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NASA News Release
Kristine Kaske (NASARC09@SIVM.SI.EDU)
Mon, 8 May 1995 08:53:44 EDT
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By
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Subject: 95-62: NASA SIGNS FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN
EDUCATION AGREEMENT --
----------------------------- Message Contents Text item 1: Text_1 Terri
Hu
dkins Headquarters, Washington, DC May 5, 1995 (Phone:
202/3
58-1977) Lanee Cobb Stennis Space Center, MS (Phone: 601/688-3341)
RELEAS
E: 95-62 NASA SIGNS FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATION AGREEMENT NASA
sig
ned the first Native American tribe education agreement with members of the
Mis
sissippi Choctaw Tribal Council, Philadelphia, MS. NASA's Stennis Space
Center, MS, will work in partnership with the Mississippi Choctaw Tribal
Counci
l to enhance existing mathematics, science and technology education programs
a
nd to create new vocational and technical training programs. "We all
hav
e an interest in space," said Roy Estess, Director of Stennis. "We (at NASA)
t
ry to capitalize on the human interest in space and leverage that for an
incre
ased emphasis in education. "What we hope to do is to work with the
Missi
ssippi Choctaw Tribal Council in enhancing their education system --
providing
new tools for the classrooms, new inspirational tools for their teachers --
br
ing a little piece of the space program into the classrooms," Estess
continued
NASA will establish a teacher enhancement center at the Choctaw
reserv
ation. The center will include teacher resource materials such as videotapes,
slides, curricula and publications. Another goal of the initiative is
to
enhance the school, industry and civic linkage by creating an increased
aware
ness of state-of-the-art technologies in education. "The technology that
has been developed by NASA programs can be transferred into the local
communiti
es through education and industry, as well," Choctaw Tribal Chief Phillip
Mart
in said. "Because of this partnership, h) 0*0*0* we can
develop new technologies and give our young people an opportunity to learn
abou
t state-of-the-art technology. This agreement will provide motivation for
stude
nts to continue their pursuit of science, math and other courses essential to
the world of technology." "NASA is honored to become formal education
par
tners with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. It is hoped that this
wil
l provide many new educational opportunities for Choctaw students -- from
kinde
rgarten to postgraduate --teachers, parents and the community. This agreement
will be the beginning of many avenues of the collaboration between NASA and
th
e Mississippi Choctaw tribe," said Dr. David Powe, manager of Stennis Space
Cen
ter's educational affairs. Both NASA and the Mississippi Band of
Chocta
w Indians will actively conduct education activities within the state of
Missi
ssippi and the tri-state region as part of NASA's Tri-State Education
Initiativ
e, which includes portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. - end
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