Indian Teacher Forms Squad of 20 Chosen by NASA to Promote Space Education

Vandana Suryawanshi, a secondary school teacher from the Indian state of Maharashtra, has been selected as part of a specially formed 20-member teaching team, chosen by U.S. space organization NASA.

The teachers, who will be called Teacher Liaisons, will serve as advocates for space-themed education across curriculums in their countries and will use Space Foundation-provided training and resources to further integrate space principles into the classroom, a media release said.

Suryawanshi, who teaches biology at the Vidya Valley School in the city of Pune, has 20 years of experience in the classroom. Her students will no doubt be jubilant to know of the distinction.

Incidentally, this is the first time an international teacher has been selected for the NASA Space Foundation's prestigious fellowship, which is now in its 10th year. The highly regarded Space Foundation Teacher Liaison programme has 270 active members, including the 2012 contingent.

The 2012 batch will be publicly recognised at the Space Foundation's 28<sup>th National Symposium, which will be held from April 16 to April 19, in Colorado. The symposium will also feature workshops and interactive events for the new batch of Teacher Liaisons.

The chosen teachers can also take advantage of specialised training facilities at NASA, in subjects like Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).