UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 1, Page 12
September 5, 1991
Aerospace Academy features hands-on training; Students have
a real blast

     Eager cadets sat in teams of two in front of their shuttle
simulation orbiter programs, attempting to launch, orbit and deploy
satellites and then land them safely onto the ground. Only spurts
of laughter or cries for help to the pilots or commanders broke the
silence of concentration at "Mission Control" in the Carpenter
Sports Building.
     This extraterrestrial exercise was just one of the activities
packed into campers' schedules at the Level II Aerospace Camp, held
on campus in July.
     Sixty-four campers from grades 6-11-all of them sharing a
fascination with space-attended the weeklong camp, conducted by the
Delaware Aerospace Academy, according to Betty H. Hudson, a camp
instructor and teacher for gifted children in the Christina School
District.
     They received hands-on training and experience in
aerospace-related activities, including remote sensing, crystals
and space, planetary geography, advanced rocketry, astronomy,
stargazing, shuttle simulation and life sciences, she said.
Breaking only for meals, the campers had a full agenda of two-hour
classes and planned daily activities from 7a.m. through 11p.m.
     Now in its second year, under the direction of Stephanie M.
Gerjovich-Wright, Delaware Aerospace  Education Foundation Resource
educator, an advisory board of Delaware teachers joined in creating
the camp .
     Much of the scholarship and computer money for the camp was
provided by the NASA space grant administered by Norman F. Ness,
president of the Bartol Research Institute at the University.
     The campers toured the Dover Air Force Base; Thiokol Inc.
(where shuttle engines and rockets are made); and the University's
Center for Composite Materials, where new, lightweight space-age
materials are being developed. And at their graduation, they
launched rockets they had constructed.
     Scott Hutson, a graduate student in physics at the University,
was one of five volunteer pilots for the camp. He said the campers
were fun, and the hardest part was trying to "settle them down at
night."
     But, according to cadet Michelle Lazarus, 12, of Wilmington,
sleep was welcome by the 11 p.m. curfew because wake up time was 6
a.m.
     Lynn Windley, 12, of Seaford, who's considering a career as a
launch controller said she really enjoyed aerospace camp, and Katie
O'Reilly, 13, of Wilmington said she enjoyed meeting new friends.
     The camp was better than any science class she could ever
taken in school, she said. O'Reilly who aspires to be a marine
veterinarian said, "If they bring mammals into space, I would be
willing to be a space veterinarian."
     Lazarus, said she would be willing to go to a space station
and be an eye doctor if a space station is established in her
lifetime.
     Christina School District elementary teacher and camp
instructor Rick Waterhouse said he was very pleased with the turn
out and enthusiasm. "There are a lot of great programs for the
kids, with experiences in problem-solving and cooperative
learning," he said.
     "The type of technology and sophistication of the space
program is something children of the 21st century need to have a
grasp of," Wright said.
     Aerospace education is important, she added, because the space
program technology can be applied to many careers and is
instrumental in not only math or science advancement, but also in
environmental issues.
     The camp will be offered for a third time next summer.
     Instructor Bonnie Smith, who is a chemistry teacher in
Wilmington, summed it up ."Working here is even a real treat for
the teachers, because all of the kids are enthusiastic and really
want to learn."
                                        - Gabriela Marmo