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Space Florida was created to strengthen Florida’s position as the global leader in aerospace research, investment, exploration, and commerce. Key to accomplishing that goal is a strong educational component. As a result, Space Florida and ZERO-G initiated the Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education Research Center.
The Hawking Center drew in Florida’s educators, students, and researchers to learn about microgravity, develop experiments for parabolic flight, and integrate the outcomes in their classrooms, laboratories, and corporations.
The program began with a pre-workshop that incorporated experiment development, research goals, flight background, professional development needs, and/or classroom integration. Following the workshop, participants flew on G-FORCE ONE to execute their experiment goals in Lunar, Martian, and zero gravity. After the flight, participants organized their in-flight videos together with gathered data and prepared to instruct others or implement research outcomes. The program was evaluated to document the overall quality and educational/institutional impacts.
During its operation, the Hawking Center flew more than 200 teachers and supported microgravity research for the University of Central Florida, Dynamac, Bionetics, Trinity Preparatory School, Tekna-Theos, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
To learn more about Space Florida, visit www.spaceflorida.gov
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