Position Announcement

Center for Science and the Schools
Aerospace Education Specialist

Beginning Date Negotiable

Appointment conditions

This position is a non-tenure track, 12 month academic teaching position with the Aerospace Education Services Project, a cooperative agreement with NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  AESP specialists are based at NASA centers around the United States.  Salary is commensurate with education and experience; full University benefits apply.  Penn State has a strong commitment to the diversity of its workforce.  We encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

The Center for Science and the Schools seeks an individual with interests and expertise in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for appointment as an Aerospace Education Specialist.  An AESP specialist offers instructional programs for K-12 students, teachers, and the general public, with a primary focus on the professional development of K-12 teachers of STEM subjects.  Significant travel is required:  An AESP specialist delivers programs to schools in all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Primary responsibilities include:

• Work closely with higher education to strengthen pre-service and in-service teacher education at colleges and universities where NASA research and development (R&D) is conducted.
• Visit schools as NASA's representative; build capacity through engagement with teachers, students, principals, parents, and other stakeholders; and provide opportunities for teachers to develop new pedagogical approaches.
• Work with educators to plan and teach space-related content.
• Participate strategically in conferences such as state and regional science teachers' meetings.
• Work early with new NASA projects that plan K-12 components, to contribute a ground-truth perspective on the needs of teachers, state curriculum standards, and mechanisms for training and dissemination.
• Facilitate collaborations between K-12 schools and university and industry-based scientists and engineers.
• Develop imaginative strategies to help prepare NASA's future workforce.
• Work collaboratively with other NASA personnel and civilian contractors to offer educational programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline or in a STEM education area
• Teaching certification in one or more U.S. states
• At least 3 years of experience teaching STEM-related subjects
• Evidence of leadership experience in K-12 educational settings
• Successful experience delivering professional development to K-12 teachers

The Pennsylvania State University

Penn State is a comprehensive, multi-campus research university serving all regions of the Commonwealth, as well as the nation and the world in instruction, research, and service roles that require responsiveness to and support from society’s public and private sectors.  As a land-grant university, Penn State has responsibility for providing a wide array of programs in the professional and technical disciplines, as well as a balanced offering of undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and sciences.  Penn State shares with other major research universities the traditional responsibilities to discover, develop, preserve, and disseminate knowledge.

The College of Education

The College of Education at Penn State was established in 1923 to deepen and extend knowledge about the formation and utilization of human capabilities.  It offers resident degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as an extensive outreach effort aimed at continuing professional development for educators at distant locations.  The College's research program is also extensive and College faculty members secured over $56.5 million in external support during the past three years from a wide range of national and state government agencies, private foundations, and corporations.  The College's location within a large, research oriented, land-grant university provides numerous opportunities for studying education from multidisciplinary perspectives in the context of a university-wide commitment to making life better for all citizens.

The College houses five academic departments:  Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology and Rehabilitation Services; Curriculum and Instruction; Education Policy Studies; Educational and School Psychology and Special Education; and Learning and Performance Systems.  The departments offer seven undergraduate majors to more than 2,687 students and 13 graduate programs, under authority of the Graduate School, to more than 986 students.  Recent surveys rank the Penn State College of Education among the top colleges, schools, and departments of education in the United States.

The Center for Science and the Schools

The Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS) is a university-wide center administered by the College of Education.  It works with scientists, engineers, and educators from all of Penn State's colleges and campuses to develop and deliver programs to K-12 schools that are mutually beneficial and sustainable.  CSATS projects are funded by NASA, NSF, and other government agencies and foundations.  CSATS also works closely with Penn State Outreach, Penn State Public Broadcasting, and other entities.

Application procedures

Applicants should submit a letter of application describing their qualifications for the position, current curriculum vitae, copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts (where appropriate), and at least three names, mail and e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of professional references (or letters of reference, if possible).  We will contact references only after communicating with finalists for the position.  Send all materials to:

Ms. Julia K. Muffler
Deputy Director, Aerospace Education Services Project
The Pennsylvania State University
182 Chambers Building
University Park, PA  16802-3205
jkm24@psu.edu


 

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce.

For More Information Contact Gerald K. Henry, Jr., Coordinator, Human Resources & Administrative Services - gkh2@psu.edu