Honeywell Sends 224 Teachers To Space Camp To Accelerate The Next Level Of STEM Teaching

June 13, 2018
The teachers will participate in several science, technology, engineering, and math inspired activities during one of the two five-day programs to be held in two consecutive weeks from June 14 to 19 and June 21 to 25.

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J.June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has selected 224 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, Ala. The teachers will participate in several science, technology, engineering, and math inspired activities during one of the two five-day programs to be held in two consecutive weeks from June 14 to 19 and June 21 to 25.

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 STEM 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.  

"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."

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.