Teacher Susan Oltman Represents NASA and NOAA at National Conference

Sixth grade science teacher Susan Oltman recently represented two national organizations at the National Science Teachers’ Association National conference in Atlanta,  Georgia held at the World Congress Center in March.
Previously, she won a competitive grant with NASA where she was named an Airborne Astronomy Ambassador (AAA) in 2015. Susan trained at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California in infrared astronomy, took a semester-long online course in Astrophysics, and flew two missions with SOFIA, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.
Susan presented with several fellow AAAs to teachers for hands-on infrared astronomy lessons in the classroom. After the presentation, she worked in the NASA booth, sharing materials with interested teachers. She also presented for NASA at the Portland, OR conference in November, 2016.
In addition to representing NASA at this conference, Susan also wore her National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hat to represent science in the oceans. In 2012, Susan applied to become a NOAA Teacher at Sea, where she sailed on an atmospheric research cruise with scientists from Woods Hole and Scripps Institute of Oceanography in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. At this conference, she worked shifts in the NOAA booth on the exhibit hall floor, talking to teachers from around the world to disseminate science resources and share about the Teacher at Sea program.
One of the NASA infrared hands-on activities involved showing how astronomers can “see” the invisible with special cameras and telescopes. IN this photo, the hand is covered by an opaque plastic bag!

As a lifelong learner, Susan has presented at numerous conferences and has been on the reviewer committee for Teacher at Sea applicants for several years. Later this year, she will train with a dozen other Teachers at Sea with the National Marine Sanctuaries Association in Charleston, SC.
We are proud of our Mount Vernon teachers!