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Julie Rivera Pérez Bridges Business, STEM to ‘Make the Magic Happen’
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By Space Force
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference brought together thousands of indigenous students, educators and professionals to promote opportunities and celebrate achievements in STEM.
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By NASA
Jennifer Becerra has nearly three decades of experience in education, both in the classroom and within the NASA community. Leading a team dedicated to fostering a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), she develops programs that inspire students and educators alike.
Whether coordinating internships or organizing engagement events, Becerra creates educational opportunities to bring the excitement of NASA’s missions to life for students. As NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) student services manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston, her efforts aim to cultivate the next generation of explorers and build a stronger, more engaged future workforce.
Official portrait of Jennifer Becerra. NASA/Josh Valcarcel Becerra’s responsibilities include overseeing intern recruitment, placement, and development. She leads the OSTEM Center Engagement to create impactful opportunities for students to connect with NASA’s mission and resources. Becerra also serves as the technical officer for NASA’s Teams II Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions Community Anchor grant program. She assists in managing funded projects that advance STEM education by supporting institutions that serve as local hubs for learning and space exploration.
Becerra holds memberships in The National Science Teachers Association and the Science Teachers Association of Texas, further underscoring her dedication to empowering tomorrow’s innovators.
Student interns at Johnson Space Center hold a sign to encourage the next generation of explorers to apply to #BeAnAstronaut.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Becerra takes great pride in her work. One of her most fulfilling achievements is witnessing the spark of inspiration in students when they participate in events like astronaut graduation, the Artemis II crew announcement, or the OSIRIS-REx sample reveal. “Seeing their excitement and curiosity fuels our commitment to creating impactful experiences that encourage students to explore STEM fields,” she said. “We aim to inspire the next generation of explorers who may one day contribute to future NASA missions.”
Students congratulate the 23rd astronaut class at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 5, 2024.NASA/Josh Valcarcel Her upbringing on the Texas-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas, deeply influences her sense of identity. She is an active member of Johnson’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group, which promotes cultural awareness and provides a platform to engage and educate the Johnson community about the richness and significance of Hispanic culture.
“I aim to foster a more inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and celebrated,” she said. Becerra honors her culture in the workplace by embracing her authentic self every day and contributing to her team in meaningful ways.
Jennifer Becerra, left, receives a Group Special Act Award at Johnson Space Center. An important lesson she has learned throughout her career is the power of collaboration. “I’ve realized that it takes a collective effort to achieve our goals,” said Becerra. “I’ve come to deeply appreciate and rely on the diverse experiences and perspectives my colleagues bring to our team.”
Early in her career, Becerra faced imposter syndrome, but over time she overcame it by connecting with colleagues who shared her background. Today, she appreciates the inclusivity and collaboration within her teams.
Jennifer Becerra at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Looking forward, Becerra is excited for the future of space exploration, especially the moment when the first woman steps onto the Moon. She hopes to inspire more girls to explore STEM and leave a lasting legacy with the Artemis Generation.
“Passion drives fulfillment and long-term commitment, especially at NASA,” she said. “I encourage students to seize every opportunity, build strong connections with their teams, and embrace the sense of being part of something much greater than themselves.”
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By NASA
4 Min Read Unique NASA Partnerships Spark STEM Learning on Global Scale
NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn reading “Goodnight Moon” aboard station for Crayola’s “Read Along, Draw Along” Credits: NASA NASA offers a world of experiences and opportunities to engage young explorers around the globe in the excitement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement collaborates with experts throughout the agency, the U.S. government, and a variety of global partners to spark inspiration in Artemis Generation students everywhere.
Partnerships with the agency reach new audiences. Here are some of the ways NASA and its partners are making exciting STEM learning resources and opportunities available globally.
NASA and Minecraft collaborated to bring NASA missions to life. NASA and Crayola partnered on a series of virtual engagements to encourage students and families to participate in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) content – for example, the annual Crayola Creativity Week. NASA partnered with LEGO Education on educational resources to introduce STEAM concepts and careers with students, teachers, and families. NASA joined forces with Discovery Education to provide curriculum support resources, videos, and events through their online platform. NASA recently signed an agreement with Arizona State University’s Milo Space Science Institute to create new opportunities for students to engage in STEM workforce development through 12-week academies using NASA data sets, information from NASA subject matter experts as well as information on the agency’s missions and careers. NASA partnered with Code.org on the development of computer science and coding resources for teachers and students. NASA collaborated with LabXchange to develop free online resources for teachers and students on topics such as solar eclipses, Mars, astrobiology, and Artemis missions, with more than 700 resources available to date. Representative LEGO minifigures in front of European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II. Four LEGO minifigures will fly on Artemis I as part of the official flight kit, which carries mementos for educational outreach and posterity.
Credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak There’s More to Explore With NASA
International educators and students can find even more ways to engage with NASA’s missions and content through these resources, available online to all.
For the youngest explorers, NASA Kids Club offers STEM-based games for students ages 3-9. The agency’s Artemis Camp Experience features hands-on activities designed to introduce K-12 students to the systems that will enable NASA astronauts to return to the Moon with Artemis. NASA’s “First Woman” graphic novel series tells the fictional story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. Created for students in grades 5-12, “First Woman” includes graphic novels in English and Spanish along with accompanying videos, activities, and more. Through the agency’s internship opportunities, students gain authentic experience while being part of the agency’s work. Student challenges available internationally include the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, in which student teams create and test human-powered rovers, and the Space Apps Challenge, a hackathon that aims to solve real-world challenges on Earth and in space. NASA’s ASTRO CAMP Community Partners Program shares NASA STEM content and experiences through youth organizations and informal learning institutions such as museums and libraries, including nearly 30 international partner sites. Citizen scientists anywhere can contribute their local observations through the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer app, part of the GLOBE program sponsored by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists. Look up! Use the Spot the Station mobile app and website to know when the International Space Station will pass overhead. NASA is much more than astronauts and rocket scientists. The Surprisingly STEM video series highlights unexpected careers with linked hands-on activities. STEM resources for educators and students can be found anytime on NASA’s Learning Resources website. The agency offers video on demand through NASA+ with unique STEM programming, live coverage of NASA missions, and more. Students put their human-powered rover to the test in NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge.
Credit: NASA Get NASA STEM Updates via Email
NASA STEM’s e-newsletters deliver the latest updates to email inboxes around the world. The NASA EXPRESS weekly e-newsletter offers the latest NASA STEM content and opportunities, while the monthly Earthrise e-newsletter offers themed resources to elevate Earth and climate science in the classroom.
Learn more about how NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement is inspiring Artemis Generation explorers at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem
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Last Updated Oct 02, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
2 min read
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President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Jose Antonio Tijerino, left, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, sign a Space Act Agreement between the HHF and NASA to collaborate and expand STEM opportunities for Latino K-12 and university students and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, at the NASA Headquarters Mary W. Jackson Building in Washington.NASA/Bill Ingalls During an event at NASA Headquarters in Washington Monday, the agency and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation signed a Space Act Agreement to collaborate and expand STEM opportunities for Latino K-12 and university students and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities.
The signing is the latest in a series of efforts by NASA to expand access to STEM education for underrepresented communities across the nation.
“Through this agreement, NASA and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation are not just formalizing a partnership; we are igniting a commitment to innovation that will shape the future of our endeavors,” said Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “This initiative will help build a diverse future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce, showcasing our commitment to making America’s space agency accessible to all.”
As part of the agreement, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation will incorporate NASA STEM education resources, content, and themes into its Latinos on the Fast Track (LOFT) program, which aims to connect, inspire, and empower young Latino professionals and college students on their career journey. In turn, NASA will provide access to aerospace STEM education professionals to support technical reviews for the development of new curriculum materials and facilitate information sharing with NASA experts and mentors who will lead presentations and workshops to expose students to STEM careers.
“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to partner with NASA to expand STEM opportunities and expose Latinos to career pathways in aerospace and space travel,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “This innovative partnership with NASA will allow us to expand our mission even beyond our planet!”
While initial efforts will be led by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the umbrella agreement also allows for further collaboration and partnership in the future. Specifically, the agency and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation will look to support certain areas of NASA’s Equity Action Plan.
NASA works to explore the secrets of the universe and solve the world’s most complex problems, which requires creating space for all people to participate in and learn from its work in space. Providing access to opportunities where young minds can be curious and see themselves potentially at NASA and beyond is how the agency will continue to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators.
For more information on how NASA inspires students to pursue STEM visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources
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Last Updated Sep 30, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
Young women, ages 11 to 18, from Atlanta, Georgia, with interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), pose for a photo on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at the Launch and Landing Facility following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Delta Air Lines Women Inspiring Our Next Generation (WING) flight, with the help of NASA Kennedy, showcases the various women-led STEM careers available at the Florida spaceport. NASA/Kim Shiflett For the third straight year, scores of young women flew to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to learn how to make their aviation dreams take flight as part of the Delta Air Lines Women Inspiring our Next Generation (WING) program. Their Boeing 737 aircraft, piloted by an all-female crew, carried 130 girls, ages 11 to 18, who hail from Atlanta area schools and aviation organizations with a strong focus on STEM.
They departed Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just after sunrise on Sept. 20 and just a few hours later, stepped onto the runway of Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility, where dozens of space shuttle missions landed and current-day NASA astronauts arrive at ahead of their launches to the International Space Station.
A Delta plane, carrying an all-female crew and 130 young women ages 11 to 18, received a “water salute” upon arrival on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Kim Shiflett “For more than 60 years, Kennedy Space Center has been the launching point for many of the missions that have inspired the nation and challenged generations of students to reach for the stars,” said NASA Kennedy Director Janet Petro. “As an aviator myself, today is especially exciting because it showcases the diverse range of career opportunities available to young women interested in pursuing fields in science, technology, engineering, and math.”
The girls received a bus tour of NASA Kennedy facilities and photo opportunities at Launch Complex 39B, where the first woman to set foot on the Moon will launch in the coming years on Artemis III. Then at the spaceport’s Space Systems Processing Facility, the girls heard firsthand from NASA Kennedy’s women leaders, who offered encouragement and words of wisdom.
“I want you to look around you. The young women in this room are going to be the trailblazers of the Artemis Generation,” said Dicksy Chrostowski, director of the Office of Communications at NASA Kennedy. “You may very well live and work on the Moon, or be one of our first visitors to Mars. There is always a path to greatness for you to take, even if it’s hard to find.”
The girls of the Delta WING flight finished their day exploring the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before reboarding the plane for their return trip to Atlanta. The experience of visiting NASA’s iconic spaceport and the lessons imparted by the women of NASA resonated with the girls.
From left to right, Savitri Thomas, management and program analyst; Ales-Cia Winsley, lead Space Launch System avionics engineer; and Alexandra Philip, metrology engineer, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, speak on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, to the young women of the Delta WING flight about their NASA careers and the value of STEM education.NASA/Kim Shiflett “As a woman of color, it’s great to see other women who look like me in these spaces and it’s very uplifting to hear their stories and how far they’ve come,” said Karsyn Britton-Mauge, a seventh grader from the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. “Life is filled with ups and downs, and I am so inspired by the persistence in all the women who spoke to us today. They never stopped pursuing their dreams.”
The focus on STEM education as a path to a career in aviation has been a key feature of the annual Delta WING flight since the program launched in 2015. That’s when Delta General Manager of Pilot Development Beth Poole and Delta Pilot Cheri Rohlfing noted a conspicuous lack of women in certain roles of the airline industry, including mechanics, ground personnel, and especially pilots. They initiated Delta WING flights, spearheaded by Delta’s Flight Operations and organized and operated solely by women, as a way of inspiring and educating the next generation of young women on careers in aviation. This year’s trip to NASA Kennedy was the eighth Delta WING flight and third to Kennedy.
“The accomplishments of the future are going to be realized by the dreamers, innovators, and bright minds who are sitting in classrooms today,” Petro said. “And we want these students to know there is a place for them at NASA.”
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