1. Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education & Research Center A partnership of Space Florida and Zero G Florida Science Supervisors Conference October 25, 2007 Gwendolyn Anello Vice President Education & Research Zero Gravity Corporation 321-537-4144 Gwendolyn@GoZeroG.com

2. Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education & Research Center A partnership of Space Florida and Zero G

3. The Hawking Center Will become the foremost center for education and research programs utilizing microgravity in the world Conduct outreach activities, local programs & provide materials for Florida K-20 educators and students Develop microgravity certifications for teachers, 2-year, and 4-year post-secondary education programs Administer annual Professional Development Programs for teachers that incorporate weightless flights, including fundraising for regional district-based programs Hold a statewide student engineering competitions for Florida students, teachers, and their engineering projects Develop a statewide RFP for research flights to be competed to Florida universities and research organizations to build and establish Florida microgravity research expertise Promote Florida’s new center and education programs that feature Florida & its messages in high-profile programs

4. Impact On Florida  Florida is home to ZERO-G Education & Research operations  Resource supports Florida’s aspirations to remain key player in commercial & government aerospace activities  Creates an innovative, engaging education and outreach mechanism: K-12: student and teacher education and inspiration K-20: research capabilities unique to Florida General Public: Ensures Floridians are reminded of the importance of space to their state  Hosts Turn-Key, high visibility Space programs and Activities

5. Space Florida Created to strengthen state’s position as the global leader in aerospace research, investment, exploration and commerce. Committed to attracting and expanding the next generation of space industry businesses: highly trained workforce proven infrastructure unparalleled record of achievement

6. ZERO-G The only commercial, FAA-approved Weightless Flight experience worldwide. ZERO-G uses a customized Boeing 727-200 aircraft. NASA uses Weightless Flights to train astronauts & Ron Howard used them to film weightless scenes in Apollo 13. Each flight offers 15 segments of weightlessness lasting about 30 seconds per segment. Operates nationally, from most large regional and international airports. All individual seats sold/marketed through the Sharper Image www.gozerog.com

7. ZERO-G Education Programs Programs include training/workshops and flights Flights include seats for journalists and sponsors. Educational value confirmed by independent evaluations. Amazing student data coming in from veteran teachers Truly makes science and math cool to youth. Teacher program proven & customizable Student programs have tremendous potential

9. How ZERO-G works Aircraft flies through an “arc” in the sky between 24,000 – 32,000 feet A dedicated block of airspace is provided by the FAA Experience 15 parabolic arcs including: Lunar, Martian & zero gravity True weightlessness -- exactly the same as astronauts experience

10. Program Development Two pilot programs in Florida in 2005 for 40 teachers 700 teachers total by the end of 2007 2007 Partnership with Space Florida for the Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education and Research Center –Reached more than 1,800 educators through outreach by teachers, invited presentations –Highly interactive web site launch at FAST 2007 –17 Hawking Center Fellows, 17 teacher experts, mentors and Zero G education Coaches –Hawking Center Teacher Guide available online –Demonstration flight secured 2.5 million media impressions –Professor Hawking Flight and Events: 206.5 million media impressions. –4 Flight-based professional development programs for 100 teachers in 2008 Developing regional and district programs, university partnerships, outreach to promote STEM Education

11. Flight-Based Teacher Professional Development Teacher Content Workshops provide training in specific Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) content Flights Teachers demonstrate & record experiments Experiment Workshops Train teachers to create exciting, visual flight activities that demonstrate STEM topics learned Design Experiments Teachers work together and with with students to design experiments for the flights Inspire Students Teachers share first hand experience, incorporate photos and video into classroom & other presentations

12. Applicable Concepts Observation & Prediction Newton's Laws of Motion Conservation of Momentum Measurement Geometry

13. Upcoming Programs for Teachers 2007 Workshop November 10 Center for Space Education Kennedy Space Center Flight December 8 Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 2008 4 Professional Development Programs Scheduled Quarterly Accomodate up to 100 teachers Locations TBA www.HawkingCenter.org

14. Independent Evaluation The fundamental strength … derive from its purpose, which is keyed into a national interest in the science education of our youth: to adopt strategies that increase the number of students who seek careers in Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). inspires K-12 teachers... prepares teachers to conduct scientific experiments while aboard G- Force One. consistently rated this program very highly for its objectives, operations, and activities. Curriculum Research & Evaluation, Hartford, CT February, 2007

15. From the Teachers… During the 2006-2007 school year, a couple of changes were made to our school level science plan… we incorporated our experiences with Zero G into appropriate lessons, hosted a Family focused science night and generated excitement/interest in science by sharing weightless stories with students, parents and staff whenever possible! In one year, our fifth graders improved the mean scale score by nine points and our percentage of students scoring at a proficient level (3 or higher) rose from 58% in 2006, to an impressive 74% in 2007.” -Meagan Graves, Teacher Grade 5 -Enterprise Elementary School, Port St. John, Florida

16. From the Teachers… “Since I first began integrating the ZERO-G experience into my instructional materials three years ago, my AP Physics classes tripled in size!” Students are choosing to study Physics and Chemistry with Ms. Houts over nearly every other optional course thanks to the science buzz she created school-wide! -Deb Houts, High School Physics and Chemistry North East High School, Oakland Park, Florida

17. Student Concepts Student competition for middle and high school students Student and teacher teams compete in a zero-g engineering task. Education & publicity value of first ever student ZERO-G program Each flight includes 35 seats for participants, media and sponsor discretionary use.

18. Benefits  Encourage student interest & pursuit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics  Turnkey programs to support and expand STEM education initiatives  Community outreach, high media interest promotes importance of STEM and teaching.  Turnkey programs and custom/partner programs  Link sponsors with exciting, innovative education programs  Extraordinary publicity opportunity for partners and sponsors

19. Hawking Center District Opportunities Space Florida Supported Programs: 4 in 2008 Grant programs State (MSP, Succeed, Choice) Federal (MSP, NSF, DOE) Florida Foundations Privately Sponsored Programs Statewide and local corporations Community organizations Unique sponsor benefits! Local Initiatives(2 - 4 flight programs) Program, flight and team sponsorships State/federal funds

20. www.HawkingCenter.org Gwendolyn Anello Vice President Education & Research Zero Gravity Corporation 321-537-4144 Gwendolyn@GoZeroG.com