Bangkok--13 Jul--ABM
Honeywell (NYSE: HON) selected two teachers from Thailand to join additional teachers from 35 countries and 45 U.S. states and territories to attend the annual Honeywell Educators at Space Academy (HESA)program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) in Huntsville, Alabama. The teachers participated in several science, technology, engineering, and math inspired activities during one of the two five-day programs that were recently held over two consecutive weeks.
Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, and USSRC created the program in 2004 to inspire middle school science and math teachers to not only continue their own education, but to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STE) in their classrooms. Since its creation, more than 3,000 teachers have attended the HESA program and have cumulatively gone on to impact more than 5 million students around the world.
"We're thrilled to continue our long partnership with Honeywell to bring teachers to learn and grow at our facility in Alabama," said Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and executive director, USSRC. "The opportunity to help these teachers ignite their students' passion in space, science and technology is one we at USSRC look forward to each year."
While at Space Camp, teachers attend 45 hours of immersive classroom and laboratory instruction focused on science, space exploration, and leadership skills development. In addition to learning new instructional exercises, including coding challenges, the teachers will build a network of peers from around the world to continue collaborating and developing their STEM education goals.
"We are very pleased to continue to offer this award-winning scholarship program to Thai teachers throughout the country. These committed educators are part of a very successful heritage of advanced teaching and learning. Their passion and multi-disciplinary skill sets will create more opportunities in important technology-driven fields for Thailand's next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders," said Ms Mai Trang Thanh, President, Honeywell Indochina.
"Teachers dedicate their lives to educating students and preparing them for a world they will one day lead," said Mike Bennett, President, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. "Today, STEM education is no longer about reading from textbooks or memorizing facts and formulas. STEM is about doing. We're proud to invest in teachers, help them improve their teaching techniques and their curriculum, and ultimately motivate their students to reach their fullest potential."
"It's inspiring to watch my students get excited about the STEM-related activities I've been able to introduce since my time at Space Camp," said 2017 HESA alumnus James Falletti of Hackensack, N.J. "I've proudly worn my HESA flight suit to class and am so thankful to Honeywell for allowing me to further explore my passion for teaching and implementing science each day with my students."
Porntipa Suthon, a Science and English teacher for Grades 4 to 6 at Ban Nongrung Pratale School in Srisaket province participated in the 2018 HESA program and commented, "I was very pleased to be selected to join this innovative program. I was one among more than one hundred teachers from around the world and was honored to exchange so much about different cultures, educational systems, teaching methods and the gifted students that we all mentor. The HESA program allowed us to learn about the most effective ways of teaching to create a more student-centered learning experience, encourage students to initiate and execute new ideas and more effectively adapt their classroom experiences to productive careers. This will enhance their creativity and learning skills throughout their lives."
Elmar Rubio, a teacher in the specialized "Gifted Program" at Anuban School in Samut Samut Sakhon province recently returned from his five-day HESA trip. "The trip was very useful in taking us out of a textbook-driven teaching/learning method to a more interactive approach that I can apply in my classes back home. There are limitations on how you can convey topics like astronomy, moonwalks, gravity and robotics from books and on the blackboard. I now have the flexibility to teach with the tools, techniques and equipment I use every day to make everything more realistic and more easily understood and retained by the students. I plan to bring my experience at HESA directly to my students to the extent that many of them may feel that they were also there with me. It will be a real learning experience for them as it was for me."
To qualify, HESA candidates complete a rigorous application process. Qualified teachers are awarded scholarships, round-trip airfare, tuition, meals and accommodations, supported by Honeywell and its employees.
For more information about the HESA program click here.