NASA OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR 'INSPIRED' HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

High school students in the United States are invited to participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, through the program's online learning community.

Applications are being accepted from Monday, May 3 through Wednesday, June 30. NASA will make selections for the program in September.  Selectees and their parents will participate in an online learning
community with opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants to gain exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA.

Students selected for the program will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2011 at NASA facilities and participating universities. INSPIRE is designed to encourage students in ninth through 12th grades to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. The summer experience provides students with a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in those disciplines.

INSPIRE is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in the STEM disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information about INSPIRE, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE

To apply for the program, visit: https://inspire.okstate.edu/index.cfm?liftoff=login.LoginForm

For information about NASA's education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education