating general agreement. These opinions are
strengthened by responses to two related statements. The first such statement, “In high
school, I believe my friends were interested in math, science or space exploration,” results
in a 2.94 average, leaning more toward the ‘disagree’ side of ‘no opinion.’ Responses to
the second related statement, “If my teacher is excited and engaged, I am more interested in
the class or subject,” resulted in a 4.72 average, on the stronger side of ‘Agree.’

Only 42 percent of respondents cited a guidance counselor as someone they spoke to about
career options, while 92 percent spoke to parents and approximately 70 percent spoke to
friends or teachers. In retrospect, whether accurate or not, most college students do not
recall their guidance counselor helping them decide on a career. Perhaps little, if any, effort
should be spent reaching out to this intervening public in our plan, because they hardly
affect the target audience.

The survey asked participants to “Describe your favorite high school teacher and why
he/she is your favorite.” The responses include reasons such as the teacher’s engagement
with the class and material, the teacher’s enthusiasm and excitement, caring for students’
ability to learn, conducting hands-on demonstrations and experiments, being a personable
teacher with a sense of humor, and having a broad knowledge of curriculum. An
overwhelming number, 78 percent, agreed hands-on experiments made a class more
interesting.

The survey also asked its participants to “Describe your least favorite high school teacher
and why he/she is your least favorite.” Responses include boring teachers, not going in-
depth with material, not having interest in the students, not promoting discussions, being
unknowledgeable, being unnecessarily strict, not being relatable, and being unmotivated.

In response to the question, “Have your career interests changed since high school?” 20
respondents said yes, and 16 said no. When the participants were polled to consider when

32

they learned they had an interest in the STEM disciplines, nine said elementary school, 13
said middle school, 10 said high school, and two said college. While the client's assumption
that STEM-based careers are chosen during middle school matched our results, nearly 60
percent stated they learned they had an interest in the STEM fields during high school or
elementary school. This suggests that while most students realized they enjoy STEM
disciplines specifically in middle school, a majority of students would be left out if we only
focused on middle school.

Participants responded to three statements about space and one about the current space
exploration budget. Responses to the statement, “Space exploration is important,” resulted
in a 3.69 average, or mostly leaning toward “no opinion.” The statement, “I admire
astronauts,” returned a 3.77 average, again hovering around “no opinion.” Responses to, “I
follow new information about NASA and space exploration,” resulted in 3.14, the closest
average to “no opinion,” returned regarding the space statements. Participants were asked,
“How much government funding should be spent on further space exploration in
comparison to the current budget?” For spreadsheet scores on this rating, “1” means
“Significantly more,” “2” means “More,” “3” is “Same,” “4” is “Less,” and “5” is
“Significantly less.” There is also a “Don’t know,” option. Three responded, “Don’t
know,” but the average score is 3.09. This data shows that this group of participants feels
fairly apathetic about NASA and space travel, but favorably leaning slightly toward finding
it important. This is important because it shows there is still hope. For the most part, they
don’t have strong opinions about space exploration, which would make it easier for us to
help them form one.

33

Summary of Key
Findings

34

Summary of Key Findings

Supernova Inc. conducted primary and secondary research to learn more about middle
and high school students. Our primary research regarding who influenced their interest in
school was surprising. We found mostly teachers, then parents and finally friends influence
students. Perhaps teachers should be more involved in discussing career opportunities with
interested students because of their powerful influence. Students also strongly indicated that
if their teachers are excited and engaged, they themselves are more likely to be interested in
the class or subject. Teachers should be aware that the manner in which the material is
presented affects the students’ interest level. If the teachers are excited, then the students will
be excited.
When students were asked to select activities that made a class or subject interesting
the overwhelming favorite were hands-on experiments. Students who participate in science-
based competitions are more likely to pursue STEM careers. Students who participate in
those competitions and didn’t pursue STEM careers are still advocates for STEM progress.
Four other top choices were in-class discussions, videos, technology and field trips.
Secondary research found that, in general, students in classrooms with more guest
speakers and Web resources reported higher science interest levels. Primary research found
that among students, the most frequently used medium is a computer with Internet access.
Because students already enjoy using the Internet, utilizing Web resources in the classroom
can potentially increase academic interest, and therefore achievement. More than three out of
four students surveyed use Facebook, about the same number use YouTube, but only one out
of 10 use Twitter. The low Twitter usage by students means that there could be less emphasis
on this form of social media.
The White House has committed more than $4.5 billion to improve STEM
performance and innovation in schools. The three goals of Educate to Innovate are to
improve critical thinking in STEM disciplines, improve the quality of math and science
teaching, and expanding STEM career opportunities. This provides a platform for the
Coalition to take advantage of funding and partnership opportunities.

35

Key Publics
Secondary Education (Middle School and High School) Students: These students
are entering an age when interests of study begin to shape. This campaign is
attempting to influence middle school students to be interested in STEM disciplines,
and eventually pursue space-related careers. This would inform students of
potentially high-paying and rewarding career opportunities students might not be
aware of. The key message in targeting this public is to encourage the importance of
STEM education as well as stimulate interest in STEM education.

College Students: This group is preparing to graduate and enter the workforce.
There are concerns that industries other than aerospace will recruit highly qualified
graduates, resulting in a dwindling pool of qualified graduates to enter the aerospace
industry. Ultimately, this public’s stake is similar to the secondary education
students’ public, in that they are seeking high-paying and rewarding careers. The key
message in targeting this public is to convince college-aged students to pursue STEM
related careers within the NASA field as opposed to the “hip” corporations, i.e.,
Google.

Teachers: Our research found that teachers are capable of greatly influencing their
students’ interest level in the subject they teach. Teachers should encourage students
to participate and be enthusiastic about STEM, and they should provide guidance to
highly interested students. Students are likely to enjoy a class more if the teacher is
engaged and helpful. The key message in targeting this public is to convince teachers
to encourage interest in STEM education and be enthusiastic about teaching students
about aerospace education.

Parents: This public will encourage their kids to have an early interest in STEM
disciplines, therefore influencing those students to consider pursuing a STEM career.
Parents want their children to be successful and enjoy what they do. The key message
in targeting parents is to allow parents to push their children into STEM education
and STEM related careers.

College Career Center Advisors: Advisors need to know what the aerospace
industry can provide to college students. They need to be able to connect students
with professionals in the industry, and provide career opportunities. The key message
in targeting college career center advisors is to guide students towards professional
careers and possible career opportunities hopefully within the STEM related fields.

37

Media: An intervening public used to build public support and interest in a unique
project involving high school students in leadership roles. The news media is always
looking for new stories, and will be kept informed about new events pertaining to
space exploration. Media would provide a positive outlook to the public about
students getting involved in leadership roles and providing news stories about the
efforts students are making to encourage others about STEM education and
opportunities.

School Administrators: This public will be targeted to raise support and awareness
for Science Month: Explore Infinite Possibilities as well as possibly allocate funds
and influence curricula. These school administrators will be seeking re-election, and
supporting education can lead to higher approval ratings. School administrators will
encourage STEM education through curricula provided by the coalition as well as
dedicate one month to science and space related topics.

Strategic Partnerships with Industry Leaders: This public is intended to help with
spreading the word of the campaign, provide financial support, and expertise.
Ambassadors and the industries they represent will benefit from the public exposure
involved with appearances and sponsorships.

Science and Technology Centers: This public is targeted for the purpose of giving
schools reduced rates for field trips and tours during Planetarium and Science
Museum Month. This public will benefit from increased visitation during this month,
and any further publicity as a result of the campaign.

38

SWOT Analysis

A
SWOT
analysis
is
designed
to
identify
the
environment
in
which
an
organization
is

operating.

Doing
so
aids
in
the
development
of
communication
strategies.

For
the

purposes
of
a
SWOT
analysis,
internal
factors
are
those
things
over
which
an

organization
has
some
measure
of
control.

External
factors
are
those
things
over
which

an
organization
has
no
control.

• Strengths
–
Positive,
internal
factors.

A
list
of
the
organization’s
present

strengths,
especially
related
to
issues
confronting
the
organization.

• Weaknesses
–
Negative,
internal
factors.

The
organization’s
present

weaknesses,
especially
related
to
its
competitors.

• Opportunities
–
Positive,
external
factors.

Potential
future
opportunities
related

to
the
present
issues.

• Threats
–
Negative,
external
factors.

Threats
the
organization
must
be
prepared

to
face
in
the
future.

Threats
can
be
anything
that
can
prevent
the
organization

from
reaching
its
goals.

The
SWOT
Analysis
Grid:

Opportunities

• Easier
to
form
an
opinion
in

Strengths
students
than
change
an
opinion

• Exciting
industry
and
jobs
• High
paying
jobs

• World
of
technology,
developing
• Partner
with
rising
countries

• Inspiring
history,
emotional
• Only
half
of
surveyed
college

connection
students
got
a
STEM
specific

• Lots
of
online
content
(blogs,
scholarship,
so
more
scholarships

contest,
etc)
can
be
made
available

• Current
Gallup
Poll
suggests
public
• No
teachers
specifically
trained
in

support
for
NASA
space
education

• Smart
phone

Weakness

• Budget
cuts
Threats

• Social
media
hits/engagement
low
• Dwindling
workforce

• Difficult
STEM
course
work
• Economic
issues

• Higher
engineering
graduates
per
• Budget
cuts

capita
than
other
countries
• Large
countries
changing
out

• No
more
shuttle:
no
concrete,
technical
students

tangible
events
to
occur
• Thinking
locally

• Space
industry
jobs
are
not
top
of
• No
agreement
on
job
market
for

mind
as
possibilities
engineering
graduates

• Lack
of
young
Twitter
audience
• Private
industry
to
NASA

40

The
chart
above
describes
many
current
strengths
of
the
Coalition
for
Space

Exploration
and
the
cultural
environment
of
the
youth
generation.
For
one,
our

primary
research
shows
that
many
students
see
space
as
exciting,
rich
with
history

and
emotion.
Many
of
the
surveyed
students
reinforced
the
assumption
that
young

people
are
technologically
dependent.
One
focus
group
participant
said,
“maybe
too

dependent.”
Of
middle
school
and
high
school
students,
76
percent
had
a
Facebook

account.
Luckily,
the
Coalition
has
much
online
content
and
a
frequently
updated

Facebook
fan
page.

While
positive,
the
Coalition’s
social
media
engagement
is
a
weakness
along
with

the
Web
sites’
hits
and
traffic.
Twitter,
in
our
surveys,
was
hardly
used
at
all
by

students,
only
10
percent.
Another
surprising
weakness
discovered
in
our
research

was
the
lack
of
career
advice
sought
by
high
school
students
from
their
guidance

counselors.
Instead,
parents
should
be
targeted
as
they
are
a
major
influence
on

students,
a
much
more
difficult
audience
to
reach.
Students
cited
difficult
coursework

and
other
career
opportunities
as
discouragements
from
pursuing
STEM
careers.

Without
the
space
shuttle
fleet
or
concrete
event
for
which
to
draw
attention,
the

future
of
PR
for
the
Coalition
will
be
tough.
Compound
that
with
a
rough
economy
and

a
high
number
of
engineering
graduates
per
capita
competing
for
fewer
jobs.

Outside
forces,
such
as
foreign
nations
producing
more
and
more
college

graduates
with
STEM
degree
and
the
private
industry
moving
in
on
space
exploration,

also
pose
a
threat.
Much
focus
right
now
is
on
local
concerns
and
survey
participants

were
split
on
whether
to
focus
more
efforts
at
home
or
in
space.
There
also
seems
to

be
very
little
agreement
on
the
job
market
for
STEM
graduates
–
some
say
it’s
great

and
other
say
it’s
bleak.

Some
of
these
threats,
however,
can
also
be
seen
as
opportunities.
Teaming
up

with
the
private
space
industry
could
also
help
the
Coalition
and
inspire
young
people

to
join
private
companies.
Nearly
half
of
high
school
and
middle
school
students
are

interested
in
a
STEM
career,
but
only
50
percent
of
current
engineer
majors
surveyed

received
a
scholarship
specifically
for
their
major.
This
is
a
major
opportunity
on

which
the
Coalition
could
capitalize.
As
stated
earlier,
parents
have
a
major
influence

on
students’
career
choices.
Teachers,
as
well,
were
cited
as
influencers,
yet
few
are

specifically
trained
in
space
sciences.
These
are
growing
issues
that
the
Educate
to

Innovate
initiative
has
been
addressing.
The
great
news
is
that
there
is
still
time
to

influence
young
people.
Surveyed
participants
were
fairly
neutral
when
asked
about

their
opinions
of
NASA
and
space
exploration.
It’s
easier
to
form
an
opinion
than
to

change
an
opinion.
Young
people
right
now
are
at
a
tipping
point.
The
Coalition
just

needs
to
help
them
out.

41

Planning Section

42

Planning Section
Goal 1- To create nationwide support for STEM education and programs

Objective 1- Declare April 2012 National Science Month

Tactic 1- Design a Web site for this month of awareness

Description: An easy to access Web site complete with explanation of
STEM, its importance, participating partners, list of Month’s events and
information on curriculum

Targeted audience: Media, school administrators, teachers, parents, and
students

Timetable: Launch Site Summer 2010

Cost: $1,500

Tactic 2- Persuade President Obama to proclaim April 2012 Space Month

Description: Announce launch of Web site through dispersion of
media kits, motivation for month of awareness and the planned events.
Also, announce Junior Ambassador Committee (see Goal 2, Objective 2)
members and their integral involvement in the year of awareness. Promote
with intervening audiences such as state education boards, National
Education Administration (NEA) and space blogs.

Targeted audience: Media, education administrators

Timetable: Spring 2011

Cost: $5,000

Tactic 3- Create network of partner associations

Description: Utilize not only Coalition members but also expand network
to many similar advocacy groups through individual executive meetings
and by contacting them through form letters. Potential partner associations
could include the White House, Department of Education, NASA, NEA,
National Lab Day, Universities, Google and other STEM-related
corporations.

43

Targeted audience: Industry leaders, school administrators

Timetable: December 2010- Send letters to associations

Cost: 250 letters at $0.16 per letter at Kinko’s = $40
250 letters with $0.44 per stamp = $110
250 envelopes at Office Depot = $15

Tactic 4- Logo Contest

Description: Launch contest on Facebook to find suitable logo for
Science Month.

Targeted audience: Students

Timetable: Announce contest- Feb. 2011
Promote contest- Aug.- Sept. 2011
Deadline for submission Oct. 31, 2011

Cost: $500 total prize money

Objective 2- Increase awareness of the Science Month: Explore Infinite Possibilities by
involving parents

Tactic 1- Create page for parents on the Science Month

Description: The Parents page will include information about the Month,
how to join the parents group, etc.

Targeted audience: Parents

Timetable: Summer 2010

Cost: $1,000 according to dotlaunch.com

Tactic 2- Send members of the parent group a bumper sticker

Description: Bumper sticker promoting science.

Targeted audience: Parents

Timetable: Winter 2011

Cost: $0.60 per bumper sticker X 10,000 stickers = $6,000

44

Objective 3- Increase extracurricular STEM activities

Tactic 1- Create “how-to” guide for running an after-school science club.

Description: An easy to follow guide with templates and instructions on
how to create and run a science club, including a template letter to
teachers, promotional posters, club projects, and activities. An example of
an after school group would be astronomy club.

Targeted audiences: Middle and high school students and teachers

Timetable: Mail handouts -Summer 2010

Cost: E-mail and available for online download (Free)

Tactic 2- Declare April 2012 “Planetarium and Science Museum Month”

Description: Collaborate with Association of Science-Technology
Centers to create discounts for class trips and tours during Space
Month. Inform administrators at conference and students through
Facebook. Use brochure to promote these activities.

Targeted audiences: Students, administrators, museums and teachers

Timetable: Brochures mailed March/April 2012

Cost: $0.16 per brochure X 10,000 = $1,600

Objective 4- Enhance Social Media sites

Tactic 1- Make Facebook presence more interactive and engaging

Description: Match Facebook updates with comments on students’
profiles

Targeted audiences: Middle and high school students

Timetable: Immediately; Again in 2011 by Junior Ambassadors

Cost: Free

45

Tactic 2- Reprioritize Social Media presence

Description: Focus discussion of STEM on Facebook and less on
Twitter

Targeted audiences: Middle school students

Timetable: Immediately

Cost: Free

Tactic 3- Create Facebook events

Description: Use Facebook to promote contests and competitions.
See Logo Contest, Museum Day, Science Olympiad and after-school
clubs.

Targeted audiences: Middle school students

Timetable: Winter 2011 for AASA Conference
Spring 2011 Science Olympiad Event
Logo Contest August 2011
April 2012- Space Month
May 2012- Science Olympiad

Cost: Free

Tactic 4- Produce monthly online videos

Description: Junior Ambassador Committee will write and produce 3-5
minute videos monthly, upload them to YouTube and post them on
Facebook. Related to Science Month and upcoming events.

Targeted audience: Middle school students

Timetable: Produced monthly during 2011-2012

Cost: $7,000

46

Objective 5- Establish the Space Coalition as an advocate for STEM education

Tactic 1- Join STEM Education Coalition

Description: Join more than 200 organizations in supporting legislation
that supports STEM educations

Targeted audiences: School administrators

Timetable: Immediately

Cost: Free

Tactic 2- Promote Science Month at the American Association of School
Administrators National Conference on Education

Description: Promote John Kao, author of Innovation Nation, as major
spokesman at conference encouraging School Administrators to support
increased space curriculum during 2011-2012 school year.

Targeted audiences: School administrators

Timetable: Feb. 2011

Cost: $10,000

Tactic 3- Provide a packet of possible space science education
activities to AASA Conference

Description: easy to follow activity instructions provided by
NASA

Targeted audiences: Middle school and high school students

Timetable: Feb. 2011

Cost: 10,000 flyers at $0.06 per = $6,000

Tactic 4- Send teachers to space/science education workshops on teaching middle
school and high school students at UC Berkeley Space Science Laboratory

Description: An application process to send middle school and high school
teachers to NASA sponsored workshop on teaching space sciences
specially designed at UC Berkley.

47

Targeted audiences: Middle school and high school teachers


Cost: $1,500 for travel and hotel accommodations per teacher
Send five teachers = $7,500

Tactic 5 – Run a three-month magazine ad promoting space/science education
workshop in teacher and parent magazines

Description: Magazine poster ad will run from January-March 2011, in
advance of the Summer 2011 workshop, providing information on how to
send a teacher to the workshop.

Targeted audiences: Middle and high school teachers

Timetable: January-March 2011

Cost: $5,250 per month for three months = $15,750

Goal 2: To influence students to pursue space-related careers

Objective 1 – To make aerospace-related career information easily accessible, personal
and engaging

Tactic 1 – Create a career center for students on Coalition Web site

Description: Create a searchable database based on students’ interests and
hobbies. Results yield fact sheets on STEM career opportunities, pictures,
contact information for “Space Career Mentors,” career videos, and
information for parents.

Targeted audiences: Middle school and high school students, and parents


Cost: $1,000 (according to estimates at dotlaunch.com)

Tactic 2 – Create “Aerospace Career Mentors”

Description: Professionals of a variety of fields donate their time to
connect with interested students. Mentors create short videos of a typical
work day and STEM studies practical application. Mentors speak directly

48

to students via Facebook pages and organized Webinars with classrooms.
Distribute to college career centers and Facebook.

Targeted Audiences: Middle school, high school and college students,
teachers, college career center advisors


Cost: $1,500 for Web site, according to dotlaunch.com

Tactic 3 – Create Aeropace Career Mentors posters

Description: Create posters featuring the Space Career Mentors. Each
poster will feature one Mentor’s picture, details about their job duties,
pictures of them at work, their education and career paths, their hobbies
and interests and what school “subjects” they use at work. Headline
example: “My name is Bob Smith and I use physics every day.” Allow
teachers to request posters for their classrooms.

Targeted Audiences: Middle and high school students, teachers

Timetable: Distribute March 2011 at National Science Teacher
Association Conference, also as downloadable pdf

Cost: $2,047.50 (10,000 posters, 18” x 24”, 4 color, according to
uprinting.com)

Objective 2 – To establish peer-group outreach to middle and high school students

Tactic 1 -- Establish the Junior Ambassadors Committee, a committee of high
school students who are interested and invested in space exploration

Description: 12-15 High school students currently interested in STEM
fields communicating with students and schools about opportunities and
events. Junior Ambassadors would also build retention into GEN
Y Board Members program, and could work closely together on various
projects.

Targeted audiences: Students, teachers, industry leaders, schools, parents,
media

Timetable: Send out invitations/applications to prospective students
handpicked by the Coalition by July 1, 2010
Select committee members by Aug. 1, 2010

49

Attend AASA conference Feb. 2011

Cost: $10,000

Tactic 2 –Liaison with Science Olympiad in creation of competition criteria

Description: Develop a unique, space-themed concept for the nationwide
competition to be held 2012, as well as a possible single event in 2011.

Targeted audiences: Industry leaders, students, teachers

Timetable: December 2010- Contact Science Olympiad

Cost: $1,000

Tactic 3 – Allow the Junior Ambassadors access to the Coalition’s Facebook
account

Description: Allow the Coalition’s current employees in charge of the
Facebook account to moderate the Junior Ambassadors use of the account
in order to give the Youth Committee a voice in communicating with
peers.

Targeted audiences: Student audience the Coalition is currently not
reaching with its social media efforts.

Timetable: Immediately following creation of the Junior Ambassadors and
a social media-training seminar.

Cost: Purchase of The Social Media Bible, $19.25 new at Barnes & Noble.

Tactic 4 – Produce videos, blogs, podcasts and Facebook status updates.

Description: Content will include science experiments, entertaining
NASA updates, critique of curriculum, new events.
(See G.1 Objective 4, Tactic 3)

Targeted audiences: Facebook followers, students, teachers, parents.

Timetable: Immediately; continued regularly until May 2012

Cost: $2,000 budget to produce videos and podcasts.

50

Objective 3- Become “partner” of Science Olympiad

Tactic 1- Sponsor event at Science Olympiad Nationals 2011

Description: Start by sponsoring a single event during 2011 competition
and provide scholarship for first place team.

Targeted audience: Industry leaders, students, teachers

Timetable: May 2011 – Sponsor Olympiad Event

Cost: $6,000

Tactic 2- Host Science Olympiad Nationals 2012

Description: Match funds from Coalition members in order to sponsor
entire competition for 2012 with heavy emphasis on STEM application to
space exploration.

Targeted audience: Industry leaders, students, teachers

Timetable: May 2012

Cost: $20,000

Tactic 3- Joint Press Release with Science Olympiad

Description: Emphasize Junior Ambassador leadership and growth of
major national competition with the Coalition industry leaders

Target audience: Industry leaders, school administrators, general public,
parents

Timetable: Spring 2011

Cost: $60/hour production for three hours = $180

Tactic 4- Coalition Member Speaker

Description: Have a key member of coalition speak at Nationals to appeal
to industry leaders, parents and students for continued growth of STEM
education even past Science Month

51

Target audience: Industry leaders, media, teachers, parents, students,
school administrators

Timetable: May 2012

Cost: $1,500 for travel and hotel accommodations, $3,500 (average)
speaking fee

52

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#1

Title:

Design
a
Web
site
for
this
month
of
awareness

Brief
Description:

This
is
the
Web
site
that
will
provide
information
about
Science
Month
and
all
of
the

activities
and
events
surrounding
it.

The
site
is
set
to
launch
in
the
summer
of
2010.

Supernova
Inc.
has
decided
that
the
best
way
to
display
in-‐depth
information
about

Science
Month
to
the
public
is
through
a
Web
Site
dedicated
to
the
month.
The
site

will
target
the
media,
policy
makers,
teachers,
parents,
and
students
and
will
inform

them
about
the
upcoming
events
and
activities
that
surround
April
of
2012,
Science

Month.

The
Science
Month
Web
site
will
also
explain
STEM,
its
importance,
possible

curriculum
changes,
and
the
participating
partner
organizations.

There
will
also
be

a
links
to
the
Coalition
Web
site
and
games
portal.

Timetable:
Summer
2010

Status:
Incomplete

54

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#2

Title:
Media
Kit
Announcing
“Science
Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities”

Brief
Description:

This
media
kit
contains
a
news
release,
backgrounder
on
the
Coalition,
fact

sheet,
and
social
media
news
release
to
cover
the
announcement
of
Science
Month.

The
media
kit
is
scheduled
to
be
released
in
April
2011
in
conjunction
with

President
Obama’s
official
proclamation
declaring
April
2012
“Science
Month:

Explore
Infinite
Possibilities.”

The
media
kit
should
be
sent
to
national
media
(such
as
CNN,
The
New
York

Times,
The
Washington
Post),
regional
media
(such
as
KCTV-‐5,
The
Kansas
City
Star)

and
PR
and
news
wires.

The
news
release
reports
the
White
House’s
official
endorsement
of
Science

Month.

It
mentions
the
Coalition’s
partnerships
with
organizations
such
as
the

Department
of
Education
and
NASA.

It
also
promotes
the
Month’s
Web
site
and

Facebook
page.

On
the
second
page
of
the
news
release
are
“short-‐teaser”
sections
providing

information
on
the
Science
Month
logo
contest,
Science
Olympiad
sponsorship,

Junior
Ambassadors
Committee,
and
Aerospace
Career
Mentors.

The
backgrounder
is
a
separate
document
containing
brief
background

information
on
the
Coalition,
including
notable
partner
organizations
and
members

of
the
Board
of
Advisors.

The
fact
sheet
is
a
separate
document
that
breaks
down
the
newsworthy

facts
of
the
news
release
into
What,
Who,
Where,
When
and
Why
quick-‐hitters
for

journalists.

The
social
media
news
release
is
the
final
document
in
the
media
kit.

It

contains
news
facts
and
quotations,
and
links
to
Science
Month
on
YouTube
and

Facebook,
as
well
as
a
link
to
the
Coalition’s
Web
site,
and
the
traditional
news

release
in
PDF
form.

Timetable:
Spring
2011

Status:
Complete

Location:
All
documents
of
the
media
kit
follow
this
description

55

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
April 11, 2011 Julie Arnold
Media Contact
281-335-0200
julie@griffincommgroup.com

White House Declares April 2012, “Science Month: Explore Infinite
Possibilities”

HOUSTON – President Obama has signed a proclamation declaring April

2012, “Science Month: Re-launching Student Achievement.” The Coalition for

Space Exploration has partnered with many organizations, including the

Department of Education and NASA, to bring this month of Science,

Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education into middle and high

school classrooms in April 2012.

The Coalition has launched a Web site for Science Month to serve as a

central hub for administrators, teachers, parents and students to learn more

about Science Month and its activities and events. For more information, please

go to http://www.sciencemonth.com. The Coalition has also made a Facebook

fan page available to promote Science Month and establish conversations with

students and parents online.

-MORE-

56

Coalition for Space Exploration announces additional events and services in
support of Science Month

• Science Month Logo Contest
The Coalition is asking students to design a logo for Science Month which
will be used for the Web site, Facebook page, in-class Science Month
materials and activities, and official stationary. The contest winner will
receive a $500 cash prize. Details of the contest can be found online at
sciencemonth.com or on the Facebook fan page, or contact Julie Arnold,
281-335-0200, julie@griffcommgroup.com.

• Science Olympiad Sponsorship
The Coalition for Space Exploration will sponsor a space-themed event at
Science Olympiad Nationals 2011. The Coalition will reward a $1,000
scholarship to the first place individual or team.

• Junior Ambassadors Committee
The Junior Ambassadors Committee is made up of 20 high school students
(ten 11 t h graders, ten 12 t h graders) interested in STEM fields and
communicating with students and schools about Science Month and other
opportunities. The Junior Ambassadors attended the American
Association of School Administrators national conference in February to
raise support for Science Month. They will be working closely with
promoting Science Olympiad, and will be communicating with student
peers about Science Month online in social media. Details of how to
become a Junior Ambassador, or to communicate with the committee, can
be found online at http://www.spacecoalition.com/juniorambassadors, or
on the Coalition’s Facebook page. Contact Julie Arnold, 281-335-0200,
julie@griffcommgroup.com.

• Aerospace Career Mentors
The Coalition has made a career center on its Web site with a searchable
database of careers based on students’ interests and hobbies. Aerospace
Career Mentors are professionals from a variety of fields speaking
directly to students on the Web site, Facebook and organized classroom
Webinars. Visit the Aerospace Career Mentors on
http://www.spacecoalition.com/careerportal, or contact Julie Arnold, 281-
335-0200, julie@griffcommgroup.com.

###

57

Backgrounder
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
April 11, 2011 Julie Arnold
Media Contact
281-335-0200

Coalition for Space Exploration

The Coalition for Space Exploration is comprised of aerospace industry companies that are

collaborating to advance the cause of space exploration.

The Coalition’s mission is to inform the public about the value and benefits of space

exploration in order to build support and funding for NASA and to ensure the United States

remains a leader in space, science and technology.

The Coalition was formally established in January 2004, after industry representatives agreed

on the need to garner public support for future NASA initiatives. Member organizations include

Aerojet, Boeing, CISCO, Honeywell, IBM, and Lockheed Martin.

The Coalition relies on the advocacy efforts of its Board of Advisors. The Board currently

includes members such as Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, former NASA

flight director for the Apollo program Gerry Griffin, former astronaut Steve Hawley – currently a

physics and astronomy professor at the University of Kansas, Gene Kranz, a former flight

director who successfully guided Apollo 13 safely back to Earth, and Miles O’Brien, who has

served as CNN’s science, space, aviation technology and environment correspondent.

The Coalition is currently advocating “Science Month: Explore Infinite Possibilities,” which

has been endorsed by the White House.

###

58

Fact
Sheet

FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE

FOR
MORE
INFORMATION,
CONTACT:

Julie
Arnold

Media
Contact

281-‐335-‐0200


White
House
Declares
April
2012
as
“Science
Month”

What:
April
2012
has
been
declared,
“Science
Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities,”

by
the
White
House.

“Science
Month”
will
be
dedicated
to
encourage
middle

school
students
to
get
excited
about
science,
technology,
engineering
and

math
(STEM)
subjects.

The
Coalition
for
Space
Exploration
has
collaborated
with
many
different

associations,
including
NASA
and
the
Department
of
Education
to
help
launch

this
month
dedicated
to
STEM
education.

Who:
President
Obama
recently
signed
a
proclamation
that
April
2012
will
be

officially
declared,
“Science
Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities.”

Where:
Science
Month
will
be
held
in
middle
and
high
schools
throughout
the
United

States.

When:

“Science
Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities,”
will
progress
for
the
entire

month
of
April
2012.

Why:

The
future
of
space
exploration
and
the
expansion
of
STEM
education
is
in

middle
and
high
school
students
and
their
enthusiasm
to
pursue
these

careers.

“STEM
education
and
outreach
is
critical
and
we
need
to
get
middle
and
high

school
kids
motivated,”

-‐-‐Gwen
Griffin,
Griffin
Communications
Group

#
#
#

59

White
House
Declares
April
2012,
“Science
Month:

Explore
Infinite
Possibilities”

Obama
signs
proclamation
dedicating
a
month
to
science
education

News
Facts

• Obama recently signed a proclamation, which officially declared April 2012 as, “Science
Month: Explore Infinite Possibilities.”
• The Coalition for Space Exploration has partnered with NASA and the Department of
Education to bring Science Month to middle and high schools.
• The month is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) in order to help space exploration.
• “Science Month,” will help motivate and inspire middle and high school students to look
at science as “cool.”
• Several events will take place to help support Science Month. These events include a
Science Month Logo Contest, a Science Olympiad Sponsorship (with a $1,000 reward)
and a Junior Ambassador’s Committee (a group of 20 high school students interested in
STEM), who will help communicate with students and schools during and beyond
Science Month.

Quotations
• “STEM
education
and
outreach
is
critical
and
we
need
to
get
middle
and
high
school

kids
motivated,”
–Gwen
Griffin,
Griffin
Communications
Group

• “We
need
to
convince
these
kids
that
science,
technology,
engineering
and
math
are

cool,”
–Gwen
Griffin,
Griffin
Communications
Group

Multimedia

• Youtube
video:
Science
Month

• Link
to
traditional
news
release
(PDF)

Related
Links

• Coalition
for
Space
Exploration

• Science
Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities

• Science
Month's
Facebook
Page

About
Coalition
for
Space
Exploration

Located
in
Houston,
Tex.,
the
Coalition’s
mission
is
to
educate
the
public
about
space

and
its
endless
possibilities.
Their
goal
is
to
expand
STEM
in
middle
and
high
school

students
in
order
to
continue
America’s
lead
in
space.

For
More
Information

Julie
Arnold

Media
Contact

281-‐335-‐0200


###

60

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#3

Title:

Network
of
Partner
Associations
Letter

Brief
Description:

This
is
the
letter
that
will
be
mailed
out
to
partner
associations
in
the
December
of

2010.
It
will
also
be
mailed
to
politicians
connected
to
Educate
to
Innovate
and
the

Department
of
Education.
Supernova
Inc.
has
created
a
form
letter
that
illustrates

the
values
of
the
Coalition
and
the
importance
of
educating
students.

This
letter
also

emphasizes
the
importance
of
making
sure
that
students
are
aware
of
the
career

possibilities
within
STEM
subjects.

The
letter
asks
for
help
in
funding
and
contacts

to
ensure
that
the
events
leading
up
to
Science
Month
are
the
best
that
they
can
be.

The
funding
would
also
be
beneficial
in
sponsoring
Science
Olympiad
events.

This

letter
will
be
used
to
further
the
network
of
partner
associations,
politicians,
and

companies
who
have
an
invested
interest
in
education
as
well
as
STEM
subject

education.

Timetable:
December
2010

Status:
Completed

Location:

The
letter
follows
this
description.

61

National
Education
Association

1201
16th
St,
NW

Washington
D.C.,
20036

April
15,
2010

Dear
National
Education
Association:

Do
you
have
a
passion
for
STEM
subjects?

Does
your
company
want
the
brightest
and
most

innovative
minds
in
the
country?
Are
you
interested
in
informing
today’s
youth
about
the

importance
of
technology?

On
behalf
of
the
Coalition
for
Space
Exploration,
I
would
like
to
inform
you
of
“Science

Month:
Explore
Infinite
Possibilities”
and
the
activities
planned
around
this
major
event.

We
realize
your
organization
is
invested
in
educating
students
with
the
highest
quality

teachers
and
the
Coalition
shares
that
goal.

We
would
like
teachers
to
have
the
opportunity

to
go
to
space
workshops
and
are
looking
for
sponsors
to
make
this
possible.
Together
with

University
of
California-‐Berkley,
we
hope
to
send
five
teachers
to
a
private
workshop
in
the

summer
of
2011
With
your
help,
we
could
send
more.

Throughout
the
next
two
years
we
have
created
a
schedule
of
events
that
encourage

students
in
middle
and
high
schools
to
find
a
passion
for
science,
technology,
engineering,

and
math
(STEM).

We
will
also
be
working
with
faculty
and
staff
to
include
more
STEM

based
activities
within
teaching
curriculum
and
will
be
creating
after-‐school
clubs
for

students
to
further
explore
these
fields.
At
the
Coalition,
we
believe
that
educating
our

youth
is
imperative
for
the
success
of
our
country
and
these
fields
of
study
are
of
extreme

importance.

We
would
greatly
value
your
support
in
our
major
quest
to
persuade
President
Obama
to

officially
name
April
of
2012
“Science
Month.”

In
the
long
run,
we
hope
to
develop
innovative
young
minds
and
make
certain
that
these

students
are
strongly
considering
going
into
STEM
careers.

To
better
ensure
that
you
are

receiving
the
most
talented
future
employees
we
strongly
encourage
you
to
send
a
guest

speaker
to
one
of
our
events
or
join
the
Board
of
Directors
for
Science
Month.

This
will

guarantee
that
your
organization
is
getting
exposure
to
students
and
faculty
involved
in

this
event
by
being
able
to
interact
with
audience
and
promote
your
association.

If
your

group
is
unable
to
send
contacts
we
would
appreciate
any
aid
in
funding
these
events.

If

you
have
any
further
questions,
or
would
like
to
participate
please
contact
me
by
e-‐mail.

We
appreciate
your
continued
support
and
believe
that
motivating
our
youth
to
participate

in
STEM
careers
will
be
a
huge
factor
in
the
success
of
our
nation
as
a
whole.

Sincerely,

Julie
Glenn

Director
of
Operations

jglenn@coalition.org

62

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#4

Title:

Launch
a
Logo
Contest
for
Science
Month

Brief
Description:

This
logo
contest
is
created
with
the
intention
of
building
early
enthusiasm
for

Science
Month
among
middle
and
high
school
students.

The
contest
will
be

promoted
on
Facebook,
which
is
the
social
media
site
of
choice
for
the
target

audience.

The
contest
will
allow
students
to
have
interaction
with
Science
Month,

and
give
them
creative
responsibility
for
an
important
part
of
the
Science
Month

campaign.

Prizes
and
online
publicity/recognition
should
be
used
as
motivating

factors
to
entice
student
participation
in
the
contest.

Students
would
be
able
to

submit
their
logos
on
Facebook
or
the
Science
Month
Web
site.

The
media
kit
that

will
be
released
in
April
2011
has
a
short
teaser
on
the
logo
contest,
so
the
contest

can
be
announced
simultaneously
with
Science
Month’s
announcement,
or

postponed
for
back-‐to-‐school
Fall
2011.

The
Coalition’s
board
members
could
set
a

deadline
on
the
competition,
and
vote
on
the
logos
to
decide
the
winner.

The

winning
logo
would
then
immediately
be
placed
on
the
Science
Month
Web
site,
the

Coalition’s
Web
site,
and
Facebook
pages.

The
Coalition
could
mail
a
prize
to
the

winner
(or
top
three
finishers),
and
post
a
short
profile
story
of
the
winner
on
the

Science
Month
Facebook
page.

Timetable:

Announce
contest-‐
Feb.
2011

Promote
contest-‐
Aug.-‐
Sept.
2011

Deadline
for
submission
Oct.
31,
2011

Status:
Incomplete

63

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#5

Title:

Create
a
Parents
page
on
the
Science
Month
Web
site

Brief
Description:

The
parents’
page
would
provide
parents
information
about
Science
Month,
including
tips

on
how
to
get
involved.

It
should
highlight
the
benefits
of
having
a
child
interested
in

pursuing
STEM
fields,
as
well
as
promote
the
prizes
available
in
Science
Olympiad

competitions
and
the
Science
Month
Logo
Contest.

Timetable:

Summer
2010

Status:

Incomplete

64

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#6

Title:
Provide
Bumper
Stickers
to
parents

Brief
Description:

Provide
bumper
stickers
for
parents
who
have
middle
and
high
school
students.

The
goal
of
the
bumper
sticker
is
to
encourage
students
to
become
more
active
in

the
fields
of
STEM
(science,
technology,
engineering
and
math)
and
recognize
that

those
fields
are
exciting
and
fun.

Timetable:
Winter
2011

Status:
Complete

Location:
The
bumper
sticker
follows
as
an
insert

65

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#7

Title:

“How-‐To”
Guide
for
running
an
After-‐School
Science
Club

Brief
Description:

This
how-‐to
guide
would
include
templates
and
instructions
on
how
to
create
and

run
a
science
club.

The
club
would
be
designed
to
be
able
to
meet
after
school,
or

during
study
lab
periods
in
school.

The
guide
would
include
a
template
letter
to

teachers
to
encourage
them
to
sponsor
a
club,
promotional
posters
to
hang
in

school,
and
club
projects
and
activities,
such
as
participating
in
Science
Olympiad.

The
guide
would
be
sent
to
middle
and
high
school
teachers
and
administrators.

It

would
demonstrate
the
benefits
of
engaging
students
with
science
projects
and

activities
outside
of
the
traditional
science
classes.

Our
primary
research
found
that

hands-‐on
activities
and
engaging
teachers
were
highly
influential
factors
in

students’
enthusiasm
for
a
subject.

These
after-‐school
science
clubs
would
combine

those
two
factors
into
a
productive
conduit
for
science
enthusiasm.

The
guides

could
be
sent
out
swiftly
and
affordably
in
e-‐mail
form
to
schools
and

administrators.

Timetable:
Summer
2010

Status:

Incomplete

66

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#8

Title:
Brochure
of
information
on
discounts
for
class
trips

Brief
Description:

Provide
a
brochure
to
help
collaborate
with
Association
of
Science-‐Technology

Centers
to
provide
discounts
for
class
trips
and
tours
during
Space
Month.

The
goal

of
the
brochure
is
to
inform
science
museums,
planetariums,
and
Science-‐
Technology
Centers
as
well
as
schools
about
how
to
get
involved
in
Science
Month

and
why
it
is
important
to
have
a
Science
Month.

Timetable:
March
and
April
2012

Status:
Complete

Location:
The
brochure
follows
this
description

67

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#9

Title:
Make
Facebook
presence
more
interactive
and
engaging

Brief
Description:

The
Coalition
should
begin
reading,
exploring
and
learning
about
other
groups
and

fan
pages
related
to
space
advocacy
and
STEM
education.
After
carefully
observing

others’
wall
posts
and
comments,
the
Coalition’s
Fan
Page
should
post
on
other
fan

pages
and
comment
on
their
wall
posts.
Posts
should
not
include
the
blog’s
title
and

lede.
Posts
and
comments
should
summarize
and
relate
the
Coalition’s
blog
to
the

interests
of
the
other
user.
Links
to
blogs
and
videos
need
to
be
double-‐checked
to

ensure
they
link
to
the
original
sources.

Timetable:
Begin
Immediately;
Allow
Junior
Ambassadors
the
freedom
to
post
for
the

Coalition
Fan
Page
under
staff
supervision
beginning
February
2011.

Status:
Incomplete

70

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#10

Title:

Reprioritize
Social
Media
presence

Brief
Description:

Based
on
research,
we
recommend
the
Coalition
focus
its
discussion
with
students

on
Facebook,
and
less
on
Twitter.
Efforts
on
Ning.com
should
be
greatly
reduced.

Timetable:
Immediately

Status:
Incomplete

71

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#11

Title:

Create
Facebook
events

Brief
Description:

The
Coalition,
after
reprioritizing
its
social
media
efforts
to
focus
discussions
more

on
Facebook
and
less
on
Twitter,
should
use
Facebook
to
promote
contests
and

competitions.

Students
participating
in
After-‐School
Science
Clubs
(see
Goal
1,

Objective
3,
Tactic
1)
would
be
able
to
communicate
with
members
of
their
own

clubs,
as
well
as
peers
from
around
the
country.

The
Science
Month
Logo
Contest

(see
Goal
1,
Objective
1,
Tactic
4),
would
be
competitive
on
Facebook,
and
it
would

open
up
opportunities
for
discussion
and
debate,
as
well
as
a
convenient
location
to

announce
the
winner.

The
Coalition
could
announce
its
sponsorship
at
Science

Olympiad
(see
Goal
2,
Objective
3)
on
Facebook,
promote
its
scholarship
prize

opportunity,
and
encourage
participation
and
competition.

The
Coalition
could
also

remind
Facebook
users
of
its
collaboration
with
the
Association
of
Science-‐
Technology
Centers
(see
Goal
1,
Objective
3,
Tactic
2)
and
provide
information
and

benefits
to
Facebook
fans.

Timetable:

Winter
2011
for
AASA
Conference

Spring
2011
Science
Olympiad
Event

Logo
Contest
August
2011

April
2012-‐
Space
Month

May
2012-‐
Science
Olympiad

Status:
Incomplete

72

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#12

Title:
Produce
monthly
online
videos

Brief
Description:

Provide
Junior
Ambassadors
the
resources
to
create
monthly
videos
to
post
on

YouTube
and
link
on
Facebook
fan
page
and
other
groups
and
pages.
Videos
don’t

need
to
be
high
quality.
Junior
Ambassadors
should
use
modest
equipment
and

focus
on
creating
fun,
interesting
pieces.
They
could
create
a
“Bill
Nye”
type
science

experiment
show
or
make
space-‐themed
music
videos.
Junior
Ambassadors
could

visit
local
Coalition
member
and
video
a
tour
of
its
headquarters.
Videos
should

attract
middle
school
students.
Content
does
not
necessarily
need
to
be
educational.

A
link
to
www.spacecoalition.com
should
precede
and
follow
the
short
3-‐4
minute

spots.
The
desire
is
to
attract
attention
and
drive
traffic
to
the
site.

Timetable:
February
2011
and
every
month
to
follow

Status:
Incomplete

73

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#13

Title:
Join
STEM
Education
Coalition

Brief
Description:

It
is
important
that
the
Space
Coalition
join
more
than
200
organizations
in

supporting
legislation
that
supports
STEM
education.
Joining
more
organizations
is

a
good
way
to
get
the
name
out
and
become
more
involved.

Timetable:
Immediately

Status:
Incomplete

74

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#14

Title:
Promote
Science
Month
at
the
American
Association
of
School
Administrators

National
Conference
on
Education

Brief
Description:

This
is
going
to
be
an
entire
month
dedicated
to
teaching
students
about
science.

This
month
will
promote
a
guest
speaker,
John
Kao,
author
of
Innovation
Nation,
to

come
and
speak
at
a
conference
encouraging
School
Administrators
to
support

increased
space
curriculum
during
2011-‐2012
school
year.
This
promotion
will

target
school
administrators
at
the
American
Association
of
School
Administrators

National
Conference
on
Education.
This
will
encourage
school
administrators
to

consider
dedicating
an
entire
month
just
to
space
curriculum.

Timetable:
February
2011

Status:
Incomplete

75

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#15

Title:
Provide
a
packet
of
possible
space
science
education
activities
to
AASA
Conference

Brief
Description:

This
packet
would
be
full
of
easy
to
follow
activities
provided
by
NASA
and

aerospace
educators,
targeted
to
school
administrators
and
teachers
in
advance
of

Science
Month.

It
will
be
distributed
at
the
AASA
conference
in
February
2011,
and

an
updated
version
should
be
distributed
again
in
February
2012
as
a
reminder
of

sorts.

These
suggested
activities
will
provide
the
basis
for
what
students
will
be

doing
in
class
during
Science
Month.

Timetable:

February
2011

Status:

Incomplete

76

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#16

Title:
Magazine
advertisement
for
Science
Teacher’s
magazine
and
Parent’s
magazine

Brief
Description:

This
is
the
magazine
advertisement
that
will
run
in
both
a
Science
teacher’s

magazine,
i.e.,
Science,
and
a
parent’s
magazine,
i.e.,
Parents
Magazine,
promoting

the
idea
to
send
a
group
of
teachers
to
UC
Berkeley
where
they
will
instruct
teachers

the
proper
way
to
teach
aerospace
science
to
middle
and
high
school
students.
The

headline
is
supposed
to
attract
both
parents
and
teachers
to
the
content
within
the

advertisement
with
the
hopes
of
applying
or
nominating
a
teacher.
The
picture
is

supposed
to
attract
both
audiences
as
well
and
encourage
people
to
apply
or

nominate.
We
chose
this
picture
as
a
way
to
express
the
idea
of
space
and
to
draw

attention
from
the
audiences.

Timetable:
Run
the
ad
January-‐March
2011

Status:
Completed

Location:
The
two
advertisements
follow
this
description

77

Want
to
be
a
teacher

that’s
out
of
this
world??

Apply
to
win
a
trip
to

a
space-‐science

education
workshop!

• Where?
UC
Berkeley

• When?
Summer
2011

• Cost?
Free

• How
to
Apply?
Visit

spacecoalition.com

For
more
information
visit:

http://spacecoalition.com/
78

Have
a
teacher
that’s
out

of
this
world??

Send
your
middle
or

high
school
teacher
to

a
space-‐science

education
workshop!

• Where?
UC
Berkeley

• When?
Summer
2011

• Cost?
Free

• How
to
Apply?
Visit

spacecoalition.com

For
more
information
visit:

http://spacecoalition.com/
79

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#17

Title:
Run
a
free
month
magazine
ad
promoting
space/science
education
workshop
in
a

teacher
and
parent
magazine

Brief
Description:

We
will
send
at
least
5
teachers;
unless
we
can
match
funds
with
new
partner

organizations
(i.e.
NEA)
then
there
will
be
an
opportunity
to
send
more
teachers
to

the
University
of
Berkley
Space
Education
Workshops.

These
workshops
will
be

private
workshops
created
through
collaboration
with
University
of
Berkley
and

consist
of
showing
how
to
teach
middle
and
high
school
students
these
subjects

while
making
it
more
enjoyable.
We
will
be
running
magazine
ads
to
help
promote

the
workshops.

Timetable:
Summer
2011

Status:
Incomplete

80

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#18

Title:

Create
an
Aerospace
Career
Portal
on
Space
Coalition
Web
site

Brief
Description:

The
Aerospace
Career
Portal
will
be
an
additional
page
within
the
Coalition
for

Space
Exploration’s
existing
Web
site.
A
Career
Portal
tab
will
be
added
to
the
top
of

the
Space
Coalition’s
home
page.
The
top
of
the
home
page
of
the
career
portal
will

display
tabs
for
pages
within
the
portal,
such
as:
Career
Survey,
Aerospace
Careers,

Students,
Parents,
Teachers,
Career
Mentors
and
Videos/Pictures.
The
career
survey

page
will
include
a
survey
designed
to
help
students
determine
which
aerospace

career
may
be
best
for
them
based
on
their
hobbies,
interests
and
favorite
school

subjects.
The
results
from
the
survey
will
suggest
several
aerospace
career
options,

each
of
which
will
be
hyperlinked
to
the
Aerospace
Careers
database.
Every

aerospace
career
entry
in
the
database
will
include
information
such
as
a
position

description,
video
position
description,
pictures
of
job
functions,
related
school

subjects,
suggested
degrees
and
an
Aerospace
Career
Mentor
to
contact.

Timetable:
Summer
2010

Status:
Mock-‐up
completed

Location:
Screenshots
of
possible
designs
and
content
follow
this
description

81

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#19

Title:
“Create
Space
Career
Mentors”

Brief
Description:

The
plan
for
the
Space
Career
Mentors
is
to
have
a
variety
of
professionals
from

different
fields
of
STEM
related
careers
dedicate
some
of
their
time
to
helping
and

connecting
with
students
who
are
interested
in
those
fields.
These
mentors
will

work
through
Facebook
as
well
as
organize
Webinars
where
they
can
speak
directly

to
students
in
classrooms
across
the
country.
As
for
what
the
students
will
be

looking
for
from
these
mentors,
they
will
do
activities
such
as
showing
a
video
of

their
typical
workday
and
demonstrate
where,
how
and
when
STEM
subjects
are

applicable
in
real-‐life
situations.
These
mentors
will
be
helping
middle
school,
high

school
and
college
students
as
well
as
teachers
and
college
career
center
advisors.

Timetable:
Summer
2010

Status:
Incomplete

86

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#20

Title:

Create
Aerospace
Career
Mentors
posters

Brief
Description:

Every
Aerospace
Career
Mentor
will
have
his
or
her
own
poster.
Each
headline
will

highlight
a
different
aerospace-‐related
school
subject
that
the
mentor
uses
at
work

on
a
daily
basis.
The
poster
will
also
include
the
mentor’s
job
title,
place
of

employment,
education
and
career
paths,
contact
information
and
pictures
of
them

working.
These
posters
will
be
distributed
to
teachers
at
the
National
Science

Teachers
Association
conference.
PDF
versions
will
be
available
online
on
the

Career
Portal
Web
site
as
well.

Timetable:

Release
a
poster
August
2011,
and
a
new
one
every
month
thereafter

Distribute
March
2012
at
National
Science
Teacher
Association
Conference

Status:
Complete

Location:
An
example
poster
follows
this
description.

87

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#21

Title:
“Establish
a
committee
of
high
school
students
who
are
interested
and
invested
in

space
exploration”

Brief
Description:

The
goal
of
the
Junior
Ambassador
Committee
is
to
have
a
group
of
high
school

students
who
are
willing
to
communicate
with
other
students
as
well
as
other

schools
regarding
different
STEM
opportunities,
events
and
competitions.
They

would
work
under
the
GenY
members
at
the
Coalition
and
would
be
given
access
to

social
media
Web
sites
(Facebook,
YouTube)
while
still
being
moderated
by
GenY

and
the
Coalition.

In
order
for
these
Junior
Ambassadors
to
get
involved
as
soon
as
possible,

invitations
and
applications
should
be
sent
out
to
prospective
students
by
July
1,

2010
and
would
therefore
be
able
to
attend
a
Houston
conference
by
Jan.
1,
2011.

Timetable:

Send
invitations
to
students
handpicked
by
the
Coalition
by
July
1,
2010

Select
committee
members
by
August
1,
2010

Attend
AASA
conference
February
2011

Status:
Incomplete

89

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#22

Title:
“Liaison
with
Science
Olympiad
in
Creation
of
Competition
Criteria”

Brief
Description:

A
space-‐themed
competition
is
to
take
place
in
2012,
held
by
the
Science
Olympiad.

This
space-‐themed
concept
will
be
held
throughout
the
nation
and
will
be
easily

accessible
for
anyone
to
get
involved
in.
A
close
relationship
with
the
Science

Olympiad
is
critical,
as
this
will
be
the
Coalition’s
best
bet
at
getting
closely
involved

with
student
competitions.

Timetable:
December
2010

Status:
Incomplete

90

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#23

Title:
Allow
the
Junior
Ambassadors
access
to
the
Coalition’s
Facebook
account

Brief
Description:

Allow
the
Coalition’s
current
employees
in
charge
of
the
Facebook
account
to

moderate
the
Junior
Ambassadors
use
of
the
account
in
order
to
give
the
youth

committee
a
voice
in
communicating
with
peers.

Timetable:
Immediately
following
creation
of
the
Junior
Ambassadors
and
a
social
media-‐
training
seminar.

Status:
Incomplete

91

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#24

Title:

Produce
videos,
blogs,
podcasts,
Facebook
status
updates

Brief
Description:

The
Junior
Ambassadors
will
work
to
create
social
media
to
invoke
interest
of
STEM

subjects
to
young
people.
The
Junior
Ambassadors
will
be
given
the
assignment
to

produce
videos,
blogs,
podcasts,
and
Facebook
status
updates
because
the
target

audience
used
these
types
of
social
media
most
often.

Through
these
mediums
we

will
be
targeting
Facebook
followers,
students,
teachers,
and
parents.

The
content

will
include
science
experiments,
entertaining
NASA
updates,
critique
of
curriculum,

new
events.

Timetable:
Immediately;
continued
regularly
until
May
2012.

Status:
Incomplete

92

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#25

Title:
Sponsor
event
at
Science
Olympiad
Nationals
2011

Brief
Description:

Start
by
sponsoring
a
single
event
during
2011
competition
and
provide
scholarship

for
first
place
team.

Timetable:
May
2011

Status:
Incomplete

93

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#26

Title:
Host
Science
Olympiad
Nationals
2012

Brief
Description:

Match
funds
from
Coalition
members
in
order
to
sponsor
entire
competition
for

2012
with
heavy
emphasis
on
STEM
application
to
space
exploration.

Timetable:
May
2012

Status:
Incomplete

94

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#27

Title:
Joint
Press
Release
with
Science
Olympiad

Brief
Description:

Emphasize
Junior
Ambassador
Leadership
and
growth
of
major
national

competition
with
the
Coalition
industry
leader.

Goal
is
to
get
students
more
active

in
Science
Olympiad.

Timetable:
Spring
2011

Status:
Incomplete

95

Executions

Communications
Package
Description
#28

Title:
Coalition
Member
Speaker

Brief
Description:

Have
a
key
member
of
the
coalition
speak
at
Nationals
to
appeal
to
industry
leaders,

parents
and
students
for
continued
growth
of
STEM
education
even
after
Science

Month.

Timetable:
May
2012

Status:
Incomplete

96

Sources of
Information

97

Works Cited
Achenbach, Joel. “Obama’s plans for NASA changes met with harsh criticism.”
Washington Post 10 March 2010. Web. 10 March 2010.

ACT, Inc. “Developing the STEM Education Pipeline.” Act.org. 2006. 9 March 2010.

Adams, John. “Lockheed’s Ray O. Johnson on Supporting STEM fields.” Govconwire.
Govconwire.com, 1 March 2010. Web. 10 March 2010.

Arrington, Michael. “Ning- R.I.P.?” TechCrunch. WordPress.com, 20 Jan. 2006. Web. 10
March 2010.

Astrosociety.org. Web. 10 March 2010.

Bishop, Kristina and Howard Walters. “The National Ocean Sciences Bowl: Extending the
Reach of a High School Academic Competition to College, Careers, and a Lifelong
Commitment to Science.” American Secondary Education 35.3 (2007): 63-76. Web.

Covault, Craig. “Exploration Advocacy.” Aviation Week and Space Technology 8 March
2004: 57. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 10 March 2010.

Day, Brian. Astro-venture. NASA Ames Research Center, 10 November 2009. Web. 18
April 2010.

Farr, JR. “How to Create a Successful Facebook Fan Page.” Net Media Group. Net Media
Group, 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 March 2010.

Glod, Maria. “Scores on Science Test Causing Concern in U.S.” Washington Post 10
December 2008. Web. 3 March 2010.

Koszalka, Tiffany. “The Relationship Between the Types of Resources Used in Science
Classrooms and Middle School Students’ Interests in Science Careers: An
Exploratory Analysis.” Middle Level Teacher Education Initiative. Web.

Larkins, Stuart. "New Data Shows the Tween Scene is Online." 29 July 2008. Web. 24 Feb.
2010. http://www.chiefmarketer.com.

Markowitz, Dina. “Evaluation of the Long-Term Impact of a University High School
Summer Science Program on Students’ Interest and Perceived Abilities in Science.”
Journal of Science Education and Technology 13.3 (2004): 395-407. Web.

98

Nasa.gov. NASA In Your Life. “NASA Supports the President's Educate To Innovate
Campaign With Summer Of Innovation To Bring Students The Universe” 6 January
2010. Web. 28 February 2010.

Solis, Brian and Deidre Breakenridge. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How
Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR. Albany: FT Press, 2009.
Web. 24 March 2010.

SpaceCoalition.org. The Coalition for Space Exploration. Web. 10 March 2010.

SpaceConnection.org. The U.S. Space Foundation. Web. 10 March 2010.

SpaceFoundation.org. The U.S. Space Foundation. Web. 10 March 2010.

Twitalyzer.com. Twitalyzer, LLC. Web. 10 March 2010.

Twitter.com. Twitter. Web. 10 March 2010.

Whitehouse.gov. Media Resources. “Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back
to School Event” 8 September 2009. Web. 10 March 2010.

Whitehouse.gov. Office of the Press Secretary. “President Obama Launches ‘Educate to
Innovate Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
(Stem) Education” 23 November 2009. Web. 28 February 2010.

Whitehouse.gov. Office of the Press Secretary. “President Obama Expands ‘Educate to
Innovate’ Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) Education” 6 January 2010. Web. 10 March 2010.

Williams, Anderson. Personal interview. Summer 2009.

Williams, Anderson. “Says and Means.” Cascade Matters Blog. Cascade Educational
Consultants, 17 March 2010. Web. 19 April 2009.

Zuckerberg, Mark. Facebook.com. Facebook, Inc. Web. 10 March 2010.

99

This Survey is being conducted as part of a class project at the University of Kansas. Because
we do not wish to inadvertently influence your answers to the following questions, we will
not tell you at this time the subject of our research, but we will share that with you after the
surveys are completed if you wish. You are not obligated to participate in this survey and
may discontinue the survey at any time. Each survey response will be handled in the strictest
confidence. Should you have any questions about the class or your participation in this
research, please contact Associate Professor David Guth at the University of Kansas School
of Journalism at (785) 864-0683 or dguth@ku.edu.

Thank you for your participation. Let’s begin!

First please indicate the degree to which you agree with each of the following statements.
1. I like math.
___Strongly disagree ___Disagree ___No opinion ___Agree ___Strongly agree

2. I like science

3. Space exploration is important.

4. I admire astronauts.

5. I am interested in having a career in math, science or space exploration.

6. My parents have influenced my interest in school.

7. My parents are interested in math, science or space exploration.

8. In general, I believe my friends have influenced my interest in school.

101


9. In general, I believe my friends are interested in math, science or space exploration.

10. My teachers have influenced my interest in school.

11. If my teacher is excited and engaged, I am more interested in the class or subject.

12. Please indicate what makes a class or subject interesting. Check all that apply.
___ “Hard-grading” teacher ___ In-depth analysis of one subject
___ “Easy-grading” teacher ___ Exposure to many different subjects
___ Field trips ___ Hands-on experiments
___ Videos ___ Reviewing the material
___ Lectures ___ Technology (i.e., cell phones, PowerPoints, computers,
___ In-class discussions online activities, Smart Boards, etc.)
___ Other (Please explain) _____________________________________________________

13. Describe your favorite teacher and why he/she is your favorite. (Please do not use
names.)

14. Describe your least favorite teacher and why he/she is your least favorite. (Please do
not use names.)

102

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