Theresa Moody from the New Jersey Astronomy Center (NJACE) at Raritan Valley Community College has been selected for a special NASA program for educators. The Astronomy Educator/Program Manager will participate in NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which will become a flying classroom for educators in the next few months.

As a SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, the High Bridge resident will join one of 12 two-person teams representing educators from 10 states. Each will be paired with a professional astronomer to observe first-hand how airborne infrared astronomy is conducted. After their flight opportunities, Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors will take what they learn back to their classrooms and into their communities to promote science literacy.

SOFIA is a highly modified Boeing 747SP jetliner fitted with a 100-inch (2.5-meter) effective diameter telescope. The aircraft flies at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet (12-14 kilometers), above the water vapor in the Earths atmosphere, and collects data in the infrared spectrum.

Moody and her teacher partner, Margaret Holzer of Chatham High School, will participate in the SOFIA flight during the week of May 10-17. Holzer and Moody will co-design a variety of investigations on Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum. These investigations will be designed to integrate the new Science and Engineering Practices as described in Next Generation Science Standards and will draw on existing NASA resources and investigations. Once designed, Holzer will implement these new investigations into her high school classroom and Moody will include them in workshops offered at NJACE's Science Education Institute.

SOFIA offers educator teams unprecedented access to infrared astronomers and the unique capabilities of an airborne observatory, said John Gagosian, SOFIA program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Previous Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors teams have witnessed SOFIA's world-class astronomical science and have used this experience in hundreds of science, technology, engineering and math teaching opportunities throughout the United States.

Educators are selected through a rigorous peer-reviewed process for this yearly professional development opportunity, said astronomer Dana Backman, manager of SOFIA's education and public outreach programs at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. To date, the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program has flown 15 teams totaling 31 educators from 17 states, and we look forward to working with this new cadre of educators as they take NASA science into their communities.

As the program manager of the NJACE Science Education Institute, Theresa Moody has been designing and co-facilitating teacher professional development workshops at RVCC since 2006. She also has more than seven years of experience teaching physical science and astronomy at an inner-city high school in Bridgeport, Conn. She has facilitated trainings both nationally and internationally, including the Queen Rania Teaching Academy in Amman, Jordan. She is also an active volunteer, qualified observer and Board member of the New Jersey Astronomical Association, where she leads monthly Young Astronomer programs for children.

The New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education (NJACE) includes a 100-seat Planetarium and the Science Education Institute. The Science Education Institute offers high quality customized professional development programs for school districts, ranging from one-day workshops to long-term partnership programs. This year, NJACE provided 14 different science workshops on the RVCC campus, including programs for K-12 teachers, museum providers, amateur astronomers and college educators. In addition, NJACE provides consulting services to numerous districts and other educational organizations. For more information, visit raritanval.edu/njace.

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The aircraft is based at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, CA. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, manages the program. Ames Research Center manages the SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) in Columbia, MD, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart.

For additional information about SOFIA, visit nasa.gov/sofia or dlr.de/en/sofia. To learn more about SOFIA's science mission and scientific instruments, visit sofia.usra.edu and dsi.uni-stuttgart.de/index.en.html.

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RVCC astronomy educator chosen for NASA research flight