Using Paper Airplanes to Inspire Students to Pursue STEM Careers and Consider Teaching in the STEM Subjects (A great teamwork and engineering design activity, too!) Presented by STEM Teachers Jessica Findlay, 6 th Grade, Kelly Graveson, 8 th Grade,

Today we’re going to talk about the Aerospace Industry. What kind of jobs do you think people might have who work in the Aerospace Industry? What kinds of skills do you think those people should have?

Modified from material created by Tom Benson, Glenn Research Center

Company Name:______________________ Manager:____________________________ Design Engineer:_____________________ Manufacturer:________________________ Test Engineer/Pilot:____________________ Aircraft Name:________________________ Turn this form in to NASA prior to flight test.

GO BUILD! GO FLY! Goal: Construct your airplane so that it stays in the air for the longest time. You have 15 minutes to complete this task! Remember: Only the manager can communicate with NASA and only the pilot can fly the plane.

How does playing with paper airplanes relate to STEM?

The Design Process Marty Waszak NASA Langley Researcher Biologically Inspired Micro-Flight Research “M.A.V.”: Micro Aerial Vehicle

Modeling and Simulation

World Record Breaking Paper Airplane at NASA Langley, 1992

Cady Coleman, an astronaut from MA who has spent almost 180 days in space!