Elementary School Students To Take Virtual Tour Of Space Station
Baylor University will showcase some of its latest networking technology Wednesday, April 19, as students from North Waco Elementary School visit NASA's Johnson Space Center and take a "virtual tour" of the International Space Station via the university's video conferencing facilities.
The event, using Baylor's IDEASnet video conferencing network to establish the connection, will take place 10 to 11 a.m. in Waco Hall East 210.
The virtual space station tour is a live interactive visit to the Johnson Space Center's unique training facilities where astronauts prepare for their missions in space. North Waco students will take a guided tour of the space station and, through video conferencing technology, interact with a NASA representative. Participating in the conference will be Janet Wallace, North Waco Elementary School teacher; 12 fourth- and fifth-grade students from the school's gifted and talented program; and Tim Logan, associate director for research and development in Baylor's Information Technology Center.
"NASA has a very strong distance education program, and this provides us with a great opportunity to share Baylor's facilities with kids who will actually be able to ask questions and talk with NASA," Logan said. "They won't just be watching a broadcast. They're encouraged to participate."
Wallace spent time at NASA in January as part of the space program's education outreach initiative and arranged for Wednesday's visit with Johnson Space Center. Wallace's students later will visit JSC in Houston for a hands-on project.
For more information, Logan can be reached at 710-6665 and Wallace at 753-2423. The web site for JSC's distance education program is: http://learningoutpost.jsc.nasa.gov.