BAY MILLS — Bay Mills Community College Charter School Office recently announced that BMCC has received grant funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The funds will be used to support high-tech science programs at BMCC-authorized charter schools across Michigan, and Native American youth serving organizations nationwide.
“The NASA grant will greatly increase BMCC's capacity to better serve students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math,” said BMCC President Mickey Parish. “These funds will directly impact a minimum of 300 students in grades K to 12 by introducing them to 21st Century learning tools and research methods. This is a crucial benefit for our students, and one we are proud to offer.”
Parish said grant funds will be used to support the following specific project activities:
— Full student participation in a hands-on environmental and educational program that unites students, educators and scientists around the world in studying the global environment. Students in the GLOBE program, as it is known, will set up on-site research stations and take measurements of environmental factors according to specific protocol. Students will report their findings to on-line databases in Colorado and Germany, and access worldwide date via the Internet.
— Installation and operation of a magnetometer at BMCC, which will help students and teachers track and analyze data related to the Northern Lights. Data will be contributed to a geomagnetic event observation network.
— Students will also be introduced to the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), where they can access a wide array of datasets and global scientific resources.
— Training opportunities for teachers and students will be hosted on BMCC's campus. Additionally, each year a group of participants will be selected to participate in a culminating training event.
— Students and teachers will also have the opportunity to be involved in hands-on learning related to NASA's THEMIS mission. THEMIS answers fundamental outstanding questions regarding the magnetospheric substorm instability, a dominant mechanism of transport and explosive release of solar wind energy with Geospace - the Aurora.
“These are truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for students being served by BMCC,” Parish said. “This grant will allow our schools to have an even greater lasting impact on the lives and goals of many Michigan schoolchildren.”
