From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: NASA and the aerospace industry join forces for education [Release 92-118] (Forwarded)
Apparently-To: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Followup-To: sci.space
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 03:28:55 GMT

Terri Sindelar
Headquarters, Washington, D.C      Embargoed until
(Phone:  202/453-8400)             July 21, 1992

RELEASE:  92-118

NASA AND THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY JOIN FORCES FOR EDUCATION


	NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced that NASA and 26
private-sector aerospace contractors have taken a major first step to
coordinate the industry's education activities in supporting the
nation's education reform efforts.

	"The education of America's youth is far too important for just
the government to solve.  Industry has a vested interest in America's
future and that future resides in the classrooms today," said Goldin.
"I'm moved and overwhelmed with the variety of education programs and
with the genuine concern and strong support of the aerospace industry
in helping with national education reform.  I hope that our joint
initiative with the aerospace industry will be a model and an
inspiration for other industries."

	The 26 companies participating in the NASA- Industry Education
Initiative (NIEI) reported conducting almost 600 education programs,
with the majority (57 percent) of activities focused at the high school
level.  The hundreds of activities range from cooperating on and
sponsoring PBS and other science education productions to awarding
scholarships, conducting on-site teacher training programs to providing
tutoring and mentoring programs.  The education programs primarily
emphasized science (55 percent), with the remainder emphasizing
interdisciplinary studies.

	The first step of the initiative was to survey existing
education programs, produce an inventory and assess the level of
program support for the national education goals.

	The resulting NASA-Industry Education Initiative : Education
Programs Report 1991  provides a foundation for the next critical step
of the initiative -- that is, to enhance government-industry
cooperation, share information and leverage resources, and coordinate
programs and reform efforts to help solve our nation's education
problems.

The NASA-Industry Education Initiative Supports Education Reform

	The NASA-Industry Education Initiative (NIEI) seeks ways in
which  NASA and the aerospace contractors can refine and align current
and  planned education activities to support the nation's education
reform strategies and to accomplish the National Education Goals
established by President Bush and the nation's Governors.

	NASA and the aerospace industry's educational efforts reach
several millions of Americans and involve well over 92,000 government
and industry personnel annually.  The industry supports a broad range
of education programs at all grade levels, as well as with adults.

	The initiative and its various education programs parallel the
efforts of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering
and Technology's (FCCSET) Committee on Education and Human Resources
(CEHR). The CEHR was created by the federal government for education
coordination.  Some of the objectives of both FCCSET/CEHR and NIEI are
to improve science and mathematics performance, improve public
understanding of science and technology, and to promote lifelong
learning projects.

	In keeping with the widely recognized need to increase the
educational achievement of groups traditionally underrepresented in
science and engineering, approximately 32 percent of NIEI programs are
at least partly geared towards bringing and keeping minorities, females
and people with disabilities into the educational pipeline.

	NASA and the aerospace industry plan to update the NIEI report
periodically to allow continued evaluation of the level and direction
of NIEI education programs.

	The 26 corporations participating in the NASA/Industry
Education Initiative are Aerojet, Allied-Signal, BAMSI, Boeing,
Computer Sciences, Cray Research, EG&G Florida, Fairchild Space,
General Electric, Grumman, Honeywell, Hughes Aircraft, IBM, Johnson
Controls, Lockheed, Loral, Martin Marietta, McDonnell Douglas, NSI
Technology, Orbital Sciences, Rockwell International, Teledyne Brown,
Thiokol, TRW, Unisys and United Technologies.

	Copies of NASA-Industry Education Initiative :  Education
Programs Report 1991  can be obtained from NASA Headquarters Newsroom
and from the 26 participating corporations.
Newsgroups: sci.space.news