Space Center Houston Earns U.S. State Department Grant to Teach Global Sustainability

Houston – The nonprofit Space Center Houston has earned a prestigious U.S. Department of State grant that will unite it with two other science centers in France and Singapore in a collaborative global education project.

The Museums Connect grant funds a future-looking six-month initiative focused on teaching youth about space science, technology and global citizenship. The collaborative effort will draw teens from the three countries to work together to solve real-world problems in a fun cultural exchange.

“This partnership is a part of the center’s long-term objectives to partner with other leading science centers on cross-cultural projects,” said Kim Parker, director of development for the nonprofit. “We are excited to teach the next generation of explorers about working together to solve global problems.”

Space Center Houston, the Science Centre Singapore and Cité de l'espace in France will engage students and teachers to explore new learning and teaching practices focused on building a sustainable Mars community. Selected participants will attend online courses and then travel to each center for hands-on training.

The program will culminate at Space Center Houston’s Mars Trekker Global Teen Summit. The international summit will welcome students from across the world. Teens will learn new skills for the 21st century with fun, hands-on activities. Topics to be explored in the summit include clean water, renewable energy and the nutrition needed to develop a sustainable community on the red planet.

Students will participate in interactive workshops and hear from NASA scientists and engineers, all aimed at inspiring students to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Participants will enjoy many social aspects including concerts, live shows and other entertainment in Space Center Houston’s simulated Mars Yard.

Museums Connect is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that is administered by the American Alliance of Museums.

Space Center Houston welcomes more than 100,000 educators and students annually from around the world to its educational programs. For more information on Space Center Houston, visit spacecenter.org.

Featured

  • Indiana University Launches Capital Campus in D.C.

    Indiana University recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new IU Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., according to university news. The eight-story facility will provide a central hub for the university’s existing programs and business operations based in D.C., uniting them under one roof and providing the opportunity to expand.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

  • nursing students talk while studying in a hallway

    Elsevier Launches VR Simulation Solution for Nursing Students

    Elsevier has introduced Shadow Health Lab with Virtual Reality, a simulation platform that allows nursing students to interact with virtual patients and build clinical judgment skills in a safe, realistic environment.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.