Avondale, Ariz. - Lieutenant Colonel Carlos I. Noriega, USMC NASA Astronaut lands at Estrella Mountain Community College on October 4. Estrella Mountain, in partnership with the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) is hosting NASA Awareness Day at the college's Avondale campus.
Approximately 300 students representing elementary, middle and high schools and 150 community college students from across the Valley will descend on the Estrella Mountain Community College campus to listen to guest speakers from Johnson Space Center.
Estrella Mountain and NASA officials will also dedicate the NASA Center for Success in Math & Science at Estrella Mountain. The Center will serve as the core driver for student achievement in these disciplines. It will provide students a continuous pipeline of support, insuring persistence from elementary to middle school, through high school and on to college.
NASA Awareness Day at Estrella Mountain is designed to bring students and teachers from all grade levels together to learn about the role of science in their lives and inspire the next generation of explorers. NASA Awareness Days are held throughout the year at minority serving institutions to highlight NASA's research and educational opportunities in mathematics, science, engineering and technology. This is the first such event held in the state of Arizona.
Participating elementary schools include: Corte Sierra and Westwind; middle schools include: Avondale, Gonzales, Desert Sands, Estrella and St. John Vianney Catholic School; high schools include: Agua Fria, Millennium, Trevor Browne and Dysart. In addition, 150 students from Estrella Mountain, Phoenix College, South Mountain and Cochise Community Colleges will participate in the day's activities.