Educators

Aerospace Education and Industry Partnership (AEIP) Day & the Oklahoma Aerospace Fellows Program

OAA has long believed our industry’s future is in your classroom today. Further, we believe we must commit time and resources to you and your classroom to provide the best possible education for Oklahoma’s children. An investment in you is an investment in our future!

Come join us this June 5^th and 6^th and let us show you the many aerospace career opportunities that exist in our state for your students. By accepting our invitation you will receive:

Complementary attendance at the Oklahoma Aerospace Summit where you will meet industry leaders
Complementary overnight stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center
A $100 dollar stipend to offset your traveling expenses
Networking opportunities with some of Oklahoma’s finest teachers
A life-long designation of Aerospace Fellow and all the benefits associated with it
A full day at the Boeing facility hearing more about the industry, attending breakout sessions and being treated like the celebrity that you are
A reception held in your honor at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (Nation’s FAA Headquarters)
Become eligible to apply for a share of $15,000 in classroom grants
Access to industry professionals who will serve as mentors for you and your classroom
Opportunities to participate in teacher development activities during the school year with presenters from NASA and other STEM education leaders

Background: The aerospace industry, comprised of over 400 companies, employs over 145K people either directly or indirectly and contributes $12.5B to Oklahoma’s economy each year. These companies are engaged in many facets of the industry including aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, engineering and modification; supply chain management and manufacturing; and applied technologies. A common ingredient across the industry is the need for a well educated, trained, skilled and motivated workforce. This workforce includes mechanics with technical skills ranging from sheet metal to sophisticated avionics technologies, business and program managers, engineers and information technology managers. All of these careers require an understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The understanding and application of STEM is something that can only be developed over many years starting in elementary school continuing through college and into the workplace. In order to achieve the goal of a well-educated and trained workforce, a partnership among the leaders of the aerospace industry and educational institutions must be developed and sustained.

Purpose: “Bring together educators, industry and government to create the aerospace workforce of tomorrow”

The need for a partnership between industry and education led to the creation of the Aerospace Education and Training Day (ETD) and the Oklahoma Aerospace Fellows Program (OAF) in conjunction with the annual Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo in 2008. Recently we have moved beyond the original name of ETD and rebranded it as the Aerospace Education and Industry Partnership Day. This rebranding emphasizes the growing partnership between Oklahoma education and our aerospace industry. This partnership extends beyond just the one day and will provide grants, mid-year Fellow development programs and continuous access to an industry mentor.

The goal of AEIP Day is to introduce STEM teachers from grades 3 through 12 and school counselors to the opportunities in aerospace industry careers and to provide teaching and training materials and techniques for use in their classrooms. The teachers and counselors are referred to as Aerospace Fellows. To date, over 340 Fellows have participated in AEIP Day. Volunteer mentors from aerospace companies are aligned to the individual teachers or to schools or centers in order to provide expertise and advice about the aerospace industry. Relationships are what the mentor and the Fellow want to make of them and can include class room visits, lectures, field trips and guest speakers. The desired effect is for the Fellow to be able to improve his or her knowledge of the aerospace industry through learning at the AEIP Day and the relationship with a mentor. Ultimately, if the program is a success, more young men and women will consider the aerospace industry as a potential career. AEIP Day has been a success for the last three years and a fifth event is planned for 5-6 June, 2012 as part of the annual Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo held in Norman from 4-6 June 2012.

Impact Beyond the Event: Aerospace Fellows are provided opportunities to receive professional development and to apply for classroom curriculum grants during the following school year. The AEIP Day committee has partnered with NASA and the LEGO® Company to provide teachers with fun and exciting STEM curriculum to employ in their classrooms. Fellows are encouraged to bring another teacher with them at no cost. This strategy promotes teachers who did not attend AEIP Day to get involved. A high percentage of the guest teachers apply to attend the following year’s AEIP Day.

Aerospace Fellows are given the opportunity to apply for Aerospace Classroom Curriculum Grants. In 2010, the first grants totaling $3500 were awarded to three Oklahoma classrooms. For 2011, $10,000 was awarded to fifteen classrooms. In 2012 we plan to award $15000 in classroom grants. The grants are made possible through a partnership with the Lt. Governor’s office, the PITSCO Education Company, and the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance.

Application Process: In February 2012, we will contact Oklahoma STEM teachers about the application process via an email. If you do not receive this email, please feel free to contact us.

In the mean time, enjoy the video at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAwOd7GVzEE

Contacts: For additional information on AEIP Day and the OAF program contact:

Ben T. Robinson,
sentryonellc@aol.com
cell 405-812-1292

H.L. Baird
harvey_baird@okcareertech.org
cell 405-747-4707