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Explore Stem Plan Book

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary .......................................................... 04

Situation Analysis ............................................................. 07

Budget Summary .............................................................. 10

Secondary Research ......................................................... 12

Primary Research .............................................................. 23

Key Findings ....................................................................... 31

Target Audiences .............................................................. 35

SWOT Analysis ................................................................... 38

Strategic Messages .......................................................... 43

Planning Section .............................................................. 54

Executions .......................................................................... 64

Sources ................................................................................ 112

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Executive Summary

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Executive Summary The Coalition for Space Exploration is an alliance of space industry leaders and advocacy groups that consists of a board of 20 space experts. It supports the agenda of human and robotic space exploration by NASA. It also supports America’s space industry that drives new technology to progress daily life. The Coalition believes educators need to motivate their students by using classroom tested lesson plans, projects and other resources. This prepares students to be part of an important workforce, one that assures the future of space advancements and helps the United States to remain a leader in technological innovation.

We conducted research using a variety of methods including: pooled class research, a SurveyMonkey online survey, a focus group, and observation at the University of Kansas Engineering Expo, Great Plains Region Future City Competition and the Douglas County Science Fair. Our secondary research included STEM and space-related articles and Web sites. After analyzing the results of our research, we found that though the majority of people support space exploration, they lack an interest in STEM-related careers. Though we also observed that many kids are interested in math and science, there is a stereotype about these subjects being “uncool.” This stereotype ultimately affects students’ interests, hobbies and careers.

Although the Coalition is a strong force in space advocacy, it faces challenges in today’s modern society. The first key challenge is that other career paths are viewed as more appealing to America’s youth than STEM-related careers. Our research shows that overall, Americans support space exploration. However, the second challenge the Coalition faces is that the majority of American people do not turn their support into action. Our plan’s main goals for supporting the mission of the Coalition are:

1. To create awareness and to inspire young people to pursue STEM-related careers. 2. To encourage public involvement for an ongoing program of space exploration.

To achieve our first goal, our group proposes to distribute information packets about the Coalition and its purpose to a National Education Association affiliate in each of the 50 states. The packets would include a letter describing the contents of the packet, a fact sheet about the Coalition and its goals, and a backgrounder about the Coalition. It would also include a brochure detailing the proposed Speaker’s Bureau. The goal of this packet is to encourage educators and parents to include more STEM education in and out of classroom.

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Exectutive Summary

To support our second goal, we propose using the Internet to make space appear “cooler.” We propose a YouTube channel and a new Web site entitled www.spaceiscool.com. We suggest that the Coalition sponsor a carnival in conjunction with Moon Day. Boys and Girls Clubs in four major cities — Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles — would receive informa-tion packets with a news release, flier and a sign-in sheet.

The budget allotment is $100,000. The total amount is $103,279.50

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Situation analysis

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Situation Analysis

Client: The Coalition for Space Exploration is an alliance of space industry leaders and advocacy groups. It supports the agenda of human and robotic space exploration by NASA and America’s space industry that drives new technology to progress daily life. According to its Web site, the mission of the Coalition for Space Exploration is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.”

Challenges: As the youth of America grow older, the allure of space diminishes. A lack of interest in math and science among middle school students is the biggest challenge facing the Coalition. In the eyes of 10- to 14-year-olds, math and science seem “uncool” and “nerdy.” This could be a result from growing up in a commercial society where Americans mainly focus on appearance and status. Some people believe that for space to gain popularity, the nation needs a fresh idea of an “american hero.” Steve Hawley, a former astronaut, reasoned that astronauts in the past have been private which is why they are not typically viewed as heroic figures. Instead, Americans tend to idolize famous celebrities or athletes. According to a survey conducted by the nonpartisan research organization Public Agenda, “more than 40 percent of students said they would be quite unhappy if they ended up in a career with a math or science focus.” The Coalition for Space Exploration seeks to find solutions to increase student interest and desire to pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Along with a lack of interest, America is losing its international status as a leader in the space industry. According to Gwen Griffin, the managing director of the Coalition’s integrated marketing agency, Griffin Communications Group, “international students are taking their skills and knowledge from America back to their own countries.” Coalition members worry that other countries are rapidly advancing their space programs while NASA remains static.

The last major challenge that the Coalition for Space Exploration currently faces is the question of “who cares about space?” Many American taxpayers are unhappy giving their money to space exploration because of its intangible results. People would rather spend their money on more immediate issues that have quick and visible results. Miles O’ Brien, a former CNN broadcast journalist specializing in space, emphasizes that America needs encouragement or a motive to care about space. He explained that because we have already been to the moon, many people see no point of returning. O’Brien believes Americans

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Situation Analysis

have lost sight of a “new frontier.” The Coalition for Space Exploration views these three challenges as obstacles it needs to overcome. Without conquering these challenges, the future of American space exploration is bleak.

Environment: Despite these challenges, the Coalition for Space Exploration is working in an environment that offers an opportunity for it to expand its programs and discover new ways space can benefit the United States. Although NASA has experienced severe budget cuts and is retiring the space shuttle fleet, it hopes to “revitalize and realign” itself to “function as an efficient 21st century research and development agency” (President Obama’s 2011 National Budget Plan). Because of the impact of the economic recession, President Obama says there is no point investing in something that isn’t going to take us anywhere. According to O’Brien, the cancellation of the Constellation Moon Landing program will not hurt NASA, but rather, allow it to allocate money to more useful programs. The Coalition can promote the benefits of NASA’s new budget to America and help gain support for the “revitalization” of NASA.

Last November, President Obama launched a national campaign that has a significant impact on the Coalition’s functioning environment. The purpose of the campaign, “Educate to Innovate,” is to “improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” This campaign provides incentive for the Coalition’s efforts to promote the importance of space. The education of America’s youth determines the future of space exploration. An increase of interest in STEM education could result in a future with a plethora of intelligent aerospace engineers.

Why Action is Necessary: Considering the challenges the Coalition for Space Exploration faces and the opportunities its current operating environment offers, there is a need for the Coalition to take action now. There is no better time than now to promote space exploration and increase STEM education in America’s schools. As previously mentioned, middle and high school students are rapidly losing interest in math and science. Together, “Educate to Innovate” and the Coalition have the ability to capture their attention. It is essential now, more than ever, that the Coalition promotes the importance of space exploration through traditional and new media.

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BudgetSummary

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Budget Summary

The Coalition for Space Exploration Campaign

Budget

Coalition Speaker’s Bureau - free

Informational packet for education policy makers and educators - $71.50

Grant program for field trips - $5,568

Rocket-building kits - free

Moon Day carnival - $9,100

Triangle members to speak to high schools - $2,160

Scholarship for high school senior - $5,000

Print ad - $21,680

Billboard - $28,000

Online newsletter - free

“Space Days” radio program on NPR - $675

Radio PSA - free

Sonic “Mission to Space Camp” contest - $22,025

Web site - www.spaceiscool.com - $9,000

YouTube channel - free

TOTAL: $103,279.50

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Secondary Research

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Secondary Research

Our group’s secondary research findings are separated into the following seven categories: the Coalition for Space Exploration, NASA, STEM education, President Obama’s 2011 Budget, President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, middle school, high school and college students and parents. We were able to find multiple articles and Web sites that provided vital information about our client and NASA, the current status of space exploration in America and student’s views of STEM education.

I. Client

A.) The Coalition for Space Exploration The Coalition for Space Exploration is an alliance of space industry leaders and

advocacy groups. It supports the agenda of human and robotic space exploration by NASA and America’s space industry that drives new technology to progress daily life.

The mission of the Coalition is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.”

The coalition continues to recruit members for its campaign. Membership is open to any U.S. based company or organization that supports the exploration of space and is willing to commit funding or other resources toward increasing the support for space exploration.

Research conducted in space provides vital information for the U.S. and the future generations. According to the Web site, space is important because of the scientific and technological skills of the program that helps America better understand the Earth, universe and people. Space exploration helps aerospace technology and other fields. Helping increase food safety and improve medical treatments are among its benefits. The Coalition believes educators need to motivate their students by using classroom tested lesson plans, projects and other resources. This prepares the students to be part of an important workforce, one that assures the future of the space advancements and helps the U.S. to stay the leader in technological innovation. More than 1,500 products have been developed because of space technology. The following page presents a table of some of the developments and other factors that coincide to space exploration.

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Secondary Research

B.) Table of Coalition for Space Exploration ResearchProducts Developed because of Space Technology

Three Ways Space ExplorationDrives New Technology and Boosts Venture Capital

Other Relevant Facts

Fire-resistance material Medically – digital hearing aids, miniature hear pumps, cancer detection devices, common smoke detectors, fire-resistance aircraft sears, safety grooving on roads, Lasik eye surgery and humanitarian devices

Space exploration helps people understand the history and make-up of our planet and how to manage the planet (climate and resources)

Weather-forecasting tools The Economy- fifteen firms that received an initial $64 million in NASA life science research and added $200 million of their own money created a $1.5 billion return on investment in the form of sold commercial goods and services during 25 years

The environment affects human physiology

Medical devices (insulin pumps and De Bakery heart pumps)

The Environment – learned how to best preserve and protect it due to improved software and images from the space program. Space technology is responsible for rainwater purification systems for developing countries and numerous environmentally friendly products

Guides how to live, work and thrive in hostile environments

Food safety Leadership in the U.S. and technological superiority (knowledge and discovery) especially for China who military aspirations on the moon

Rainwater purification system in developing countries

NASA’s annual budget is less than 1 percent of the total annual federal budget or about 15 cents per day for the average citizen

Satellite Radio The business has created countless industries, jobs and money for the economy (return on America’s investment)

Digital and satellite television Investment in space improves our economy, fuels our commercial space industry promotes leadership in the global community of nations, all of direct advantage and payback to taxpayers as a result of our spending to explore the frontiers of space

Cell phone technologyCordless tools and GPS (in cars, boats and family farms)

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Secondary Research

II. NASA A.) Public Opinion About Space Exploration – America Rates NASA’s Performance This article cites Gallup as its source and says that national public opinion of NASA has been mostly positive over the years. There have been peaks and valleys, but overall Americans support the space program. Seventy five percent of Americans say the losses of the Columbia and Challenger were regrettable, but that the fatal tragedies of human lives is an expected price to pay to advance the nation’s space program. However, a 2005 CBS news poll discovered that only 59 percent of respondents thought that the space shuttle program was worth continuing, down from 72 percent in 2003.

B.) Majority of Americans Say Space Program Costs Justified The Gallup Poll has rated the value of the space program over time, and the consensus has been generally positive. People who are at least 50 years old are less likely to say the cost of the space program is justified. Only 54 percent of those who are at least 50 years old think the costs are justified, while 63 percent of 18- to 49-year-olds think the costs are justified. While Americans broadly accept the space program, the numbers are lower than they have been in the past. The high point of support was in 1998 when John Glenn made a return trip to space, and the low point was in September 1993 because of poor economic conditions.

III. STEM Education

A.) The White House Blog Two young women, Li Boyton and Gabriella Farfan, are committed to studying STEM education. Boyton’s passion for math and science began in fifth grade when she designed a solar-distillation device after reading Life of Pi. She won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her potentially groundbreaking method of testing drinking water. Farfan also won for her research that describes why gemstones appear to change colors at certain angles. They were invited to Obama’s State of the Union Address.

B.) STEM Education This article addresses the question of how science got left behind. One possible reason is President Bush’s education-reform initiative, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In its initial years, NCLB required that students be tested only in reading and math, causing a switch in teaching focus.

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Secondary Research

A shocking statistic is that 28 percent of teachers who teach at least one science class in the seventh to 12th grades do not have a major in science. The teachers are recruited to teach subjects they are not specialized in because of the shortage of science teachers. One proposed action is to give the science teachers more money.

IV. Obama’s Budget

A.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): President Obama’s 2011 Budget President Obama’s 2011 budget for NASA adds $6 billion to the program’s budget for the next five years. By embracing the commercial space industry, it hopes to create thousands of new jobs. It also canceled NASA’s Constellation program and wants to develop “more capable and innovative technologies for future space exploration.” The budget “extends the International Space Station and enhances its utilization, bringing nations together in a common pursuit of knowledge and excellence in space.” The budget also focuses on enhancing the nation’s global climate change research and monitoring system, providing a robust program of robotic solar system exploration and new astronomical observatories, and revitalizing and realigning NASA to put in place the right workforce and facilities to function as an efficient 21st century research and development agency. The President’s budget aims to allow NASA to fulfill its mission: “to improve the knowledge of the Earth, explore space with humans and robots, advance strong partnerships with other nations, and educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.”

The budget will lay the foundation for a bold new course for human flight, develop and deploy technologies to reduce future space mission costs, expand opportunities and strengthen the American economy. It also supports extension and enhanced utilization of the Space Station and promising commercial space transportation. Finally, the budget increases support for green aviation and a more efficient air transportation system.

B.) National Science Foundation (NSF): President Obama’s 2011 Budget The president’s budget for the National Science Foundation provides $7.4 billion as part of his plan for science and innovation. It drives the creation of the industries and jobs of the future by doubling funding for multidisciplinary research targeted at next-generation

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information and biological technologies. The budget provides $19 million for graduate and undergraduate fellowships and scholarships to inspire tens of thousands of American students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship related to clean energy. The budget creates a $766 million, cross-agency sustainability research effort focused on renewable energy technologies and complex environmental and climate-system processes. It also increases funding by 14 percent for a new consolidated program aimed at building the science and technology workforce by recruiting and retaining undergraduates from under-represented groups. It will also broaden reach and increase funding to promote the study of science and technology.

V. Educate to Innovate

A.) President Obama Expands ‘Educate to Innovate”’Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education The “Educate to Innovate” campaign strives to lift the American people to be at the forefront of the math and science fields during the next decade. Major companies, universities, foundations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies will join the campaign to inspire students to excel in STEM subjects. The lack of STEM field teachers has created a shortage of up to one million teachers. These partnerships will be challenged to find innovative new ways to recruit, train, and reward all teachers for STEM field education over the next five years.

B.) Making Science Cool: ‘Educate to Innovate’“Educate to Innovate” aims at making math and science “cool.” More than $4 billion

in federal grants will be allotted to those who can innovate STEM education. Many after-school programs related to math and science are underfunded and can only do so much. Teachers are not going to believe this campaign until they see it. The White House continues to be a platform for increasing STEM education through hosting events for student success. The White House hosted an Astronomy Night that centered on young students who made astronomical discoveries and plans on hosting many events in the future. STEM events can inspire students at an early level to pursue a career in science, math and engineering.

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C.) President Obama Highlights Michigan Education Program to Improve Preparation of Math and Science Teachers

President Obama has recognized W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship as one of the new partners of the “Educate to Innovate” campaign. He also has announced that six universities — University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Wayne State University — have been selected to participate in the Fellowship program. Highly qualified and exemplary teachers with master’s degrees will be placed in hard-to-staff middle and high schools. Through this program, 90,000 students will receive high-quality instruction in critical subject areas of STEM.

VI. Middle School, High School, and College Student Research Findings:

A.) NASA – Envisioning Future Flight Every year NASA provides students with an opportunity to compete in a competition that challenges their ability to research a particular aeronautics world issue, recognize the problem and develop a sufficient solution. This competition also opens the door for students to receive internships and future jobs with NASA. This program targets high school students who described the competition as a rewarding and exciting opportunity. There are many other programs and opportunities for high school and college students, however, there are not as many opportunities for younger kids.

B.) Iowa State University Science Bound According to their Web site, Iowa State’s Science Bound program was created to “increase the number of ethnically diverse students who pursue ASTEM (agriculture, science, technology, engineering, mathematics) degrees.” This pre-college program invites students to participate at the end of their seventh grade year. The preparatory program begins in the eighth grade and involves students attending monthly meetings with SB teachers and visits to Iowa State. The high school program meets weekly. The Science Bound program benefits students by providing them with a full-tuition scholarship if they successfully complete the high school program, meet admission requirements to ISU and pursue a technical degree. Research has proven that students in the SB program show more positive attitudes toward science and score higher on academic tests.

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SB has offered scholarships to more than 200 program graduates. The site offers many links for current SB participants and anyone in the Des Moines, Dension and Marshalltown, Iowa areas that might be interested.

C.) Purdue University Science Bound Program Purdue University’s Web site describes their Science Bound program as an “exciting program” created by the University, Indianapolis Public Schools and the Indianapolis business community. SB mentors eighth- through 12th-graders in Indianapolis and encourages them to enroll in classes and pursue careers in STEM education fields. If a student completes the five-year SB program, gains acceptance to Purdue University and pursues an SB approved field, they will receive a full-tuition scholarship. This program was modeled after the Science Bound program at Iowa State University. The program also offers summer camps and workshops such as, Summer Biology Experience, Vet Camp and Math Intensive Workshop. SB students get to participate in an industrial or academic internship during the summer before their senior year of high school.

D.) Engineering by the Numbers Michael T. Gibbons, the director of data research for the American Society for Engineering Education, wrote this article to illustrate and describe the statistics of students receiving engineering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2008.

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The article includes many important facts pertaining to engineering students, including:

Engineering bachelor’s degrees earned from 2007 reaching 74,170 — a 1.2 percent gain. 68,206 engineering bachelor’s degrees were awarded — highest total since 1988. Enrollment grew by 4.5 percent--403,191 full-time undergraduates. Master’s degrees awarded in engineering grew by 5.4 percent. Enrollment in the engineering master’s program was 93,000.

The article summarizes the changes in engineering enrollment and number of graduates in relation to gender, ethnicity and popularity of the different engineering fields.

E.) In Pursuit of a Diverse Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Workforce: There is currently a nationwide problem of educational policies limiting science resources for K-12 schools. The American Association for Advancement of Science found through research the key contributing factors that influence high school students who chose to pursue STEM-related majors and careers. These factors include teacher effectiveness, the high school resources, parental income/education/wealth, out of school opportunities, the number of advanced math/science classes taken, quality of school curriculum, the students test scores, class rank and grade point average.

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F.) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Test Results Beginning in 2000, the PISA test has been administered by the Program for International Student Assessment to 15-year-olds in each country to assess their knowledge of math and science. The test is given every three years. In 2006, approximately 400,000 students, including 5,600 in the U.S., took the test. The average science score of U.S. students ranked 17th out of 30 countries tested. Finland ranked in the top scores while Mexico was at the bottom. Tenth graders in the U.S. received an average science score of 489 on a 1,000-point scale. These results were 11 points below the average of the other countries. Canada, Japan and Korea were among the countries that outperformed the U.S. The results of the U.S. were similar to those in eight countries and exceeded those from five others. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the 2007 U.S. ranking in the Trends and International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) was the same as its 2003 ranking. The article states a strong need of government funding to aid the lack of qualified math, science and computer science teachers in the U.S. In India, computer science education begins in kindergarten, but the U.S. doesn’t begin teaching it until the end of high school. There are alternative schools that put emphasis on math, science and computer science, but their availability is too limited to assist the students who struggle in those subject areas.

VII. Parents

A.) Math and Science Magnet Schools: Are They Right for Your Kids? The author addresses public schools called National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. These schools offer specialty math, science and computer science classes, and are sought out by its students. A benefit of these specialty schools is the opportunity to hire teachers that are experts in their fields. Because these schools are rare, high admission standards are created from large enrollment. Not only is there a lack of opportunity, but also the issue translates into low test scores in math and science in the U.S. The rank of the U.S. consistently drops as compared to other countries.

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B.) Survey: Parents and Students Satisfied with Current Math/Science EducationAccording to the 2006 survey from the nonpartisan research organization Public

Agenda, parent concern for STEM education has declined since the mid 1990s. Neither parents nor high school students share worries that math and science skills are a threat to both students’ and the nation’s future. Forty percent of students said they did not want a math or science career. When asked to rank the problems of their own skills, math and science were ranked as not a problem. Between minority and white students, there were major differences. Fifty-three percent of minority students and 48 percent of white students thought that math and science were essential for real world success. Thirty-one percent of minority students, compared with 20 percent of white students, said that not being taught math and science was a

“serious problem” in their own school.

C.) Survey Shows Parents Would Rather Talk Drugs Than Science or MathAccording to the Intel survey, 53 percent of parents of teens admit they have trouble

helping their children with math and science homework. Twenty-three percent of parents say that their lack of knowledge in math and science is a key barrier to the lack of involvement in their child’s math and science education. Twenty-six percent of parents who are less involved wished there was an easier way to refresh their knowledge of math and science to help their children. According to the survey, parents prefer talking to their children about drugs and alcohol rather than math and science because it is a vague subject. Likewise, they would rather discuss subjects critical to their survival, not to their success. The generation gap between the parent and child can cause parents to ignore STEM education. “Math and science have not changed, but the amount of knowledge and understanding has.”

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PrimaryResearch

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Primary Research

We conducted research using a variety of tactics including: pooled research, a SurveyMonkey online survey, a focus group, and observation at the University of Kansas Engineering Expo, Great Plains Region Future City Competition and the Douglas County Science Fair. The ethnographic research we conducted at the Expo, competition and science fair provided us with insight into different ages of students’ perspectives about STEM-related subjects and careers. The surveys and focus group revealed the strong influence parents and educators have on students’ interests. Surprisingly, the students who participated in our focus group seemed to have little to no knowledge of President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, but shared strong views during the discussion of his NASA budget plan.

I. Statement of Methodology

A.) Pooled Research - Space Camp Survey This survey was conducted March 3-13, 2010, under the auspices of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Students enrolled in JOUR 676 Strategic Communication Campaigns at the University of Kansas generated questions for the survey on behalf of its class client, the Coalition for Space Exploration. KCSC e-mailed a link to an online survey to 1,242 former Space Camp participants. Two hundred seventy-nine e-mail accounts were invalid and 411 of e-mails were opened. Twenty-eight students and one professor from JOUR 676 were also invited to participate. The survey response rate was just over 10 percent.

Overall Results: Our group found a lot of useful information when analyzing the results of the Space

Camp survey. We were most surprised to find that the majority of respondents said their interest in school is influenced by their parents rather than their friends. It seems that most students in high school are usually concerned with fitting in with their friends and rebelling against their parents. This made our group hopeful that kids are beginning to study subjects that interest them, regardless of what their adolescent peers think. This insight is also supported by the overwhelming 92 percent of participants that said they liked science. In our class interviews with Miles O’Brien and Steve Hawley, we discussed the growing lack of interest in space exploration among today’s youth. Ninety-six percent of the participants said they admired astronauts, proving that there are still people who respect and are interested in space exploration. After analyzing the results of the survey questions pertaining to social media usage, it is clear that Facebook is the most popular form of media among the survey participants. This

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survey result did not surprise our group because Facebook is constantly gaining popularity and adding more applications. The most significant finding is the vast differences in blog usage between women and men. Only 0.8 percent of men said they use blogs, versus 23.4 percentof women. This could mean that young women are more concerned with staying in touch with their emotions and are more likely to post their opinions online. The survey also showed that Twitter was more popular among women. These two results led our group to believe that girls are more social than males and enjoy keeping up with not only their own social lives, but others as well. These findings could be very helpful for the future when we are determining what types of tactics to use to reach our target audiences. The results of the TV viewership portion of the survey revealed very interesting information. The Discovery Channel was rated number one among survey participants for being viewed regularly and occasionally. This shows that the participants show an interest in the facts and the realities of science. In contrast, the “SyFy” channel was rated the lowest regularly watched channel among participants. Though the kids show an interest in science, it appears that they would rather watch shows that reflect natural, realistic science than fantasy programs. The participant’s strong interest in facts is also supported by the high percentage of interest in the History Channel. While the results displayed a strong interest in nonfiction programs, ABC, CBS, and FOX also received high ratings. This could mean that while the participants may spend more time watching informational programs in their leisure time, they enjoy watching entertaining sitcoms. They could also consider ABC, CBS and FOX as their main source of news, which also reflects their interest in facts. The majority of the students surveyed have parents who are interested in science, math and space. However, more than 92 percent of kids surveyed were also interested in science, math and space, while their parents show no interest in the subjects. Again, this information provides our group with optimism that kids are beginning to pursue their interests, regardless of what others think.

B.) Math, Science and Engineering Students Survey Our group contacted the department of aerospace engineering at the University of Kansas. Amy Borton, an administrative assistant in the department, sent a link to our online survey to 140 undergraduate and 40 graduate students. Our group also sent the survey to friends majoring in math, science or engineering and posted it on Facebook.

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Overall Results: We found that 65.5 percent of students chose their major before college and 54.5 percent became interested in high school.

Approximately 43 percent of the participants became interested in their major through hobbies and 40 percent became interested through their education. We were surprised the highest level of interest in their major was during high school because we expected students would be influenced by their peers, but only 9.1 percent said they became interested through friends and peers.. Approximately 82 percent favor the problem solving aspect of their major, 67.3 percent favor future career opportunities and 63.5 percent favor the challenging aspect.

Before College Freshman Year Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year

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When did you chose your major?

Problem-Solving Future CareerOpportunities

Challenging Financial Stabilityafter College

Experiments

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What is your favorite part of your major?

Computer Technology

Logic Numbers Formulas

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Almost three-fourths of the participants are involved in KU clubs and organizations, but more than half are not involved outside of KU. Five of the 19 women surveyed are involved in the Society of Women Engineers. We feel it is important for women to form their own community within the engineering department because women represent such a small percentage in the department. Nine students are involved in the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics and seven are involved in honors society programs. Almost all are involved in more than one outside activity which was a surprise to our group because of the students’ heavy academic workload. Their activities range from rock climbing to National Society of Collegiate Scholars. With more than three-fourths of the participants interested in a STEM career, 63.6 percent of those are very interested in a career in the aerospace industry, however, the high number of aerospace engineering students who completed the survey biases this percentage. More than half said they strongly agree that space exploration is worth spending money on. The students surveyed were born between 1983 and 1991, and two-thirds are male.

C.) Engineering Focus Group We conducted a focus group consisting of five science and engineering students at the University of Kansas. The majors of the group participants were cellular biology, electrical engineering, bio-mechanical engineering, a double major in mechanical engineering and business administration, and aerospace engineering. We began the discussion by asking what they liked or disliked about their majors. Overall, the answers were positive. The participants agreed that their majors were interesting. The students mentioned that their majors are fun, they do “cool” projects, apply concepts to their daily life, enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together, and had a natural curiosity from a young age.

Overall Results: When asked about STEM education and Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign,

none of the participants knew about either. However, they were very interested in learning more about the subjects.. After explaining to the group a little about each concept, one participant discussed the lack of science and math teachers at the college level. Another participant discussed his dissatisfaction with his educational experience and explained how he had to seek out external sources on his own. The discussion took an interesting turn when another participant explained his opinion about why there is a shortage of engineers.

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Our group’s speculation about the lack of media portrayal surrounding engineers was confirmed when a student mentioned that engineers are not portrayed as glamorously as other professions, such as doctors. This was an interesting conversation because all of the participants agreed with this thought. Another idea mentioned by three different participants was if more people knew what engineers accomplish, then the negative stereotypes could possibly change. This particular thought sparked a more in-depth discussion on the different stereotypes of engineers. Our group thought women were discriminated against the in the engineering profession. Although, the females agreed that they did not receive the same amount of respect as their male peers, the male’s opinions were surprising. The males believed that females, particularly non-white, had an advantage because there are so few of them in the field. One white male participant explained how a nonwhite female is more likely to get a scholarship when competing against a white male. This participant also said that if scholarships were awarded based solely on quality of work and GPA rather than race or gender, more people would choose engineering because of the available funding. However, each participant agreed that peers and the general public viewed their major as “nerdy” or “uncool.” Finally, the group discussed NASA and space exploration. Overall, the participants described NASA as an “overall good program.” An interesting concept that three participants mentioned was that exploration was part of human nature. Before the focus group, our group thought that most college students would think exploration was important because of the competitive aspect. We thought students would want America to be seen as a leader among other countries in space exploration. Our focus group findings suggested the opposite. The participants agreed that exploration was a part of human nature and without exploration there would be few technological advancements. They felt that exploration itself was important, no matter who was the leader in the industry.

D.) Engineering Expo Ethnographic Research and Interviews Our group attended the University of Kansas Engineering Expo on Feb. 12. The event aims to stimulate interest and provide information about engineering for elementary, middle and high school students. While attending the Expo we conducted ethnographic research by observing the environment and documenting it with a camera and a video camera. In addition, we interviewed a graduate student and an undergraduate student majoring in aerospace engineering and a fourth-grade teacher.

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Overall Results: We observed and documented student interactions as they explored rooms with space

exhibits. The younger students were interested in driving a flight simulator in front of a screen displaying digital space, making paper and bottle rockets and playing a space exploration video game. The older students were more absorbed in playing with their cell phones, iPods and talking with their friends. The excitement of the younger students made it evident that high-tech visual aids sparked their attention and interest, while the older students disregarded the visual aids and avoided fully participating in the Expo. Though the ethnographic research was helpful, interviews provided another essential component to our information gathering. The interviews gave our group insight into the importance of STEM education and careers, and concerns regarding space exploration for the future. The graduate and undergraduate aerospace engineering students discussed their reasons for pursuing an engineering degree. They also spoke about their science interests and reasons that influenced their degree selection. The fourth-grade teacher stressed the importance of students being interested in STEM fields because it opens doors for young students later in life. The information we gathered from interviews and ethnographic research encouraged critical thinking on the importance of STEM education. We concluded that there is a need for innovative ideas to revive the lack of STEM education and encourage elementary, middle and high school students to pursue an interest in a STEM career.

E.) Great Plains Region Future City Competition Ethnographic Research and Interviews On Friday, Jan. 22, our group attended the Great Plains Future City Competition, hosted by the University of Kansas School of Engineering. We interviewed participants and also conducted ethnographic research among the students.

Overall Results: We interviewed one of the volunteer engineering students and a group of students from Concordia Middle School in Salina. A senior in the KU School of Engineering spoke about how he chose his degree, and his childhood experiences attending summer camps. He explained how his interest in repairing objects, math and science all influenced his decision to pursue engineering. Also, he though kids could have more of an interest in math and science by “experimenting and just trying things in an encouraged environment, like school.”

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The seventh-grade students gave their opinion on why more adolescents are not participating in math, science or space camps. They mentioned that money and distant locations prohibit them from attending space camps. One student commented that if there were more available scholarships to attend these camps, she would absolutely attend an out-of-state space camp. She also mentioned that her middle school was unable to fund a math, science or space club because of a shortage of funding. In addition to the interviews, the ethnographic research showed that students were more interested in science than math. During the competition, students were eager to support their teammates and excited for the winners to be announced. The research proved that students want to attend space, science or math camps but unfortunately insufficient funds combined with the high price of the camps prevent them from doing so. The engineering student emphasized the need to challenge students in math and science curriculums to encourage them to develop their skills for a future STEM career.

F.) Douglas County Science Fair Ethnographic Research Our group attended the science fair at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on February 5. Approximately 50 elementary and middle school students created a variety of science projects that focused on different topics of science including biology, ecology, chemistry and space.

Overall Results: Many students chose to do experiments on the lifecycle of plants, bacteria in food, and

chemical reactions. Only one student chose a space related project. We think this means that students are more interested in other aspects of science than they are with space. We went to the fair hoping to find students experimenting with aspects of space. It was disappointing to discover only one student was interested enough to do her science fair project about space.

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Key Findings

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Key Findings

Research Key Findings Within the seven categories of our research, there were a significant number of key findings. In addition to providing a lot of background information on our client, we were also able to gain a better understanding of STEM education and President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign. One of the most significant findings was the influence space has on our society’s technology and the number of products produced from space. This research suggests that if the Coalition informed the public of the many ways space effects our daily lives, the overall support of space exploration could increase. One possible way that could help gain support would be to use a variety of viral media tactics such as podcasts, YouTube and online advertising. This would not only display the impact space has on technology, but also help promote space to our technologically advanced society. Another interesting key finding was that although the majority of Americans support the space program, the numbers of supporters have drastically decreased over the years. The high point of support was in 1998 when John Glenn made a return trip to space. This suggests that an effective tactic could be to keep the public more informed of current happenings in the space industry or seek out astronauts or NASA employees who could be seen as heroes. Our research of STEM education revealed a large shortage of seventh- through 12th-grade science teachers. Twenty-eight percent of teachers who teach science classes did not graduate college with a science-related degree. This suggests that high school and college students would be valuable target audiences. In order to increase the number of science teachers in the future it is important to create awareness of STEM-related subjects to students when they are making decisions about their careers. President Obama’s new budget for NASA will provide thousands of dollars in scholarships for high school and college students. There are also other programs such as Iowa State and Purdue University’s Science Bound programs that encourage students to pursue STEM-related majors and provide scholarships. We found this research to be a significant key finding because it highlights the many scholarship opportunities that are provided for students who are interested in math and science. These findings provide support for the creation of a tactic that promotes the vast amount of funding opportunities available for science and math students. It also encourages that the Coalition could help contribute to these scholarships by providing a set amount of money to students who work towards pursuing a career in STEM education.

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Our group conducted primary research using a variety of methods including: pooled class research, a SurveyMonkey online survey, a focus group, and observation at the Univeristy of Kansas Engineering Expo, Great Plains Region Future City Competition and the Douglas County Science Fair. From these tactics there are many key findings important to note. Those who participated in the class survey were high school students. This is interesting because our group thought that high school students would allow their peers to influence their educational choices more than their parents. However, the opposite was proven when the results showed that parents have the biggest influence on their children’s interest in education. Another key finding from the pooled class research was that Discovery Channel was viewed the most by the participants whereas the SyFy Channel was viewed the least. This information proves that students like the reality aspect of science rather than the fantasy aspect. In contrast to the pooled research, our online survey showed that the students were more influenced by their schooling and hobbies rather than their parents. The online survey also showed that the students were interested in math, science and engineering regardless of their parent’s jobs or interest in similar subject matter. We conducted a focus group consisting of KU science and engineering students. The focus group highlighted shared ideas held by the participants. Three or more participants stated that if more people knew what exactly engineering entailed, it might generate more interest and help diminish stereotypes. Participants agreed that if engineers were portrayed in a better light by the media, more people would be interested in pursuing an engineering career. This idea reverts back to our group’s discussion about how important media portrayal is to our culture. One participant mentioned that the media glamorizes other professions such as doctors. Each participant agreed that popularizing engineering careers through the media would benefit the industry. The focus group participants discussed the lack of educational resources available to them in middle and high school. Our secondary research showed that there is in fact a shortage of qualified science teachers. Former President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” act, shifted teaching focus to math and reading. According to our research, math and reading were considered more important than science, which seemed to create less student interest in the subject. Our group attended the Engineering Expo on the KU campus, which consisted of 1,000 students from more than 70 elementary, middle and high schools in Kansas and Missouri. Our ethnographic research showed that the high-tech visual aids, such as the flight

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simulator, and hands-on experiments were by far the most popular attractions. We also observed that the Expo sparked more interest and excitement in younger children than the middle or high school students. Another event we attended was the Great Plains Region Future City Competition. After talking with some of the seventh- and eighth-graders, we found that price and location were the main reasons that the students did not participate in space camps. Also, the students mentioned that their interest in school was most influenced by their parents. We also went to the Douglas County Science Fair. The most interesting observation was that only one out of 50 students chose to do a space-related project. The main focus of other projects were ecology, biology and chemistry. The primary and secondary research findings revealed different results on similar subjects. For example, in our secondary research, we included results from the Gallup Poll, which showed the general consensus that the value of the space program has been positive. Most Americans agreed that space exploration is important to the U.S., while the students in our focus group were more concerned with space exploration as being a part of human nature. The focus group was less concerned with America being the leader in space exploration, while the secondary research proved the opposite. This contradiction surprised our group because we thought college students would be more concerned with America being the leader in space exploration. Overall, both the key findings from our primary and secondary research provided our group with insight and ideas for how to help accomplish our client’s goals. Our primary research provided perspectives from students that we could have not have found in our secondary research. The secondary research helped us gain a better understanding of the current environment in which our client operates.

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TargetAudiences

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Target Audiences

List of Publics: Target audiences:9- to 11-year-old students12- to 15-year-old students16- to 19-year-old students Intervening publics: ParentsEducatorsMediaCoalition members

Target audience: 9- to 11-year-old elementary school students Rationale: This target is important because the students are old enough to be influenced by STEM education yet they are still young enough to be easily persuaded, which could continue a lasting interest in STEM. Key message: Students should become interested in STEM-related subjects early in their education because it will develop a strong foundation for a future STEM-related education.

Target audience: 12- to 15-year-old middle school studentsRationale: It is important to influence the students before high school. Our online survey found that more than half of the students chose their college major in high school. Influencing students to choose STEM-related education at an early age is imperative to our campaign.Key message: Middle school students should maintain an interest in STEM education into the beginning of high school because that interest will help them potentially choose a STEM-related major in college.

Target audience: 16- to 18-year-old high school students Rationale: Our survey found 54.5 percent participants said they chose their major in high school. This is a crucial age to target because high school students are beginning to think about a college major as well as what to pursue as a career. Key message: High school students should consider careers in the aerospace industry because they are both personally and financially rewarding.

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Intervening Publics

Intervening public: ParentsRationale: Our pooled research showed that the majority of those surveyed had parents who were interested in STEM-related subjects. The same research showed that the participants were most influenced by their parents when it came to their education.Key message: : Parents should incorporate STEM-related learning outside of the classroom because it is a key factor in their child’s educational success.

Intervening public: EducatorsRationale: We define educators as teachers, leaders of extra curricular activities and members of the school board. Each of these groups influences the material in the classroom as well as the student’s attitudes toward STEM education. Key message: Educators should encourage and reward students when pursuing STEM-related interests because when a child feels they have succeeded, they are more likely to maintain that interest.

Intervening public: MediaRationale: The media is important because it is the best method to reach a variety of target audiences. The media will help promote the Coalition and its efforts. It will also help publicize the Coalition’s events related to STEM education and space exploration. Key message: The Coalition should use the media to emphasize the importance of STEM education because it should report on issues that are in the nation’s best interest.

Intervening public: Coalition membersRationale: It is important for Coalition members to demonstrate internal cohesiveness because it will help promote its accomplishments and future efforts. Through informational packets, events and member outreach, the Coalition will strengthen its credibility. Also, these efforts will make its involvement more visible to its target audiences.Key message: Demonstrating internal cohesiveness is important because it will send a positive message to the public that the Coalition works together toward a common goal.

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SWOTAnalysis

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SWOT Analysis

Description:A SWOT analysis is a close examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a client’s needs. It describes the environment in which the Coalition currently operates and will operate in the future.

Strengths and weaknesses are both internal factors that an organization has control over, however strengths are positive and weaknesses are negative. Opportunities are positive and threats are negative external factors that an organization cannot control or that may exist in the future.

Strengths:The strengths quadrant represents current issues or conditions that have a positive influence on the Coalition’s ability to achieve its goals. The “Educate to Innovate” campaign is a strength that encourages an educational focus in the areas of science, technology, education and math. This campaign helps students expand their knowledge and helps persuade them to pursue a career in a STEM-related field. The reputation of high-paid space industry careers help encourage students to pursue the industry as a reward for their hard work. Inspiring leaders in the space industry promote the importance and capabilities of NASA. For example, achievements such as the first man on the moon motivate young people to want to understand the mysteries of space exploration. Americans who witnessed these historical events are more likely to support NASA and its efforts than those who are unfamiliar with space.

With vast advancements in modern technology, the desire to stay up-to-date with current trends is constantly growing. The longevity of space industry careers reveals employees’ strong commitment and passion for what they do. This has helped create a positive image for employees of space-related careers. The retirement of the space shuttles allows NASA to pay more attention to other areas of the space program that have previously been ignored.

Strengths Opportunities

ThreatsWeaknesses

Positive

Negative

Internal External

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Weaknesses: The weaknesses quadrant represents current negative factors that have an influence on the Coalition’s ability to achieve its goals. Movies such as Star Trek, Avatar and Star Wars can be seen as an unattainable portrayal of space. Rather than providing people with a realistic view of space, Hollywood depicts space as a fantasy world. This heightens the public’s expectations of space exploration and often leaves them disappointed with the reality of space missions.

Becoming an engineer requires rigorous course work and knowledge of difficult concepts. The amount of time engineering students spend studying can intimidate other students from pursuing the degree. Many students only hear about the negative aspects of engineering and disregard it as a possible career choice. One major weakness that currently exists in the Coalition’s environment is the large number of people who are uninformed about space. There also appears to be a lack of units about space in the school curriculum. Adolescents view anything related to math and science as “nerdy” or “uncool.” Growing up in a society revolving around appearance makes it difficult to promote space as “popular” and “cool.”

The space industry constantly battles with the competition of people choosing other career paths. The idea of becoming an engineer is not at the top of many students’ minds. More traditional professions such as doctors, lawyers, teachers and journalists usually seem more attainable and appealing. Unlike the Army and the Navy, NASA is not allowed to market itself. It is prohibited from using any sort of advertising, marketing or lobbying to recruit people. This creates a large disadvantage for NASA and adds to the challenge of promoting space exploration.

Opportunities:The opportunities quadrant represents current external positive factors that have an influence on the Coalition’s ability to achieve its goals. The president’s budget redistribution gives NASA a chance to expand and create new technology. NASA has the potential to make advancements in space exploration, while regenerating positive publicity. Retiring the space shuttle gives NASA means to expand and develop new innovations for space exploration. The retirement of the shuttle will allow the U.S. to refocus its space program and maintain a prominent leadership status among other countries in space exploration. NASA has been using old technology for the past 40 years, and now they can focus more on advancing new technology.

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The popularity of environmental efforts in the U.S. provides NASA with a chance to integrate “going green” within its programs. Also, the realistic portrayal of space in documentaries such as Hubble 3D, shed a positive light on the space program. These films use the power of Hollywood to influence young minds into thinking space is “cool,” while demonstrating to the public the continuous impact of space exploration. Celebrities in support of “going green” efforts, such as Hubble’s narrator, Leonardo DiCaprio, use their status to heighten awareness of environmental issues. Ultimately, the association of celebrities and space exploration will benefit and possibly increase NASA’s popularity and credibility among Americans. Combining the retirement of the shuttle with innovating new technology toward advancing the space program, NASA can work toward preventing future tragedies and easing Americans’ doubts associated with the space industry.

Threats:The threats quadrant represents current negative external factors that have an influence on the Coalition’s ability to achieve its goals. Although the budget redistribution is an opportunity to expand the space programs, NASA is still under pressure to advance. If NASA is unable to accomplish its goals with the budget redistribution, the public’s opinion of NASA may decline, which could decrease NASA’s funding in the future. The lingering effects of President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” act created a stigma among middle school children, parents and teachers that science is less important than reading and math. Therefore, the reputation of science among the growing youth is still “uncool.” In the 50s and 60s, space was a new and exciting career path. Today, companies such as Google are snagging the best and brightest of our country.

Retiring the fleet of space shuttles creates pressure for NASA to invent more advanced shuttles. It also suggests a regression in the space program to the public. Another risk is the potential of future budget cuts that could restrict advancements in the space industry. For example, if NASA does not receive enough money to design a new space shuttle, Americans will lose hope of another mission to space. In addition to the threats among American space exploration, the space industry suffers from foreigners learning valuable information in the U.S. and taking that information to their countries to use for their own space advancements.

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The Gallup Polls show that the majority of Americans favor spending money on space exploration. An example of a threat for funding is the war in Iraq. It causes the federal government to spend millions of dollars on resources for the military. Space exploration could lose funding for their space programs and research because of the war. Americans would rather spend money where they can see the results. Because of the large amount of threats, the space industry struggles as a whole.

Conclusions:The SWOT analysis shows that there are many weaknesses and threats, but still potential strengths and opportunities to get students involved in STEM education and to encourage them to incorporate their interests into future careers. While NASA is rich in history and support it is also an outdated program that needs to modernize itself to fit in the 21st century. NASA needs students to be excited about space and science so they will be more likely to pursue a STEM-related career in the future.

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StrategicMessages

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Strategy Statement: Goal 1

Strategic Message Planner #1-To create awareness and inspire young people to pursue STEM-related careers.

1.) Client and Product The Coalition for Space Exploration began in 2004 in response to President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration,” which was also unveiled in February of 2004. Jeff Carr, a former NASA public affairs director was working for the United Space Alliance at the time the Coalition started. Carr saw a need for a sustained push to communicate and advertise the importance of Bush’s “Vision.”To support his need, Carr worked to pull together major aerospace companies who were in support of a robust program of space exploration and thus, the Coalition began. The Coalition is a collaboration of both NASA and space advocacy groups that support an inspiring agenda of human and robotic space exploration by America’s space industry. Their mission is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.” The Coalition consists of a board of advisors and a public affairs team. The Board of Advisors is comprised of former astronauts and space experts, educators and young professionals who provide insight and reach out to various audiences. The Public Affairs team works alongside with Governmental Affairs and tracks the progress of space exploration policy and develops messages to help support public outreach efforts. The Coalition continues to recruit new members and partners in its campaign to increase support for space exploration. Membership in the Coalition is to open to any U.S. based company or organization that supports the exploration of space and is willing to provide funding or other resources toward supporting their mission. The Coalition believes that the young people will provide the necessary political sup-port for space exploration and also comprise the future of the aerospace industry. To gain this support, the Coalition works with President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate,” campaign which was designed to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). By promoting the president’s campaign, the Coalition hopes to help influence young people across America to excel in STEM-related subjects.

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The product goal is to create awareness and inspire the youth in America to pursue STEM-related careers with the following objectives: to get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to middle and high school students, to break down the stereo-type of STEM-education being “uncool,” and to increase enrollment in STEM-related majors.

2.) Target Audience To create awareness at an early age will help motivate students to become interested in STEM. The target audience is 9- to 11-year-old elementary school students. This target is important because influencing students at a young age is beneficial in developing a strong foundation for future STEM-related education. The next target audience is 12- to 15-year-old middle school students. It is important influence students before high school because our online survey found that more than half of the students chose their college major in high school. Targeting this audience can potentially help students to participate in STEM-related education in high school. The final target audience is 16- to 19-year-old students. High school students are beginning to think about a college major. Targeting this audience is crucial for developing an interest in STEM and pursing that interest in college.

3.) Product Benefits To get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to middle and high school students, we proposed a Speaker’s Bureau from the members of the Coalition. The Speaker’s Bureau could speak with students about their own experience in school and careers. This is beneficial because it could create awareness about the aerospace industry and help relate to students on a more personal level. It could help improve student’s knowledge and ideas of the space industry that would appeal more to a younger audience. Creating a Web-based game and STEM-related activities on a new Web site will help spark more interest and awareness to students in the classroom. Teachers will be able to reinforce the benefits of space in a fun and interactive way. This will save time and money by using the Web as the medium. An informational packet would be made to reach education policy makers and educators. The packet would be sent to the National Education Association in an effort to influence the national middle school curriculum. The packet would contain a brochure detailing the Speaker’s Bureau, photos, news releases, fact sheet and backgrounder about why STEM education is important in the classroom. This is beneficial because it could help create awareness in the upper-level education system while bringing new innovative ways to better a student’s education.

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To break down the stereotypes of STEM-education being seen as “uncool,” we proposed a grant program that could fund field trips to space-related centers for inner-city elementary schools. This is beneficial because it is another way to allow students to learn about aspects of space and encourage excitement. A space-related carnival could be held in conjunction with Moon Day for the Boys and Girls Club in four large cities — Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. This would create awareness and publicity for a celebrated event. To increase enrollment in STEM-related careers, we propose sending members of Triangle, a national engineering fraternity, to local high schools to talk about their STEM-related majors. The college students would be beneficial because they would be able to relate to younger students. Giving scholarships to high school seniors based solely on academic performance will encourage more students to participate and provide an opportunity to become more involved in academic success.

4.) Current Brand Image The mission of the Coalition for Space Exploration is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.”

5.) Desired Brand Image To remain the leader of the aerospace industry in America. This will be done through the strong relationship the nation’s youth has with STEM-related education and careers. The Coalition and STEM education will have strong public and governmental support. STEM education and space exploration will be top of mind nationwide.

6.) Direct Competitors The main direct competitors for the Coalition for Space Exploration are other nonprofit space advocacy groups such as the National Space Society, Pro Space, and the Moon Society. The National Space Society operates under their mission “to promote social, economic, technological and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth, to settle space and to use the resulting resources to build a hopeful and prosperous future for humanity.” The National Space Society’s Web site also provides space-related breaking news, videos and advertisements for space-related activities.

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7.) Indirect Competitors Indirect competitors include CNN, FOX News and other national news organizations that provide information and current events pertaining to space exploration. These news mediums are better known among mass audiences and people may find them easier to access. Other competitors include different advocacy groups that support popular causes, such as going green, re-building Haiti or animal rights groups. People may have stronger feelings towards causes like these and believe in promoting them more than space exploration.

8.) Advertising Goal To increase awareness to the nationwide youth that STEM education and space exploration is a part of American’s growth and future.

9.) Strategic Message America’s youth should become involved with STEM education and activities because it will increase public support for the space industry.

10.) Supporting Benefits

Feature Benefit Members of Coalition become involved Involvement of target audienceswith community Increased brand awareness of the Gain knowledge of space andCoalition NASA

Knowledge of STEM education Influence target’s interests in school Desire to pursue STEM-related career Target gains knowledge of STEM- related opportunities

Speaker’s Bureau Experts speak directly to target

Web activities Entertaining and informative Involvement of Target ‘Tech-Savvy’

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Informational packets Creates awareness to large audiences.

Grant program Students receive hands-on experience with space-related subjects. Cost-efficient for elementary schools

Space-related carnival Reaches large target Entertaining and Informative Promotes historical event

College speaker’s Increases opportunities for high school student’s futures. Relatable to target

Scholarships Influences student’s academic performance Appeals to a diverse target Minimizes student’s college funds

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Strategy Statement: Goal 2

Strategic Message Planner #2—To reach out to organizations that have large audi-ences in order to increase support for an ongoing program of space exploration

1.) Client and Product The Coalition for Space Exploration began in 2004 in response to President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration,” which was also unveiled in February of 2004. Jeff Carr, a former NASA public affairs director was working for the United Space Alliance at the time the Coalition started. Carr saw a need for a sustained push to communicate and advertise the importance of Bush’s “Vision.”To support his need, Carr worked to pull together major aero-space companies who were in support of a robust program of space exploration and thus, the Coalition began. The Coalition is a collaboration of both NASA and space advocacy groups that support an inspiring agenda of human and robotic space exploration by America’s space industry. Their mission is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.” The Coalition consists of a board of advisors and a public affairs team. The Board of Advisors is comprised of former astronauts and space experts, educators and young professionals who provide insight and reach out to various audiences. The Public Affairs team works alongside with Governmental Affairs and tracks the progress of space exploration policy and develops messages to help support public outreach efforts. The Coalition continues to recruit new members and partners in its campaign to increase support for space exploration. Membership in the Coalition is to open to any U.S. based company or organization that supports the exploration of space and is willing to provide funding or other resources toward supporting their mission. The Coalition believes that the young people will provide the necessary political sup-port for space exploration and also comprise the future of the aerospace industry. To gain this support, the Coalition works with President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate,” campaign which was designed to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). By promoting the president’s campaign, the Coalition hopes to help influence young people across America to excel in STEM-related subjects.

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The product goal is to reach out to organizations with large audiences in order to increase support for an ongoing program of space exploration with the following objectives: to get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to the community and to utilize viral media to promote space exploration. 2.) Target Audience The primary target audience consists of elementary, middle school, high school and college students. It is important to introduce the younger students to STEM education at an early age so that by the time they enter high school they will have more of a desire to pursue a degree or career in a science or math-related subject. The intervening publics consist of parents and educators. Our pooled research showed that the majority of the participants surveyed had parents who were interested in STEM-related subjects and were highly influenced by their parents when it came to their education. We define educators as teachers, leaders of extra curricular activities and members of the school board. Educators influence the material in the classroom as well as the student’s attitudes toward STEM education. 3.) Product Benefits To get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to the community, we proposed sending rocket-building kits to Boys and Girls Clubs in four large cities — Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The kits would contain basic background information about space exploration, while also focusing on new products and developments in the space industry. Middle school students involved in Boys and Girls Clubs could find the kit beneficial because it would direct the kids’ focus toward space by doing something fun. We also suggested sponsoring a radio program on National Public Radio called “Space Days: My Life as an Astronaut,” that features astronauts speaking about their experiences in space. This program could also be available as a podcast on iTunes. The program could benefit parents and educators because it would provide them with more information about careers in the aerospace industry and it could encourage them to get their kids involved in STEM-related activities. In addition to this program, we also propose that the Coalition produce a radio PSA to promote the new HYPERLINK “http://www.spaceiscool.com” www.spaceiscool.com Web site to persuade parents to get their kids involved in STEM-related activities.

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In order to reach a mass audience, we suggest that the Coalition to form a partnership with SONIC® to create a space camp opportunity for middle school students. The contest would ask students to produce a video of why they want to go to space camp and members of the Coalition Contest Advisory Board would review the videos and choose five winners. The five contestants would win a trip to the Space Academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. This would benefit middle school students because they could be motivated to express their interest in space through a creative and innovative manner. To increase support for an ongoing program of space exploration we also suggest that the Coalition utilize viral media to promote space exploration. To do this we would create a public service announcement for television to promote awareness of space exploration. The announcement would also be placed on the Coalition’s homepage HYPERLINK “http://www.spacecoalition.com” www.spaceiscool.com, and other frequently viewed sites such as YouTube and HYPERLINK “http://www.hulu.com” www.hulu.com. Elementary school students and parents will benefit from this commercial because it will inspire children to not only think about the possibility of space exploration, but also to follow their dreams. We also propose that the Coalition produce a YouTube channel consisting of videos pertaining to advancements or the most recent news in space exploration. The Coalition already had its own YouTube channel, but we thought creating one specifically for www.spaceiscool.com, would help direct attention to the Web site and its mission. The YouTube series is a modern and creative way to show the nation how inspiring the space industry is to America. Finally, we decided the best way to help space exploration become more viral would be to construct a new Web site that would reach all target audiences and serve as an entertainment outlet directed toward space. The Web site, HYPERLINK “http://www.spaceiscool.com” www.spaceiscool.com, would include a link to the YouTube channel and promotions for the SONIC® space camp competition. Children could also access the site to play games and participate in online flight simulators, while learning about space. All members of the target could benefit from using this Web site because of the variety of entertainment and educational information about space exploration.

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4.) Current Brand Image The mission of the Coalition for Space Exploration is “to promote the importance of space exploration to the national agenda via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration.”

5.) Desired Brand Image To remain the leader of the aerospace industry in America. This will be done through the strong relationship the nation’s youth has with STEM-related education and careers. The Coalition and STEM education will have strong public and governmental support. STEM education and space exploration will be top of mind nationwide.

6.) Direct Competitors The main direct competitors for the Coalition for Space Exploration are other nonprofit space advocacy groups such as the National Space Society, Pro Space, and the Moon Society. The National Space Society operates under their mission “to promote social, economic, technological and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth, to settle space and to use the resulting resources to build a hopeful and prosperous future for humanity.” The National Space Society’s Web site also provides space-related breaking news, videos and advertisements for space-related activities.

7.) Indirect Competitors Indirect competitors include CNN, FOX News and other national news organizations that provide information and current events pertaining to space exploration. These news mediums are better known among mass audiences and people may find them easier to access. Other competitors include different advocacy groups that support popular causes, such as going green, re-building Haiti or animal rights groups. People may have stronger feelings towards causes like these and believe in promoting them more than space exploration.

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8.) Advertising Goal To increase awareness of the Coalition for Space Exploration and STEM education among organizations with large audiences in order to increase support for an ongoing program of space exploration. 9.) Strategic Message Organizations with large audiences should promote the Coalition for Space Explora-tion and STEM education because they will help gain more support for space exploration.

10.) Supporting Benefits

Feature Benefit Members of Coalition become involved Involvement of target audienceswith community Increased brand awareness of the Gain knowledge of space andCoalition NASA Knowledge of STEM-Education Influence target’s interests in school Desire to pursue STEM-related career Target gains knowledge of STEM- related opportunities. National Public Radio Reach large number of target Credibility Rocket Kit to Boys and Girls Involvement of targetClub Entertaining and informative

Viral Media Entertaining and informative Involvement of target ‘Tech-Savvy’

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Goal 1 -- To create awareness and to inspire young people to pursue STEM-related careers. Objective 1 -- To get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to high school students. Tactic 1 -- Create a Speaker’s Bureau out of Coalition members.

Brief description: The Speaker’s Bureau will consist of Coalition members interested in speaking about their careers. They will communicate to students through Skype conferencing. The speakers will preferably be young so that they can relate to students. For example, a Coalition member could talk about his or her blog, and the challenges and rewards of their particular career. This will introduce or excite students about careers they might not have considered before.

Targeted Audiences: High school students Timetable: Start organizing in August 2010, launch program in February 2011 Cost: Skype (free)

Tactic 2 -- Create an informational packet to reach education policy makers and educators. Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition sends an informational packet to the National Education Association (NEA) in an effort to influence the national middle school curriculum. It would consist of a brochure detailing the Speaker’s Bureau, photos, news releases, fact sheet and backgrounder about why STEM education is important in the classroom. Targeted Audiences: Middle school policy makers and educators

Timetable: January 2011 Cost: Informational brochure about members of the Speaker’s Bureau ($1.00 per brochure + $0.43 per stamp x 50 states = $71.50)

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Objective 2 -- To break down the stereotype of STEM education being “uncool.” Tactic 1 -- Create a grant program to pay for field trips to space-related centers for elementary school students. Brief description: We suggest that the Coalition establishes a grant program that will provide funding to local elementary schools to take 3rd through 5th graders on field trips. The trips would take students to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, or the California ScienCenter in Los Angeles. The grant would be given to a different inner-city school in each city. The trips are important because they would be given to schools that cannot typically provide funding for field trips. Informational packets would be sent to the local elementary schools. Targeted Audiences: 9- to 11-year-old students

Timetable: January 2011 Cost: Buses (6 x all day $400 = $2400) for 2 cities, lunch provided ($8 per person x 66 x 3 = 198 x 2 cities = 396 = $3168) TOTAL = $5568

Tactic 2 -- Send rocket-building kits to Boys and Girls Clubs in four major cities.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition send rocket-building kits to Boys and Girls Clubs in four major cities: Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The rockets could be made using recycled Coca-Cola® bottles, baking soda, vinegar, a dowel rod and a straw. Coca-Cola® could be a co-sponsor to provide funding to send out the kits. The logos of Coca- Cola® and the Coalition could be on the kits. The kits could also contain a fact sheet about space exploration. The new Web site, www.spaceiscool.com would be printed on the fact sheet so the children can go to it and play games and find more information about space. Targeted Audiences: Elementary and middle school students involved in Boys and Girls Club

Timetable: May 2011 Cost: Free

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Tactic 3 -- Plan and host a space-related carnival in conjunction with Moon Day for kids involved in Boys and Girls Club.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition host a carnival during the week of Moon Day in July. The Club would receive informational packets with a news release and flier. A sign-in sheet would be at the entrance to acquire contact information of attendees for the Coalition to send out follow-up e-mails. The carnivals will be hosted in parks in four major cities including: Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. For example, the carnival could include a moonwalk, rocket- simulator ride, space-related games, food sponsored by local restaurants, stainless steel water bottles and prizes. There would also be a member of the Coalition to speak about their personal experience with space. Targeted Audiences: Elementary and middle school students involved in Boys and Girls Club

Timetable: Send packets to Boys and Girls Clubs on June 1, 2011 for a July 20, 2011 event Cost: Moonwalk for day ($150 x 4 = $600), flight simulator ($750 x 2 hours x 4 cities = $6000), give-a-ways (50 stainless steel water bottles x $5 = 750 x 4 cities = $3000). TOTAL COST = $9100 (/4 cities = $2275 per carnival)

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Objective 3 -- To increase enrollment in STEM-related majors.

Tactic 1 -- Partner with Triangle, a national engineering fraternity, to send its members to local high schools to speak about their majors.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition send Triangle fraternity members from four cities — Houston; Rochester, New York; Champaign, Illinois; and Los Angeles — who are studying STEM- related fields to high schools to recruit them. The college student would prepare a presentation that appeals to the students and creates excitement about STEM education. Targeted Audiences: High school students

Timetable: March 2011 Cost: Gas ($30 for tank reimbursement), presentation costs ($50), payment for involvement ($100 per visit) TOTAL = $180 x 4 cities = $720 x 3 visits/year = $2160

Tactic 2 -- College scholarship for a high school senior based solely on academic performance.

Brief description: During our focus group, participants felt that scholarships are predominately given to women of ethnic dissent. The Coalition could award a $5000 scholarship to a high school senior with the intent to study a STEM-related major at a university in Kansas. The winner would be chosen based on the quality of their work and not their ethnicity or gender. Because our other tactics target four major cities, we think it is important that we include the state in which the majority of our research took place. Targeted Audiences: High school seniors

Timetable: April 2011

Cost: $5000 scholarship

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Objective 4 -- To encourage parents to become more involved in their child’s STEM- related education.

Tactic 1 -- Place a print ad that will appeal to parents and influence them to inspire their children to pursue STEM-related careers.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition create a print ad that targets parents who want to be involved in their child’s education and encourage success. The ad will run in Today’s Parent and Brain, Child magazines.

Targeted Audiences: Parents

Timetable: August 2010

Cost: Today’s Parent ($19,920 for a full-page, four-color ad) Brain, Child magazine ($1760 for a full-page four-color ad that runs four times) TOTAL = $21,680

Tactic 2 -- Create an online newsletter to inform parents about the Coalition’s efforts and influence their child’s education.

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition create a newsletter targeted toward parents. The newsletter would coincide with the Coalition’s news blog. The newsletter would contain the Coalition’s current and upcoming events. It could mention recent sponsorships and collaborations with other nation-wide space organizations. The newsletter could also suggest interactive activities from www.spaceiscool.com for parents and their children. We propose that the newsletters be posted monthly on the Coalition’s Web site and on www.spaceiscool.com.

Targeted Audiences: Parents

Timetable: June 2011 Cost: Free

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Tactic 3 -- Produce a billboard to advertise www.spaceiscool.com in effort to promote the goals of the Web site.

Brief description: We propose placing two billboards in each of the four major cities we targeted for the Moon Day carnival — Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The advertisements would promote the Web site to parents and point them toward ideas for how to help encourage their children’s education.

Targeted Audiences: Parents

Timetable: Aug. 1, 2010 for one month

Cost: $3500 (x 4 cities x 2 billboards in each city = $28,000)

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Goal 2 -- To reach out to organizations with large audiences in order to increase support for an ongoing program of space exploration. Objective 1 -- To get members of the Coalition for Space Exploration to reach out to the community.

Tactic 1 -- Develop a radio program to air on National Public Radio.

Brief description: We suggest that the Coalition produce a radio program called “Space Days: My Life as an Astronaut.” Program participants would consist of past and present astronauts who speak about their life experiences in the space industry. The program could also be streamed from iTunes as a podcast, or heard on the Coalition’s Web site or www.spaceiscool.com.

Targeted audiences: College student and adults

Timetable: July 2010

Cost: $675

Tactic 2 -- Produce a radio PSA to heighten the importance about STEM education in and out of the classroom.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition should produce a radio PSA. The PSA will mention the new www.spaceiscool.com Web site to persuade parents to get their kids involved in STEM-related activities.

Targeted Audiences: Parents and Educators

Timetable: January 2011 Cost: Free

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Tactic 3 -- Form a partnership with SONIC® to create an opportunity for students to attend space camp.

Brief description: We propose that the Coalition partner with SONIC® to sponsor a nationwide contest in conjunction with Moon Day. The contest would be for students who are 12- to 14-years-old. Contestants would produce a video about why they want to go to space camp. They would upload their videos to YouTube, and then send a link to the Coalition Contest Advisory Board for review. Five contestants would win a trip to the Space Academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The contest would be promoted by a news release, radio ad, stickers placed on SONIC® bags and www.sonicdrivein.com.

Targeted Audiences: Middle school students across the nation

Timetable: April 2011—July 2011 Cost: Advertising: SONIC® Web site ($60 per month x 3 months = $180), stickers ($3350); Space Camp ($899 x 5 winners = $4495), flight to space camp ($500 x 5 = 2500 winners), radio ad ($11,500) TOTAL = $22,025

Objective 2 -- Utilize viral media to promote space exploration.

Tactic 1 -- Construct a new STEM-related Web site that will reach all target audiences.

Brief description: The new Web site, www.spaceiscool.com, will target students, parents and educators. It will include links to the YouTube channel and information about the Moon Day Carnival, plus historical facts and current advancements in space exploration. Children can play games and participate in online flight simulators while learning about space. The Web site will encourage students to continue to develop their interest into collegiate STEM-related studies.

Targeted Audience: Elementary, middle, high school and college students, parents and educators

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Tactic 2 -- Produce a YouTube channel that exemplifies why space is “cool.” Brief description: We propose that the Coalition create a YouTube channel to enhance the new www.spaceiscool.com Web site. The channel would be a central location for the Coalition to place videos that would support the goal of the Web site — making space “cool.”

Targeted Audience: Middle and high school students, parents and educators

Timetable: September 2011 Cost: Free

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Communications Package Description # 1

Title: “Space is Cool” Web site

Brief Description: The new Web site, www.spaceiscool.com, will target parents, educators, middle and high school students. It will include links to the “Space is Cool” YouTube channel, facts about space exploration and information about the proposed Moon Day Carnival. Children can play games and participate in online flight simulators. Also, www.spaceiscool.com would use the word space and cool the maximum number of times in order to utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This will ensure that our site comes up at the top of a Google search page.

Status: Produced Location: Two screen shots of the Web site can be found following this description.

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games

scholarships

education

space is cool

parent zone

build a rocket

videos

search

Check out our space video archive!

games

scholarships

education

space is cool

parent zone

build a rocket

videos

search

Check out our interactive space games!

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Communications Package Description # 2

Title: Print Advertisement

Brief Description: A full-page, four-color print advertisement that would be strategically placed in Today’s Parent and Brain, Child magazines. These magazines would be chosen for the print advertisement in hopes of finding the correct niche audience. Parents are the target audience, so the two images provided in the print advertisement are used to get parents attention by having a small boy next to his homemade rocket ship. Next to the small boy a caption reads “Born to Dream.” In the lower half of the advertisement is an image of two astronauts, the taller of the two is appearing to be a mentor to the other. The bottom half image includes a caption in big letters, “Live to Inspire.” At the bottom of the advertisement, below both dominating images in finer print, is a suggestion of inspiring kids to get them interested in math and science, and stresses how the parent and the child’s future depends on it. Status: Produced Location: The print advertisement can be found following this description as well as in the portfolio provided.

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Communications Package Description # 3

Title: Billboard

Brief Description: We propose placing two billboards in each of the four major cit-ies we targeted for the Moon Day carnival - Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The advertisements would promote www.spaceiscool.com to parents and point them toward ideas for how to help encourage their children’s education. Status: Un-produced

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Communications Package Description # 4

Title: SONIC®: Mission to Space Camp Contest News Release

Brief Description: This is the news release that would be sent to all national news broadcast stations, radio stations and newspapers. The news release explains the SONIC®: Mission to Space Camp contest. The news release also explains the proposed Coalition Contest Advisory Board that would be responsible for selecting five winners. The winners would be sent to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Academy during the week of Aug. 1 to Aug. 6, 2011. The contest is available nationwide and runs from Apr. 1 to July 20, 2011.

Status: Produced

Location: The news release follows this description. It is also located in the portfolio provided.

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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:April 2011 Julie Arnold Media Contact 281.335.0200 [email protected]

The Coalition for Space Exploration sponsors nationwide contest to send students to space camp

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (April 18, 2010) -- The Coalition for Space Exploration has partnered with SONIC® to sponsor the nationwide contest for 12- to 14-year-old students to attend Space Academy® for free at the U.S Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. The “SONIC®’s Mission to Space Camp” contest is inspired by the Coalition’s mission of space exploration and is presented in conjunction with President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which calls to help young people excel in science and math. Participating in the contest, which runs from April to July, is free and open to students nationwide. Space Academy® is a six-day camp where campers will build teamwork, problem solving, communication and self-confident skills. Campers will put their skills to the test as they train to be a flight director, shuttle pilot or mission scientist. For further details of the camp please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.spacecamp.com” www.spacecamp.com. The Coalition for Space Exploration is a collaboration of space industry businesses and advocacy groups organized to educate and inform the public of the value and benefits of space exploration. As supporters of President Obama’s campaign, the Coalition strives to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics (STEM). Contestants must produce a video of why they want to go to space camp. Once the video is produced, contestants are required to upload their video to YouTube, then send their YouTube link to the Coalition contest advisory board’s media contact, Julie Arnold, at HY-PERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected] for review. During the week of Moon Day, Tuesday, July 20, the Coalition will announce five winners who will attend Space Academy® from Aug. 1 to Aug. 6. The Coalition will provide round-trip flights and transportation for the winners to the U.S Space & Rocket Center.

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Communications Package Description # 5

Title: Sticker for SONIC® bags

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition create a sticker to place on SONIC® bags to promote the SONIC®: Mission to Space Camp Contest. The sticker encourages 12- to 14-year-olds to visit www.spacecoalition.com and upload a contest entry video.

Status: Produced

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Calling all 12 - to 14-year-olds

Launch your creativity!

Upload a video to YouTube telling us why you should go to space camp atwww.spacecoalition.com

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Communications Package Description # 6

Title: SONIC®: Mission to Space Camp Contest Radio Advertisement

Brief Description: The 30-second radio spot begins with a five-second countdown (audio from a shuttle launch). The announcer begins describing the SONIC®: Mis-sion to Space Camp contest for 12- to 14-year-olds to win a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center space camp. The contest would be sponsored by SONIC® and the Coalition. The contestants are encouraged to use their creativity and upload a YouTube video explaining why they want to go to space camp. The Coalition would have to pay a $50 licensing fee for music. Status: Completed

Location: The radio script follows this description. It is also located on a CD in the portfolio provided.

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Title: “SONIC’S® Mission to Space Camp” Client/Sponsor: The Coalition for Space Exploration and SONIC® Length: 30 seconds Air Dates: April 1-July 20 _______________________________________________________________________

SFX: Recording of five-second rocketcountdown (Establish, then fade)

MUSIC: “The Final Countdown” (Establish, then under)

ANNOUNCER: Calling all kids ages 12 to 14. You have a chance to win a free trip to the nationally recognized U.S. Space and Rocket Center, sponsored by SONIC® and the Coalition for Space Exploration. Launch your creativity and make a YouTube video that tells us why you want to go to space camp.

ANNOUNCER: “SONIC’S® Mission to Space Camp” contest blasts off April 1. ANNOUNCER: For more details about “SONIC’S® Mission to Space Camp” visit your local SONIC® or go to HYPERLINK “http://www.spacecoalition.com” spacecoalition.com.

MUSIC: (Fade, out at :30)

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Communications Package Description # 7

Title: Rocket-Building Kits

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition send rocket-building kits to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The kits will contain basic background information about space exploration. They will also include a recycled Coca-Cola® bottle, dowel rod, vinegar and baking soda. The Coalition’s Web site and www.spaceiscool.com would be printed on the front so the children can go to the Web sites to play games and find more information about space. Status: Produced

Location: The instruction sheet and fact sheet are including following this description. The actual kit can be found with the portfolio.

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Stick the dowel rod in the ground, making sure it is straight up. Get an empty soda bottle, tape a straw to the side, making sure it is straight, also making sure the straw is level with the bottle mouth. Put vinegar into the bottle so the bottle is filled up about one inch. Put some baking soda in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and put it into the bottle. Close the bottle. Shake the bottle for 5-10 seconds. Slide the straw attached to the bottle onto the pole sticking up from the ground(making sure the pole is actually straight up in the air), and the cap of the bottle should pop off and the bottle will be sent flying upward, instead of on the pavement. (Remember that putting fins on your rocket will help stabilize the rocket while it is in flight)

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10 Fun Facts About SPACE1. Saturn’s rings are made up of particles of ice, dust and rock. Some particles are as small as grains of sand while others are much larger than skyscrapers.

2. Jupiter is larger than 1,000 Earths.

3. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a hurricane-like storm system that was first detected in the early 1600’s.

4. Comet Hale-Bopp is putting out approximately 250 tons of gas and dust per second. This is about 50 times more than most comets produce.

5. The Sun looks 1600 times fainter from Pluto than it does from the Earth.

6. There is a supermassive black hole right in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy that is 4 million times the mass of the Sun.

7. Halley’s Comet appears about every 76 years.

8. The orbits of most asteroids lie partially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

9. Asteroids and comets are believed to be ancient remnants of the formation of our Solar System (More than 4 billion years ago!).

10. Comets are bodies of ice, rock and organic compounds that can be several miles in diameter.

Explore www.spaceiscool.com for interactive games and more fun facts about space!

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Communications Package Description # 8

Title: Coalition sponsored Moon Day Carnival

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition host a carnival during the week of Moon Day in July. The carnivals will be hosted in parks in four major cities including: Houston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. For example, the carnival could include a moonwalk, rocket-simulator ride, space-related games, give-a-ways and food sponsored by local restaurants. Also, a member of the Coalition could attend the carnival to speak about their personal experience with space. The Coalition could advertise by sending fliers and sign-up sheets about the carnival to the Boys and Girls clubs in Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The coalition could also advertise with a banner advertisement of Facebook.

Status: Un-produced

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Communications Package Description # 9

Title: News Release for Moon Day Carnival

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition send out a news release to local newspapers and news stations in Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The news release would indicate where and when the carnival would be held. It would also include details about the carnival’s events, games and give-a-ways.

Status: Produced

Location: The four news releases follow this description.

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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: July 2011 Julie ArnoldMedia Contact 281.335.020 HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected]

Coalition for Space Exploration hosts carnival in honor of Moon Day. CHICAGO (April 17, 2010) – The Coalition for Space Exploration partners with Boys and Girls Club to host a national space carnival for kids in Houston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in honor of Moon Day, July 20. The carnival is open to the public at Millennium Park. Visitors can come from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free. All the activities for the event take cue from NASA’s effort of bringing the excitement of space to America’s youth. For instance, carnival-goers can ride a rocket-simulator, bounce in a moonwalk or participate in a rocket launch competition. There will also be various space-related games and free give-a-ways designed to spark kid’s interest in space. At 3 p.m. visitors can listen to a speech from a Coalition member that aims to inspire the younger generation to explore space and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. The Coali-tion members will discuss their personal experiences and interests with space and their ongo-ing quest to discovery. The carnival will also provide food sponsored by local restaurants. Convenient parking in underground parking garages is located in the Millennium Park, Grant Park South and East Monroe street.

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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: July 2011 Julie ArnoldMedia Contact 281.335.020 HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected]

Coalition for Space Exploration hosts carnival in honor of Moon Day. HOUSTON (April 17, 2010) – The Coalition for Space Exploration partners with Boys and Girls Club to host a national space carnival for kids in Houston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in honor of Moon Day, July 20. The carnival is open to the public at Discovery Green Park. Visitors can come from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free. All the activities for the event take cue from NASA’s effort of bringing the excitement of space to America’s youth. For instance, carnival-goers can ride a rocket-simulator, bounce in a moonwalk or participate in a rocket launch competition. There will also be various space-related games and free give-a-ways designed to spark kid’s interest in space. At 3 p.m. visitors can listen to a speech from a Coalition member that aims to inspire the younger generation to explore space and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. The Coali-tion members will discuss their personal experiences and interests with space and their ongo-ing quest to discovery.The carnival will also provide food sponsored by local restaurants. Visitors can park inside the main entrance parking garage, or east of the park at Hiltons Americas hotel.

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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:July 2011 Julie ArnoldMedia Contact281.335.020 HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected]

Coalition for Space Exploration hosts carnival in honor of Moon Day

LOS ANGELES (April 17, 2010) – The Coalition for Space Exploration partners with Boys and Girls Club to host a national space carnival for kids in Houston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in honor of Moon Day, July 20. The carnival is open to the public at Echo Park. Visitors can come from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free. All the activities for the event take cue from NASA’s effort of bringing the excitement of space to America’s youth. For instance, carnival-goers can ride a rocket-simulator, bounce in a moonwalk or participate in a rocket launch competition. There will also be various space-related games and free give-a-ways designed to spark kid’s interest in space. At 3 p.m. visitors can listen to a speech from a Coalition member that aims to inspire the younger generation to explore space and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. The Coali-tion members will discuss their personal experiences and interests with space and their ongo-ing quest to discovery. The carnival will also provide food sponsored by local restaurants. Visitors can park around the park’s parameters or on near side streets.

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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:July 2011 Julie ArnoldMedia Contact281.335.020 HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected]

Coalition for Space Exploration hosts carnival in honor of Moon Day

NEW YORK (April 17, 2010) – The Coalition for Space Exploration partners with Boys and Girls Club to host a national space carnival for kids in Houston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in honor of Moon Day, July 20. The carnival is open to the public at Bryant Park. Visitors can come from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free. All the activities for the event take cue from NASA’s effort of bringing the excitement of space to America’s youth. For instance, carnival-goers can ride a rocket-simulator, bounce in a moonwalk or participate in a rocket launch competition. There will also be various space-related games and free give-a-ways designed to spark kid’s interest in space. At 3 p.m. visitors can listen to a speech from a Coalition member that aims to inspire the younger generation to explore space and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. The Coali-tion members will discuss their personal experiences and interests with space and their ongo-ing quest to discovery. The carnival will also provide food sponsored by local restaurants. Visitors can park around the parameters of the park and or on near side streets.

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Communications Package Description # 10

Title: Moon Day Carnival Banner Advertisement

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition place a banner advertisement on Facebook to promote the Moon Day Carnival. The banner advertisement would include the name, time, date and place of the carnival. It would entice the viewers to click for more information.

Status: Produced

Location: The banner ads are following this description and located on Facebook.

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Communications Package Description # 11

Title: Sign-in sheet

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition produce a sign-in sheet and gather contact information of carnival attendees at the entrance of the Moon Day Carnival.

Status: Produced

Location: This is located following this description.

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Name Address Email Address

Emily Smith 660 Stonybrook Dr. Houston, TX 77001 [email protected]

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Communications Package Description #12

Title: E-mail blast

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition utilizes the e-mail addresses acquired from the Moon Day sign-in sheet. The Coalition could send out a follow up e-mail asking for feedback about the carnival and promoting upcoming events.

Status: Un-produced

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Communications Package Description # 13

Title: Stainless Steel Water Bottles for Moon Day Carnival

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition give away stainless steel water bottles for the first 50 attendees at the Moon Day Carnival. The water bottles would be appropriate for a summer event and are Earth-friendly. The water bottles would include the Coalition’s logo and text that reads “Space is cool” in order to promote the proposed Web site, www.spaceiscool.com.

Status: Produced

Location: This is located following this description.

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Communications Package Description # 14

Title: Flier for Boys and Girls Club

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition send a promotional flier to Boys and Girls Clubs in Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The flier will have information about the Moon Day Carnival including the time, date and place.

Status: Produced

Location: This is located following this description.

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Come explore the Moon Day Carnival!

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Date: July 20, 2011

Place: Discovery Green Park Houston, TX

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Communications Package Description # 15

Title: Television Public Service Announcement

Brief Description: The Coalition for Space Exploration could fund a television public service announcement (PSA) for the proposed “Space is Cool” Web site. The 30-second television spot would consist of a series of space images flashing on the screen along with the words, “dream, inspire, innovate, explore.” The spot would feature background music in which the Coalition would have to pay a $50 licensing fee. The Coalition’s logo would appear at the end of the announcement. The public service announcement would be sent to all local television broadcast stations throughout the U.S. to be used at their discretion. The Coalition would have to pay a $50 licensing fee for music.

Status: Completed

Location: The PSA script and screen shot follows this description and an audio clip is located on the CD provided in the portfolio.

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Title: Television Public Service AnnouncementClient/Sponsor: The Coalition for Space Exploration Length: 30 secondsAir Dates: August 2010

MUSIC: “The Skin of my Yellow CountryWS: Sun coming around the Teeth” by Clap Your Hands Say Yeahearth (:01)TEXT: “Innovate”

WS: View of earth from space (:06)TEXT: “Explore”

WS: View of starburst (:09)TEXT: “Discover”

WS: Astronaut on the moon (:12)TEXT: “Create”

WS: Rocket taking off (:16)

Quick montage of space pictures.

MS: Zooms in on astronaut onthe moon (:19)

TEXT: “Space” zooms in (:22) ANNOUNCER: Visit space-is-cool-dot-com for fun and interactive games for the whole family.TEXT: “Space is cool .com” (:24)

TEXT: Coalition logo (:26) ANNOUNCER: This message is sponsored by the Coalition for Space Exploration.

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Communications Package Description # 16

Title: STEM Radio Public Service Announcement

Brief Description: The Coalition would sponsor a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) that would air on national radio stations. The script is targeted toward parents and is meant to influence them to take the time to help their children with their education, in particular, math and science. The PSA encourages listeners to visit the proposed Web site, www.spaceiscool.com for interactive games and activities for the whole family. The Coalition would have to pay a $50 licensing fee for music.

Status: Completed

Location: The radio PSA script follows this description. The produced PSA is located on a CD provided in the portfolio.

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Title: Radio PSAClient/Sponsor: The Coalition for Space ExplorationLength: 29 secondsAir Date: Jan. 2011

MUSIC: “Cherry Blossom Girl” by Air (Established, then under)

YOUNG GIRL: Mom and Dad, thanks for helping me with my math homework, thanks for quizzing me before a big science test and driving me to school everyday. If I haven’t told you, thanks for being the most influential people in my life.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Parents, did you know that math and science are just as important at home as in the class room. Take time to influence your children. Visit spaceiscool.com for interactive games and activities that are fun for the whole family.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER: This message is sponsored by the Coalition for Space Exploration

MUSIC: (Fade, out at :29)

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Communications Package Description # 17

Title: Radio Program Podcast Preview

Brief Description: The Coalition would host a radio program called, “Space Days: My Life as an Astronaut.” We created a 62-second preview for an episode of the proposed weekly radio program. The announcer would encourage listeners to tune in to hear the full-length podcast.

Status: Completed

Location: The script of the podcast preview is located after this description. The actual audio of the podcast is located on the CD that can be found in the portfolio.

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Title: Space Days: My Life as an AstronautClient/Sponsor: The Coalition for Space ExplorationLength: 1:02Air Date: July 20, 2010

ANNOUNCER 1: The preview of this weeks episode of Space Days: My Life as an astronaut, is brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration.

ANNOUNCER 2: In 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech promoting America’s new frontier, space.

SFX: Applause PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard.”

ANNOUNCER 2: Although President Kennedy did not live to see it, Buzz Aldrin helped make his dream a reality when he became the second man to walk on the moon.

ANNOUNCER 2: In honor of his accomplishments we will speak with Buzz on this week’s episode about his experiences and how far space exploration has come since July 20, 1969.

BUZZ ALDRIN: “I volunteered to talk about the future, that is not the only thing I am going to talk about but that is what I’ve really always been looking at, what can we do that is a little bit better.” ANNOUNCER 2: To hear more on Buzz’s story make sure to tune in to this week’s episode of Space Days: My Life as an Astronaut.

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Communications Package Description #18

Title: “Space is Cool” YouTube Channel

Brief Description: Following this description is a screenshot of what the “Space is Cool” YouTube Channel would look like. Currently the channel features video from the KU Engineering Expo. The channel itself would help foster a community of younger generation viewers that all share the interest of space and technology. Video postings on the channel could feature the videos from the top five winners of the SONIC®: Mission to Space Camp Contest and other users videos of space or technology encounters. Status: Produced

Location: A screen shot of the “Space is Cool” YouTube channel can be found following this description.

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Communications Package Description #19

Title: STEM Education Information Packet

Brief Description: The Coalition for Space Exploration could send the following information packet to the National Education Association, in an effort to influence the national middle school curriculum.

Status: Produced

The attached information packet includes: a brochure about the Speaker’s Bureau, fact sheet, backgrounder, letter to the NEA.

Location: The brochure, fact sheet, backgrounder and letter are located directly after this description.

The brochure is located in the portfolio.

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As a nonprofit organization, the Coalition for Space Exploration promotes the importance of space exploration to the public through cost-effective outreach activities. The Coalition depends on you to help inspire and motivate America’s youth to become the men and women who comprise the future of the aerospace industry.

The mission of the Coalition is to inform the public about the value and benefits of space exploration in order to build support and funding for NASA, and to ensure that the United States remains a leader in space, science and technology. These key factors benefit each American, strengthen the nation’s economy and maintain the nation’s security.

The future of space exploration is in the hands of your students.

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Members of the Speak-er’s BureauMiles O’ BrienSteve Hawley

Coalition for Space Exploration: A Never-Ending Adventure

Speaker’s Bureau Profiles Born to dream.

Live to inspire.

A 26-year broadcast news veteran, Miles worked for nearly 17 years as a correspondent, anchor and producer for CNN based in Atlanta and New York. At various times he served as CNN’s science, space,

aviation technology and environment correspondent. He recently completed his first live streaming Web cast of the Space Shuttle Discovery launch in partnership with www.spaceflightnow.com. He is currently working on a documentary with PBS titled, “Blueprint America: A Tale of Three Cities.”

Miles O’Brien

Demaris SarriaDemaris is currently with the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Mass. She is working in the Engineering Analysis Group supporting multidisciplinary analysis for various projects, including some that are

space-related. She holds a Master and Bachelor of Science from Emby-Riddle Aeronautical University and Texas A&M University, respectively. Her dream is to one day be an astronaut, which is detailed in her blog, How I Am Becoming an Astronaut.

To read more Speaker’s Bureau profiles, please visit: www.spacecoalition.com.

Speaker’s BureauLet your students explore space through our eyes.

The Coalition for Space Exploration strives to increase support for future exploration. It is a collaboration of space industry organizations and advocacy groups that aim to educate and inform the public of the value and benefits of space exploration. By targeting the nation’s youth, the Coalition encourages young students to pursue a career in the aerospace industry and to build public support for an on-going program of space exploration.

As supporters of President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, which calls to help young people excel in math and science, the Coalition is committed to the pursuit of improving the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

A focus on STEM education will help students:

n Explore new frontiers n Perceive space exploration as being “cool”n Pursue careers in STEM-related fields

The Coalition hopes America will continue to:

n Develop technological innovationsn Remain a leader in space explorationn Strengthen NASA’s reputation

It is essential now, more than ever, that members of the Coalition promote the importance of space exploration and STEM education to your students. Through free Skype conferencing, members of the Speaker’s Bureau hope toreach out and inspire students through their personal experiences.

Through a free Skype conference, the Coalition has created a virtual space classroom to discuss topics including:

n Why space is cooln Why STEM subjects are important to education n The history of space explorationn Challenges and rewards of aerospace industry careersn How the future of space exploration depends on the students

The Bureau wants students to not only focus on core subjects such as reading and math, but also realize the importance of science and engineering. Excelling in STEM education leads to a frontier of collaboration, new technologies and innovation through education. Your students will not just be dreamers, but doers; not followers, but leaders.

The Bureau is an excellent way to inspire and involve today’s youth. It supports President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign and NASA’s efforts of maintaining leadership in space exploration.

The Coalition is made up of astronauts, engineers, scientists and researchers. The Speaker’s Bureau is a group of Coalition members who participate in Skype conferencing with students. The goal of the Bureau is to communicate the importance of space exploration and to inspire young minds. The Bureau aims to open doors to new interests and career opportunities for your students. By bringing the excitement of space into your classroom, students will have the chance to speak directly with members of the Bureau.

New and young talent helps NASA and the aerospace industry maintain its bold course of innovation and discovery. These innovators make the U.S. a great nation that can compete on a global level. The increase of STEM literacy enables Americans to continue the responsibilities and roles of shaping the future.

If you would like to set up a Skype conference with the Speaker’s Bureau, please send the following information to [email protected].

Name of schoolAddressCityState Zip code Name and phone number of primary contact

When your information is received, the Bureau will contact you to set up an appointment.

Thank you for contributing to the journey of space exploration.

Coalition for Space Exploration:A Quest for Innovation

Help Inspire Your Students Your Virtual Space Classroom

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Fact Sheet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:August 2011 Julie Arnold Media Contact 281-335-0200 [email protected]

The Coalition for Space Exploration asks the National Education Association to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculums.

What: The Coalition for Space Exploration looks to the NEA to improve science and math curriculums in middle schools.

Who: The Coalition is a nonprofit organization that began in 2004. It collaborates with space industry organizations and advocacy groups to educate and inform the public of the value and benefits of space exploration.

Where: Middle schools nationwide.

When: If the plan were approved, the NEA would make changes to improve the middle school math and science curriculums at the beginning of the August 2011 school year.

Why: The Coalition voices its concern to educators and policy makers regarding the lack of participation and performance of America’s middle school students in subjects pertaining to STEM. It is vital that America’s youth maintains an interest in STEM-related subjects to continue the support of space exploration and to pursue a career in the aerospace industry.

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Backgrounder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:August 2011 Julie Arnold Media Contact 281-335-0200 [email protected]

Coalition for Space Exploration

Coalition for Space Exploration began in 2004 in response to President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration” campaign. It is a nonprofit organization that aims to educate and inform the public of the value and benefits of space exploration. The Coalition collaborates with space industry organizations and advocacy groups to inspire and motivate America’s youth to become the men and women who comprise the future of the aerospace industry. Its mission is to promote the importance of space exploration to the public via cost-effective, high-yield public outreach activities that include both traditional and new media to help secure political support and budget resources for NASA and space exploration. The on-going support makes an effort for the United States to remain a leader in space, science and technology. These key factors benefit each American, strengthen the nation’s economy and maintain the nation’s security.

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There is a National Education Association affiliate in each of the 50 states. We propose sending this letter to the president of each state. This is an example of a potential letter we would send to the Kansas president. Blake West 715 SW 10th StreetTopeka, KS 66612(785) 232-8271

Dear Mr. West,

The purpose of this information packet is to inform the National Education Association about the Coalition for Space Exploration and its desire to encourage a shift in the national middle school curriculum. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education needs to be more prevalent in the curriculum because those subjects are the foundation for space exploration and technological advancements in America.

It is essential that the youth in America develop and sustain an interest in STEM-related subjects because they are the future of space exploration. The decline of STEM education is a rising concern in the United States. In order to increase interest in STEM education and ultimately further space exploration, the NEA must: Increase the interest in engineering career paths by improving middle school science and math education

Strengthen the skills of teachers through additional training in science, math and technology so they are more specialized in their field

Better prepare and encourage students to enter high school and college to pursue STEM-related subjects

The future of space exploration in America is reliant on the young people’s interest in STEM-related subjects. A strong STEM education program must begin in the classroom. Help influence the future of America through a new and STEM-focused curriculum.

Sincerely, The Coalition for Space Exploration

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Coalition News Letter

Communications Package Description # 20 Title: Coalition News Letter

Brief Description: We propose that the Coalition create a newsletter targeted toward parents. The newsletter would coincide with the Coaltion’s news blog. The newsletter would contain the Coalition’s current and upcoming events. It will mention recent sponsorships and collaborations with other nationwide space organizations. The newsletter could also suggest interactive activities from www.spaceiscool.com for parents and their children. We propose that the newsletters be posted monthly on the Coalition’s Web site and on www.spaceiscool.com.

Status: Un-produced

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Communications Package Description #21

Title: Grant Program

Brief Description: The Coalition for Space Exploration could establish a grant program that will provide funding to inner-city elementary schools for science-related field trips. Status: Un-Produced

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Communications Package Description #22

Title: Partnership with National Triangle Fraternity

Brief Description: The Coalition for Space Exploration could parnter with Triangle, a national engineering fraternity. For this partnership Triangle fraternity members could travel to local city high schools to speak with students about experience in their engineering major. The purpose of their visit would be to inspire students to pursue a STEM related degree in college. The Coalition could send Triangle fraternity members from four main cities — Houston; Rochester, New York; Champaign, Illinois; and Los Angeles.

Status: Un-produced

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Communications Package Description #23

Title: Coalition Scholarship

Brief Description: The Coalition for Space Exploration could award a $5000 scholarship to a high school senior based on the student’s intention to earn a degree in a STEM-related field. The scholarship would be credited for any major university in Kansas. Status: Un-produced

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Sources

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Gibbons, Michael T. “Engineering By the Numbers.” American Society For Engineering Education. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.asee.org/publica tions/profiles/upload/2008ProfileEng.pdf” http://www.asee.org/publications/profiles/ upload/2008ProfileEng.pdf.

Hitt, David. “Envisioning Future Flight.” NASA. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/envisioning-future flight.html” http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/envisioning-fu tureflight.html.

Jones, Jeffrey M. “Majority of Americans Say Space Program Costs Justified.” GALLUP. 17 July 2009. Web. 5 Mar.2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.gallup.com/poll/121736/ Majority-Americans-Say-Space-Program-Costs-Justified.aspx” http://www.gallup. com/poll/121736/Majority-Americans-Say-Space-Program-Costs-Justified.aspx.

Larson, Phillip. “Young Women Scholars Highlight President’s Commitment to STEM.” Web log post. The White House Blog. 29 Jan. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.whitehouse.gov/gov/blog2010/01/29/young-women-scholars-highlight- president” www.whitehouse.gov/gov/blog2010/01/29/young-women-scholars-high light-president.

“Making Science Cool: ‘Educate to Innovate’.” WIRED. Web. 7 Mar. 2010. <www.wired. com>.

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National Science Foundation. “National Science Foundation.” The White House President Barack Obama. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.whitehouse. gov/omb/budget/fy2011/assets/science.pdf” http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/ fy2011/assets/science.pdf

Office of the Press Secretary, comp. “President Obama Expands “Educate to Innovate” Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education.” The White House President Barack Obama. 6 Jan. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president- obama-expands-educate-innovate-campaign-excellence-science-technology-eng” http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-expands-educate- innovate-campaign-excellence-science-technology-eng.

“Public Opinion About Space Exploration – America Rates NASA’s Performance.” Library Index. Science Encyclopedia. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. <http://www.libraryindex.com/ pages/2880/Public-Opinion-About-Space-Exploration-CREWED-VERSUS-ROBOT IC-MISSIONS.html>.

PR Newswire. “President Obama Highlights Michigan Education Program to Improve Prepa ration of Math and Science Teachers.” KU Libraries. 6 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.ku.edu/libraries” www.ku.edu/libraries

“Science Bound.” Purdue University. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. <http://www.purdue.edu/science bound>.

Silver, Curtis. “Survey Shows Parents Would Rather Talk Drugs Than Science or Math.” WIRED. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://www.wired.com/ geekdad/2009/10/survey-shows-parents-would-rather-talk-drugs-than-science- or-math” http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/10/survey-shows-parents-would-rather- talk-drugs-than-science-or-math.

“STEM Education.” Star Tribune [Minneapolis] 30 Mar. 2009. HYPERLINK “http://www.startribune.com/yourvoices/42109707.html” http://www. startribune.com/yourvoices/42109707.html

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“Survey: Parents and Students Satisfied with Current Math/Science Education.” Diverse Education. 15 Feb. 2006. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://diverseeducation. com/cache/print.php?articleId=5494” http://diverseeducation.com/cache/print. php?articleId=5494.

“Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).” Ies: National Center for Education Statistics. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. HYPERLINK “http://nces.ed.gov/timss/re sults07.asp” http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results07.asp.

Williams, Jenny. “Math and Science Magnet Schools: Are They Right for Your Kid? HY PERLINK “Http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/05/math-and-science-mag net-schools-are-they-right-for-your-kid” Http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/05/ math-and-science-magnet-schools-are-they-right-for-your-kid.

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