Louisville, Kentucky: Air+Space Academy, America's leading provider of aerospace educational programs for students in grades 9-12, is launching the national expansion of its program and is now offering its program to high schools across the country. The program is nationally recognized as one of the most effective tools for teaching skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and producing career and college ready graduates.

On February 10th, 2015 members of the AOPA executive team and the mayor's staff will join the board, staff, teachers and students of the program will hold a ceremony to officially kick off and celebrate this nationwide initiative. Also speaking at the event will be Dr. Suzanne Smith from NASA Kentucky/UK College of Engineering and Dr. Ben Malphrus, the director of Morehead State University's Space Science Center. The event will be held in the program's new headquarters facility located in Hangar 7 on historic Bowman Field.

The program was first established in 2010 as the Kentucky Institute for Aerospace Education and based out of Frankfort High School by educator Dr. Tim Smith. Over the next 5 years, the program grew and expanded to include more than 30 schools in Kentucky and Tennessee. Presence at national-level events such as the EAA's AirVenture Festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin lead to requests to expand the program beyond the region. After an intensive planning process and the acquisition of their new headquarters facility, the Institute board decided it was time to offer the program to schools on a national level. The program has been renamed Air+Space Academy in recognition of an expanded space sciences curriculum, and the parent organization renamed the National Air+Space Education Institute to reflect is mission and new scope.

"We are very excited to open up this program to schools all across the country", said Tim Smith, founder and executive director of the program. "We are doing this in response to demand and requests we have received from all over in the last few years. Now we are organized to make that happen. We can help any school have a successful aviation and aerospace program with minimal investment and resources."

. The Air+Space Academy program is a four-year program for students in grades 9-12. The program delivers content on-line with on-site facilitators for support.

. The program offers pathways in aviation, mechanics and manufacturing, aerospace science and engineering, and unmanned aerial systems,

. Its signature program is the Wing Design Competition, held annually and sponsored by NASA, where students design, build, and fly a wing to perform specific flight capabilities.

National Air+Space Education Institute is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational organization based in Louisville, Kentucky and is the nation's leading provider of aerospace education programs for students grades 9-12 that develop and promote study and proficiency in the STEM subjects, produces college and career ready graduates, and is training the next generation of aerospace professionals.

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Aerospace Education Program Launches National Initiative