Trailblazing STEM Educator Award

• Nominee must be a K-12 educator who brings real-world STEM experiences to students
• Past recipients are ineligible for future consideration
• All recipients must be or become an AIAA Educator Associate member
• Preference will be given to teachers who demonstrate active use of AIAA and Challenger Center resources in their classroom
• Self-nominations are not permitted
• Nominator is not required to be a current AIAA member
• Nominator may not serve as a reference
• References are not required to be current AIAA members
• One of two letters of endorsement must be provided by the principal of the nominee’s school or the educator's supervisor
• Nominations must be submitted using the online database

Nomination materials must include:

Page 1: NOMINATION FORM

Page 2: NOMINEE BIOGRAPHY

Must include:

• The nominee’s teaching experience
• Professional activities
• Formal and continuing education
• Awards and publications (if any)
• A brief summary of personal teaching philosophy
  

Page 3: NOMINATION BASIS

Describe in detail how the educator:

• Connects classroom lessons to our country's current and future ambitions for space exploration and aerospace innovation.
• Introduces young students to STEM careers that could be relevant to future space exploration or aerospace innovation.
• Sparks students' imaginations about what will or could be the future - where humans are living and working in space.
• Engages students and gets them excited about our country's future. 

Where applicable, all nominations should also describe how the educator:  

• Promotes active learning and successfully encourages students to think imaginatively, critically, and independently. 
• Demonstrates instructional techniques that are appropriate for and effective with a variety of different learning styles. 
• Interacts enthusiastically and effectively with students beyond the classroom, using all opportunities productively to promote learning and address individual student needs. 
• Motivates and impacts students, colleagues, and the community with their engaging and inspiring presence.
• Achieves exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession.
• Demonstrates active use of AIAA and/or Challenger Center resources within the classroom. 

Pages 4: LETTERS OF ENDORSEMENT

• Two signed letters of endorsement
  • For classroom educators: one letter of endorsement must be provided by the Principal of the nominee’s school or;
  • For educators outside of the classroom setting: one letter of endorsement must be provided by the educators’ supervisor
    

Winners will be announced in February or March of 2023 and will be honored at the AIAA Awards Gala in Washington, DC.

• 

  Caroline Little

  School: Visitation School

  Citation: For creatively breaking down complex STEM principles into easy-to-understand lessons and connects her students to real-world examples through personal experiences. She is also a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Teacher Innovator Institute Fellow, DiscoverE Girl Day ambassador, and an advisor for several national STEM-based educational programs.

• 

  Aymette Medina

  School: Odyssey Academy Galveston

  Citation: For connecting students' learning experiences within the classroom to the real world through her role as a Space Foundation teacher liaison and an ambassador for both Space Explorers and SeaPerch (Robonation).

• 

  Taylor Whisenant

  School: Athens Renaissance School (ARS)

  Citation: For developing a robotics program with eight FIRST® Robotics teams spanning the K-12 age groups. The program has grown to 14 teams now.