Celebrating World Space Week with Megan Beattie

Earth Place 7 days is here, Y’all!

So several of us look to the heavens and ponder what phenomena exist there, together with different representations of time, evolution, and species. Beginning in the 12 months 2000, each individual calendar year from October 4th-10th, the Entire world Place 7 days Affiliation offers Planet Space 7 days: The Major House Occasion on Earth. This celebration was initiated by the United Nations Standard Assembly as a:

[C]elebration at the global stage of the contribution that place science and technologies can make to the betterment of the human issue.

In layperson’s language: “let’s go on to review and celebrate space science to uncover methods to strengthen our planet.”

There is an outstanding amount of world-wide periods synchronized in just a common timeframe hosted by space agencies, aerospace businesses, educational facilities, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs all over the earth in a common timeframe. In 2021, World Area Week sponsored 6,418 gatherings in 96 nations. Preserve your eye on the celebration calendar to uncover places close to you.

When it comes to anything at all related to the research of space, Megan Beattie comes to brain. . .

Even though I was teaching, she was a curious and superior-undertaking 9th-grade pupil with a clear occupation intention: “I want to be a rocket scientist.” 

Megan Beattie graduated superior college, analyzed engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and not too long ago acquired her Masters degree in Science and Engineering from Auburn College. Megan is now an aerospace engineer for NASA, on a crew working to be certain the safe return of individuals to the moon for the initial time in 50 a long time.

So, to be crystal clear: indeed, she’s a rocket scientist.

Wanting to reconnect with my previous pupil, I attained out to Megan about Planet Place 7 days, and to uncover out how her perseverance and struggle drove her to attain her desire occupation. In addition, I’ll admit, I have usually wanted to chat with a authentic dwell aerospace engineer.

Learners Edge: Megan, many thanks for getting the time to make this occur! I have definitely liked viewing you chase your desires!

Megan Beattie: Many thanks for imagining of me!

LE: Can you share how you understood you would meet up with your occupation target, commencing way again when I achieved you, when you had been 14-15? In fact, I guess you realized what you preferred to be when you ended up substantially more youthful.

MB: I needed to function in the area plan at the age of three. My moms and dads took me to NASA’s Johnson Place Heart in Houston and I completely fell in really like. The arms-on things to do saved me so engaged that, even though my mom and dad had planned to only shell out a half working day there given that I was so youthful, we stayed from open up to shut. From then on I was hooked. I went to Space Camp six occasions in two and a half yrs in significant faculty in which my most loved factors were the “missions” we participated in the place we rotated concerning mission handle, the house station, and the area shuttle.

LE: What decisions did you make to advance on the route to turning out to be a genuine dwell rocket scientist?

MB: I am a planner, so I often stored in mind that anything I was carrying out now would affect the foreseeable future. I have always beloved science and math so I naturally took excess lessons in those people matter spots. I chose my undergraduate degree centered on availability of internships, study opportunities, and demonstrated assistance of girls in engineering. I was in experienced businesses in university to generate connections in the space local community- which carries on to amaze me by the breadth of influence they however have now! The aerospace local community is relatively small, so all of those items helped me display my capabilities in the field when I was initially starting out.

LE: Did you come upon any challenges as you worked towards your goal? Any moments you had to talk oneself into moving forward?

MB: Obtaining to exactly where I am has absolutely needed perseverance. There have been so lots of hurdles above the yrs that brought on me to query if I was on the ideal path, but I would often try out to come across something to remind me why I wished to do what I was doing. There was a Saturn V rocket where I did my undergraduate diploma, and I’d do my calculus homework underneath it to encourage myself. Expending numerous several hours at the nearby planetarium and observatory to stare at the distant objects in the universe served as a reminder of my passion.

LE: Share some of your optimistic influences whilst you labored on your goals.

MB: I have been really blessed to have fantastic persons encouraging me to preserve pursuing my goals. A number of men and women at NASA, such as engineers and astronauts, reached out to offer steerage. The thrust to meet my goal  appeared complicated together the way, so reminders that what I required to do was attainable was a must have.

LE: Why is Planet Area Week so essential? What would you want instructors and learners to know about the ongoing focus on space vacation and investigation?

MB: It is crucial to continue on to inspire the future generation’s enthusiasm for area exploration. I did not have regional means increasing up to foster my passion so it is excellent a environment-huge celebration of room is available to all, no matter of place. Additionally, the public is unaware of all the contributions from house exploration that have an effect on our daily lives! I am constantly surprised each individual time I learn of yet another engineering I use regularly credited to advancement as a result of house exploration.

LE: What tips would you give to learners who are fascinated in performing in the NASA place plans?

MB: Observe your passion. There are so quite a few paths to perform at NASA – it is not just for engineers. If you definitely like what you do, no total of hurdles will discourage you from continuing to stick to your desires.

Thank you, Megan, for having the time to share your journey with us. It’s superb to see you – practically – get to for the stars!

You can establish your continuing schooling framework by making use of mastering from Planet Room Week to the subsequent programs:

970: Math Will work: Teaching Math with the Mind in Thoughts

5033: Mindsets and Math: Pleasure and Accomplishment for All

5148: 3-Dimensional Understanding with the Following Era Science Standards (NGSS)

5149: Fantastic Phenomena-Based mostly Learning with the Up coming Era Science Standards (NGSS)

5154: Deep Pondering Practices for the Math Classroom

5221: STEM is the Upcoming for All Pupils

5222: Math Fluency Outside of Simple Points

5231: Empowering Motion with Environmental Science

5795: STEAM Schooling: Integrating the Arts in Your Classroom

5852: Foremost Intentional Talk with Younger Mathematical Pupils

5854: Going Math: How to Use Differentiated Arithmetic Stations