TOKYO – July 2, 2018 – The Northrop Grumman Foundation announced that it is sponsoring seven students and three teachers from Japan to attend Space Camp®, held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® in Huntsville, Alabama, July 8-13, 2018.
Space Camp® is an experiential learning program that aims to increase youth interest in space science. Thousands of students and teachers from more than 60 countries have participated in the program since it started in 1982.
This year, two students and one teacher each from Hakuo Junior High School in Tokyo, and Misawa Daiichi Junior High School in Misawa City, Aomori, and three students and one teacher from Shinmei Junior High School in Iwata, Shizuoka, will attend the week-long program along with participants from around the world. As a sponsor, the Northrop Grumman Foundation will cover all participation fees and accommodation expenses.
The students will participate in numerous activities such as building and launching rockets, using astronaut training equipment, and performing simulated spaceflight missions. Teachers will discover new tools and resources to enhance how they demonstrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts in their classrooms.
“We are honored to support these students and their teachers as they embark on a unique experience to learn about the latest space technologies,” said Stan Crow, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Japan. “We expect this to be a great, hands-on learning opportunity and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return to Japan.”
The junior high school students and their teachers are scheduled to visit JAXA before they leave for the U.S. At JAXA, they will learn about the Japanese space program through satellite image analysis of Japan and a tour of the Tsukuba Space Center.
The Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsored two students and one teacher from Uozu Seibu Junior High School, Uozu City, Toyama, to attend Space Camp® last year. One of last year’s participants, Reina Kawarada, commented, “I was able to learn a lot about space technology. I feel that my interest in the stars and the universe has grown deeper. Even though I could not speak English fluently, I was able to communicate with people around me. Thanks to that, learning English has become more enjoyable than before. I offer my congratulations to the team participating this year and urge them to enjoy lots of different experiences.”
Riko Gonda, the other 2017 student participant, added, “We participated in Space Camp and gained great experience about the universe. It was impressive that people from other countries were very interested in Japan and I enjoyed interacting with them. It was a life-changing experience for me as I learned so much about the cultures of other countries.” I would like this year’s participants to have many experiences that we cannot have in Japan.”
Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students and teachers. In 2017, Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued outreach efforts by contributing over $20.4 million to diverse STEM-related groups such as the Air Force Association and CyberPatriot, the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics), National Science Teachers Association, Great Minds in Stem (Viva Technology) and EarthEcho International’s Expeditions. 2018 is the 10th year the Northrop Grumman Foundation has sponsored the Space Camp® program.
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