New Orleans high school teachers learned about teaching pedagogy and students learned about lithium battery research at the NASA MIRO MICHESS Center at Xavier University of Louisiana

Welcome to the Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) NASA MIRO Michess Center K-12 STEM Outreach Program, where we share experiences and opportunities in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.

The NASA MIRO Michess Center K-12 STEM Outreach program is designed to build partnerships with nearby high schools and middle schools in the New Orleans area. The outreach program for 2016 involved seven teachers from different school districts who participated in professional development (PD) seminars organized by the NASA MIRO Michess center in collaboration with the Center for the Advancement of Teaching + Faculty Development (CAT+FD) at XULA. We were able to empower these K-12 educators to create strategies and policies that support high achievement for all students through the CAT+FD summer workshops. 

The workshops allowed the deployment of exceptionally qualified teachers, to high-need New Orleans school districts, with the ability to make immediate positive impacts on student learning in STEM. While the teachers were learning effective pedagogical practices, the students who accompanied them were learning about rechargeable lithium-ion battery research in the state-of-the-art laboratory at the Michess Center at XULA. The students learned about the Michess Center’s goal of creating a stable, ultra-high energy density, lightweight, and all-solid-state lithium battery with excellent safety and rate performance. This type of battery is particularly important to NASA space-related missions, where space and accessibility can be limited.

The main goal of the XULA NASA MIRO Michess Center Outreach program is to create a bridge to the local schools to help promote STEM education about human exploration and space technology. Additionally, the program helps to inspire middle and high school students to NASA-related projects. This will lead to an increase in NASA’s outreach mission towards improving national STEM education. Overall, our effort will help ensure a steady stream of minority students majoring in STEM fields related to NASA.

The NASA Michess Center is made up of Xavier University of Louisiana, Auburn University, Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S. Army Research Lab, and the NASA Glenn Center.