STEM Engagement Committee Meeting Notes

May 2, 2019

 

NASA Advisory Council Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Engagement Committee

May 2, 2019, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm ET

Webex

STEM Engagement Committee Members

Present: Daniel Dumbacher, Norman Fortenberry, Michael Lach, Ray Mellado, Carl Person, Darryl 

Williams, and Aimee Kennedy, Chair

Not Present: Cristin Dorgelo

Others Present:

Beverly Girten (Executive Secretary), Michael Kincaid, Kris Brown, NASA HQ Office of STEM Engagement;

Rob LaSalvia, Rick Gilmore, Glenn Research Center

Opening Comments

Dr. Beverly Girten, Committee Executive Secretary welcomed everyone and noted the meeting is taking 

place in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The committee will cover topics

stated in Federal Registry Notice and will adjourn at approximately 12:15. An additional STEM 

Engagement Committee meeting will be scheduled toward end of month to finalize recommendations. 

Opening Remarks 

Mike Kincaid and Aimee Kennedy thanked everyone for joining the meeting. Today’s meeting is an 

abbreviated meeting which will be followed by a longer meeting on May 28. Mr. Kincaid shared the Vice 

President’s announcement and challenge to NASA to put the first woman and next man on the Moon by 

2024, also known as Space Policy Directive 1. The Vice President announced this during the March 2019 

National Space Council Meeting. NASA STEM Engagement Committee member Dan Dumbacher, was 

one of the panelists at the National Space Council meeting. 

National Space Council Meeting Update 

Mr. Dumbacher shared his experience participating in the fifth National Space Council (NSC) meeting at 

the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama on March 26, 2019. The prime focus of the meeting was 

human space exploration. Mr. Dumbacher shared that the Vice President’s announcement to execute

Space Policy Directive 1 was first announced prior to the National Space Council meeting—during the 

NSC Users Advisory Group subcommittee, chaired by Admiral Jim Ellis. Mr. Dumbacher stated the first 

panel session of the NSC focused on focused on near term preparations, including commercial crew, for 

traveling to the Moon. The second panel focused on longer range planning. Mr. Dumbacher also 

explained that the panelists had only learned about the challenge to execute Space Policy Directive 1 
STEM Engagement Committee Meeting Notes

May 2, 2019

when the Vice President made the announcement. Panelists were adjusting in real time to the 

announcement. 

Mr. Dumbacher noted Space Policy Directive 1 is a major opportunity for Agency and that it is necessary 

for the country to move as fast as we can towards that goal. Mr. Kincaid noted that most people in the 

room were not expecting the announcement and that this committee needs to look at how to use the 

moment for STEM and to help students, educators and institutions. 

STEM Education Advisory Panel Update 

Mr. Kincaid provided an update on the progress towards developing the implementation plan for the 

Five Year Federal Strategic Plan for STEM Education. Mr. Kincaid reviewed the three federal goals and 

nine objectives for STEM education. Each participating agency was asked to identify which of the nine 

objectives they could support and how. Mr. Kincaid identified three goals NASA is supporting. These 

objectives align with Congressional appropriation to NASA. Mr. Kincaid reviewed the timeline for 

development of the implementation plan. A draft is to be completed in May and the final version is to be 

released in June. STEM Education Advisory Panel members Aimee Kennedy and Ray Mellado serve on 

the Advisory Committee to the development of the implementation plan. Mr. Kincaid noted there are 18 

people on the Advisory Committee and that he is thankful two of those members are on the NASA STEM 

Engagement Committee.

Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Updates 

Overview 

Mr. Kincaid provided an update on activities surrounding the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 

Apollo Moon landing. He gave a brief overview of the Space STEM Forum and shared the Space STEM 

Forum website (https://spacestem.nasa.gov/) which is a repository for activities and resources 

organizations and individuals celebrating the Apollo anniversary. Mr. Kincaid invited the STEM 

Engagement Committee to add activities to the Events and Exhibits section of the website. Mr. Kincaid 

also shared plans for a two-hour Apollo broadcast on the afternoon of July 19. Thirty minutes of the 

broadcast will have a STEM Engagement focus with several museums serving as host sites. Mr. Kincaid 

briefly discussed the partnership with Peanuts Worldwide, which was unveiled in Houston during the 

last week of April, and the US Space and Rocket Center’s planned Guinness Record attempt for the most 

rocket launches over a 24-hour period. Mr. Dumbacher added the American Institute of Aeronautics & 

Astronautics (AIAA) are working to support the world record attempt. Mr. Kincaid invited Mr. 

Dumbacher to add the AIAA events to the Space STEM Forum events web page. 

Mr. Kincaid then shared the Future of Space live discussion held at NASA Headquarters on April 29, 

2019. NASA STEM Engagement partnered with AIAA and Space Grant to bring this discussion to 

approximately 50 undergraduate and high school students at NASA HQ and many more virtual 

participants via watch parties at campuses nationwide. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Human 

Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Willliam Gerstenmaier and 

Science Mission Directorate Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Steve Clarke participated in 

the discussion moderated by NASA Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson. The discussion included video 

vignettes of young NASA professionals from across the Agency sharing their experience on how they 

participate in NASA’s missions. Through the discussion, NASA invited students to stay engaged with 

NASA and STEM. Dr. Fortenberry commented he would like to share this information with colleges of 
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May 2, 2019

engineering and find ways they can host similar events on their campuses. Dr. Williams also noted the 

Philadelphia region has a number of activities planned to highlight the Apollo anniversary. 

Sparking Interest in STEM

Rob LaSalvia and Rick Gilmore gave an update on the approach they are using to follow up on the STEM 

Engagement Committee recommendation on sparking student interest in STEM put forth on the 

December 4, 2018 committee meeting:

Recommendation #2: Spark that Leads to Engagement

The Office of STEM Engagement should create a deep and comprehensive document that 

describes what we know about sparking student interest (spark), STEM engagement, and 

motivation, and use it to create the foundational evidence for the Office.

Mr. Gilmore provided a high-level overview of the approach they will follow to address the 

recommendation. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) will bring together a nationally 

recognized panel in the July 2019 timeframe and investigate what the research says about sparking 

interest and motivation. OSTEM will then pull from the forum experience to create a report on what 

they should be doing in design and execution that will spark student interest and keep students engaged

in STEM. The recommendations in the report will focus on precollege students. Mr. Gilmore shared 

initial draft questions the team will research to better understand what NASA should be doing in the 

areas of motivation and sparking interest in STEM. we drafted initial questions. Some initial questions 

are: What is research base? How does it support sparking student interest in STEM? How do we sustain 

interest and motivation over the long term? Following the July panel, the team will review panel 

recommendations to create a report during the August timeframe. 

Mr. Gilmore asked the committee if the approach presented will satisfy the recommendation. The team

appreciates feedback on the approach and is looking for recommendations for subject matter experts to 

invite to the panel. Mr. Dumbacher asked about how the report becomes actionable and communicated

to industry, universities and the K-12 system to use as a guide. Mr. Gilmore stated it will be a longer 

term endeavor than just one report and that they would likely work with partners on the distribution.

Dr. Kennedy acknowledged the team and the approach presented. She also suggested that when looking 

for subject matter experts, the team look beyond nationally recognized STEM education experts and 

include human development and human learning experts who would bring to bear broader content 

knowledge. Dr. Person supported the approach and agreed with the need for including experts with 

diverse perspectives and include nonprofits, colleges and universities, among others. Mr. Gilmore 

stated the team will be meeting in two weeks to identify the types of experts they are trying to include. 

Mr. Kincaid suggested including some members of the STEM Engagement Committee for continuity 

between the two groups. Dr. Williams stated the importance of being broad not only research and 

practice but also in the formal and informal spaces and the intersection of the two. 

Following the discussion on sparking interest, Mr. LaSalvia explained that he and Mr. Gilmore were 

currently participating in the STEMconnector forum. STEMconnector is a consortium of institutions 

concerned with STEM education and the future of human capital in the United States. One of the issues 

being discussed at the forum is return on invest and how to capture metrics when working with K-12 

students as the workforce impact is years in the future. A lot of passion in leadership but hard to get 
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May 2, 2019

everyone talking from the same sheet of paper. STEMconnector is a great opportunity to network with 

other organizations on closing the STEM talent gap. 

Mr. Kincaid then shared that Kris Brown would discuss the agency STEM Engagement portfolio at the 

next committee meeting. The full NAC was to be during the week of May 6 but was pushed out in 

response to the Vice President’s announcement. The STEM Engagement Committee will convene 

another meeting on May 28 from 11:00-3:30 eastern. 

Mr. Kincaid then adjourned the meeting.