ENGINEERS MOVE INTO COURTROOM TEACHER TRAINING FIRST ON GROUP'S AGENDA.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff WriterPALMDALE - A courtroom where civil cases were once heard is now home to an effort to advance science and technology education and research. Settling into their new home in a portion of the former Palmdale courthouse, AERO Institute officials hope to begin conducting teacher training workshops before Christmas, and then branch out into distance learning courses and conferences. ``There have been no renovations to the building,'' said Susan Miller Susan Miller is the name of:
NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. Dryden Flight Research Center The Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. , one of the consortium partners. ``We have taken something built for an entirely different purpose and are using it for education and research.'' AERO - short for Aerospace Education Research Operations - evolved out of concerns over the lack of engineering and technical training opportunities in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . The institute, formed about 18 months ago, is a partnership comprising NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. ; the California Space Grant Foundation, a California nonprofit corporation nonprofit corporation n. an organization incorporated under state laws and approved by both the state's Secretary of State and its taxing authority as operating for educational, charitable, social, religious, civic or humanitarian purposes. ; the California Space Grant Consortium, part of the NASA-sponsored National Space Grant Foundation with more than 800 affiliate colleges and universities; NASA Ames Research Center NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) is a NASA facility located at Moffett Federal Airfield, which covers 43 acres at the borders of the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale in California. This research center is most commonly called NASA Ames. ; and the California Space Institute of the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). . The institute is working on programs aimed at inspiring kindergarten through high school students to pursue science, math and technical careers, as well as providing technical, undergraduate and graduate training. The first uses of the center's new home will be the teacher workshops, aimed at providing them information to assist them with math and science education and to inform them on what resources are available to assist them. ``We hope to do one workshop a month,'' Miller said. The institute eventually plans to conduct classes, including university-level courses, with teleconferencing technology at its new home. The AERO Institute's new headquarters is also the new home of NASA Dryden's teacher resource center. The center had been located in Lancaster, but was relocated to Edwards two years ago because of budget cuts. The center provides educational materials, such as posters, slides, and supplemental curriculum on aeronautics, science and math. The center, which serves Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and Arizona, receives about 25 requests a week, said Michelle Davis, a Dryden education specialist. For now, the best way for teachers to access the center is through NASA's main Web site, nasa.gov, but it is hoped that the center will be able to accommodate walk-in requests starting in the summer. ``One of the purposes of being here is to be in the community,'' Davis said. ``We're thrilled to be at this location.'' Under an agreement with the city of Palmdale, the institute is leasing 5,800 square feet of the courthouse for $1 a year. The institute is responsible for its own maintenance and operations costs. The courthouse, at the southwest corner of 9th Street East and Avenue Q-10, had been vacant since last year when Los Angeles County moved its civil court operations to the new Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. City officials hope the institute will not only enhance technology education, but will lead to economic development with projects from the region's aerospace industry. ``This is an opportunity to bring partners together to see what kind of magic can occur,'' said Mayor Jim Ledford. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com |
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