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This month, we celebrate Black History Month. As a resource for AEOs and AEMs in squadrons and classrooms, we have a Black History Lessons page on our website that highlights accomplishments of Black pioneers in aerospace/STEM fields. The lesson on Bessie Coleman -- the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn her pilot's license in the U.S. -- in CAP's Women in Aviation Vol. I booklet is among those lessons.
Also, we are excited to announce a new program to help teachers (both AEMs and non-AEMs) as they lead lessons about the upcoming April Solar Eclipse. Find out more below about how the Civil Air Patrol has partnered with NASA’s GLOBE Eclipse Project to give youth the opportunity to become Solar Eclipse Citizen Scientists,
ACE teachers, start preparations now for the Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) year-end award nominations -- due in late April. (Pictured below, students from 2023 National ACE School of the Year, Sanford Elementary School, in Sanford, Florida)
As always, if you have any information you'd like to see highlighted in upcoming newsletters, contact us at ae@capnhq.gov.
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THIS MONTH: Program updates - News and Events - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - Important things to know | |
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PROGRAM UPDATES
ACE program seeks nominations
for school, teacher, student of the year
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Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Teachers,
It’s that time of year -- time to highlight excellence in schools, teachers and students!! We are accepting award nominations for National ACE Teacher of the Year, National ACE Student of the Year and National ACE School of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year. Nomination forms can be found by clicking HERE. Look on the right side of the screen under Related Links to download each form. (Pictured, Robert Wakelyn, 2023 National ACE Teacher of the Year, of Sanford Elementary School in Sanford, Florida)
Please email your nominations to ace@capnhq.gov by April 25.
And … don’t forget to submit your ACE Completion Report this year. Your feedback will help us in editing and reevaluating the program for next year. Click HERE to go directly to the Online ACE Completion Form. Make sure to have your CAPID# and password handy so that you can log into eServices.
Thanks for all that you do and for making your FACE a part of ACE this year!
Click the links below to go straight to the nomination forms.
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And if you aren't a part of ACE yet, it's not too late to join for the 2023-2024 school year. Registration closes March 31. Click the link to register or learn more about ACE. | |
Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program | |
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AEX Award registration for squadrons and AEMs:
Make sure your squadron or classroom applies for the 2023-2024 AEX Award program in eServices. AEX program activities should take place from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year. Activities and resources are available in eServices, AE Downloads and Resources, and on the AE website, Lessons and Activity Videos and Aerospace/STEM Resources.
To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below.
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National AEO School registration opens in March | |
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As a reminder, we will be conducting the 21st Annual CAP National Aerospace Education Officers School from Monday, June 24, to Friday, June 28. The school will be held on Patrick Space Force Base, Cocoa Beach, Florida.
The agenda will cover presentations on AE duties and responsibilities, AE programs and products and hands-on activities. Participants will also experience field trips and networking opportunities.
This year’s school will be open to Aerospace Education Officers (AEOs) only.
An email will be sent out via Constant Contact in mid-March to all DCS/AEs, DAEs, and AEOs with more details and Eventbrite registration information.
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CAP's 2024 NASA Globe Solar Eclipse
Project brings citizen science opportunities
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On April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse will cross North America. To make the most of this rare astronomical event, the Civil Air Patrol has partnered with NASA’s GLOBE Eclipse Project to give youth the opportunity to become Solar Eclipse Citizen Scientists, even outside the path of totality.
NASA is sponsoring the GLOBE Program, which includes a dynamic GLOBE Observer app. GLOBE Eclipse is a temporary tool in the GLOBE Observer app that will help with documentation of air temperature and clouds during an eclipse.
All classroom, community, and homeschool educators anywhere in the United States can register as a CAP Solar Eclipse Classroom and choose to implement one of four classroom missions: Astronomy, Biology, Weather, and Citizen Science. Click the button below to register your classroom and find resources for each mission. AEMs, you can share this information with colleagues who are not AEMs.
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In addition, Civil Air Patrol units also have a separate Solar Eclipse Mission that is specially designed to be implemented by teams of 5 to 10 CAP cadets. CAP units can register to participate in this mission here. Civil Air Patrol members will have the opportunity to collaborate with over 250 squadrons nationwide to create a data set that stretches across 7 time zones. CAP teams will use their skills to collect data about the effects of a Solar Eclipse on weather and track the impact of Solar Eclipses on VHF radio operations.
For more information, contact Capt. Shannon Babb, Solar Eclipse Citizen Science Mission Director and Rocky Mountain Region DCS/AE.
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(Welcome to AE Safety Check! These safety nuggets are things to think about as you lead or participate in an Aerospace Education activity. The writer of this monthly feature is Lt. Col. Karen Cooper, National AE Manager, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region DCS/Aerospace Education.) | |
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LATE ARRIVALS FOR AE ACTIVITIES NEED SAFETY BRIEFING, TOO
Did everyone hear your safety briefing? Once the activity starts, your attention naturally shifts from the briefing to performing the AE activity safely. But – did anyone show up late and miss that safety briefing? There have been instances where a participant arrives late and jumps right into the AE activity, which increases the chances of someone getting hurt. Either you or one of the other seniors can do the safety briefing for the late-arrival so that they can participate as safely as possible. We all realize how exciting it can be to jump right in and get started, but let’s do it safely.
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If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov. | |
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CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
Payload Packing Challenge
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Aerospace Connections in Education, CAP's K-12 STEM program, continues registration through March 31. In this ACE lesson, cadets and students will design a cost-effective package to safely deliver a spacecraft's payload. To do this, they will use critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork skills. Their payload is an egg that will be dropped to the floor. Cadets or students will work in teams from a list of provided materials. A cost of materials list will help the students as the teams compete to produce the cheapest package that delivers the payload to the floor without damage. The lesson is found in Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Grade 6 Instructor Guide as Academic Lesson #7. Or find it here.
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Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are four things you need to know as an AEM or AEO. | |
New AEOs can find tips on how to get started | |
Are you a newly appointed Aerospace Education Officer? Congratulations! Check out this list of tips on how to get started and how to find help. Click the button to learn more. | |
You can update your eServices profile information. Here's how: | |
Sign into eServices and click on your name in the top right-hand corner. Update your email address, mailing address, contact numbers, etc. This ensures you receive timely and pertinent information from CAP. If you are a teacher, ensure your primary email address is your home and your secondary email address is your school so that your annual renewal email and any other important information will not end up as spam in your school email account. | |
AEMs: Is it time to renew your membership? | |
All Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal." The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiring. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below. | |
AEOs: Reach out to AEMs whose memberships expire soon | |
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AEOs, the start of a new year is the perfect time to reach out to your AEMs whose memberships expire within 60 days or whose memberships have expired. For more guidance, see Recruiting and Retention of AEMs on the AEO Resources page link below.
Please note: CAP has several categories of membership, but each member can only be assigned one category of membership. Any adult uniformed member, who is an educator, may access all the resources available to an AEM.
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