Last Call for San Jose Area Teachers to Participate in Weightless Flights

Northrop Grumman is issuing a last call for teacher applications for the 2008 Weightless Flights of Discovery program's Sept. 18 micro- and zero-gravity flights in San Jose.

Middle-school math and science teachers, and those studying to become teachers, have a limited time to apply for the program.

A maximum of 60 participants will fly in San Jose, the program's only West Coast stop this year. Selected teachers will participate in a full-day orientation program September 3. Teachers then will work with their students to develop experiments to be conducted in environments simulating lunar gravity, Martian gravity and weightlessness. Following the two-to-three-hour flight, each teacher will share his or her experiences back in the classroom.

For the third consecutive year, Northrop Grumman is partnering with Zero-G Corporation to offer the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, one of several initiatives the Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsors in support of promoting education and student interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

The program targets middle-school math and science teachers primarily because the United States is experiencing a shortage of college graduates in these disciplines, a development that bodes ill for the nation's industries that depend on talented scientists and mathematicians. Because studies have indicated most children make the decision to pursue math and science education and careers during middle-school, Northrop Grumman developed the Weightless Flights of Discovery to engage teachers, key influencers in the lives of students during these crucial years.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation's sponsorship enables participants to enjoy the program at no cost, excluding the expenses of traveling to and from the workshop and flight. The foundation chose San Jose because of the community involvement Northrop Grumman has in that area, including business operations in both San Jose and Sunnyvale.

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com/teachers, www.ngc.com