UTSA and WEX Foundation Awarded $800K NASA Grant for Unique Space Education Program

San Antonio, Texas — A unique space education program is launching at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) after NASA awarded UTSA and the WEX Foundation a grant of $800,000. The four-year program, set to start this fall, will offer middle school students innovative experiences in designing, building, and testing lunar lava tube habitat models using simple supplies and recyclable materials.

Fostering Future Generations in Space Exploration

This exciting new program will enable children involved in afterschool activities to understand and explore space-based scientific concepts. They will achieve this through multimedia resources such as “Career Chats,” providing students with the chance to interact with STEM professionals who work in space exploration. Their time will be spent learning from guest speakers from prestigious organizations, including NASA, Southwest Research Institute, UTSA, Texas A&M, and Blue Origin.

The grand finale of the semester will see student teams vying against each other to design the best lunar lava tube habitat. All this will be made possible thanks to the funding provided by the NASA grant to UTeachSA and the WEX Foundation to promote STEM-based education in the realm of space exploration.

UTSA: Developing a New Generation of Stellar Educators

The grant will contribute to the collaborative efforts of the UTeachSA—a partnership between the UTSA College of Sciences and the UTSA College of Education and Human Development. The program aims to train aspiring math and science teachers while encouraging efforts to improve STEM education, focusing mainly on hands-on, problem-based learning activities.

“It is an important time for us to inspire a new generation of stargazers who want to learn more beyond our Earth,” emphasized Carey Walls, associate director of UTeachSA.

Boosting Educators Confidence

These programs aim not only to inspire students but also to bolster the confidence of the student teachers leading the program. In the process, they raise the quality and quantity of math and science teachers in the area by providing unique opportunities and financial assistance to undergraduates majoring in math and science fields.

Sowing Seeds Early for Space Science

UTSA’s partnership with the WEX Foundation is paramount in training teacher candidates in the latest NASA-supported STEM-based learning models for space education. Moreover, the UTeachSA students will have a golden opportunity to boost their portfolios by receiving training in the latest NASA-supported space education models and teaching methods designed especially for middle school students.

“They will implement the NWAY II project-based learning curriculum in local after school programs, which provide them with experience in leading a group of students with hands-on activities focused on space exploration and other STEM topics,” added Walls.

This exciting development indicates a new phase in how educational programs are aimed at inculcating a love for space exploration amongst young students. Through these efforts, UTSA and the WEX Foundation are indeed setting space-bound aspirations alight in the hearts of the next generation.