Published: August 23, 2008 11:47 pm            

Teacher partners with aerospace industry

Kelly Wardlaw, eighth grade science teacher at Stillwater Junior High School, was recently invited to become an Oklahoma Aerospace Fellow at the Oklahoma Aerospace Summit, held in Oklahoma City in June.

Only 100 teachers from across the state were selected, with the goal of developing a convergence of ideas and plans to motivate Oklahoma Students to pursue math, science, and technical careers.

The Oklahoma’s Aerospace Industry has identified the following goals for the Aerospace Fellows program:

• Motivate students to pursue math, science and technical educations

• Educate teachers and counselors about employment opportunities for their students in the aerospace industry

• Create partnerships among educators, industry and government

• Encourage and implement aerospace curriculum in our common schools, career tech centers and colleges/universities

• Create solutions to meet the workforce challenges of the Oklahoma aerospace industry

• Create opportunities for life-long learning and professional development credit

As part of this program, Partnerships were formed between teachers and members of Oklahoma’s Aerospace Industry. Kelly has been partnered with Ben Robinson, the director of the Boeing Oklahoma City site.

Robinson is responsible for supporting the programs and functions assigned to the OKC Site.

In addition, he is responsible for maintaining customer relations with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center located at Tinker Air Force Base and with supporting community relations within the greater Oklahoma City area and the state of Oklahoma.

Robinson retired from active duty with the U.S. Air Force as a brigadier general in 2002. Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management, Eastern New Mexico University and a master’s degree in industrial management, Central Michigan University.

In addition, he also completed a one-year course of study with MIT in international relations.

As a part of this partnership, Wardlaw and Robinson are working together to make “real world” connections to the material studied in eighth grade science.

Robinson , along with several of his colleagues, will be making guest appearances throughout the semester to talk to the students about how they use science in their jobs.

Robinson visited the junior high on Friday and spoke to Wardlaw’s classes about the numerous careers available in Oklahoma’s Aerospace Industry.

        

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