AFA-Honored Teachers Defy Gravity, Bring STEM Education to Space

Four educators who have been honored by AFA’s Teacher of the Year program were selected to participate in a unique microgravity research program through the “Embedded Teacher Program.” Aboard a specially equipped aircraft flying at 20,000 feet, the teachers experienced microgravity through a series of parabolic maneuvers and tested student-designed experiments in that environment.

The project was funded by a grant from Space for Teachers, a collective of educators dedicated to the idea that real, meaningful research is the most effective strategy to foster lasting student engagement and a deep connection to the world of STEM.  

Eight educators were selected for the flight along with flight mentors, research experts, and NASA astronaut and author Catherine Coleman. Four of the educators were previous awardees of AFA’s Teacher of the Year program:

• Megan Tucker, Hillsboro Charter Academy, Hillsboro, Va. (National AFA Teacher of the Year, 2021)
• Ashlie Blackstone-Smith, Cranbrook School for Girls, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Runner-up National AFA Teacher of the Year, 2021)
• Melissa Pore, Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, Va. (Virginia State AFA Teacher of the Year, 2021) 
• Caroline Little, Hyla School, Bainbridge Island, Wash. (Runner-up National AFA Teacher of the Year, 2017)

The two 2021 national teachers of the year, Megan Tucker and Ashlie Blackstone-Smith, included a unique international twist—thanks to a summer trip to Nigeria, where the teachers worked with local educators and students there. As a result, some of their microgravity flight experiments were co-created by U.S. and Nigerian students.

Over the course of this previous academic year, the teachers and their students developed hypotheses, built experiments, and studied how microgravity impacts scientific outcomes. Post-flight, they analyzed the results to explore future implications for living and working in space.

Adding to the collaborative spirit, Mark Westlake, AFA’s 2015 National Teacher of the Year, and his students from St. Thomas Academy Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. contributed a 3D-printed container for one of Blackstone-Smith’s fluid movement experiments.

Notably, Megan Tucker, the only elementary school teacher in the program, guided her young students through an experiment involving Aqua Dragons, a brine shrimp species.

The diversity of experiments—ranging from fluid dynamics to biology—has the potential to spark innovations in spacecraft design, medical advancements, agriculture, and fundamental science.  Thus, these AFA Educator Ambassadors continue to make a difference in STEM learning and career exploration.  

By the upcoming academic year, our organization will be celebrating the next national STEM exemplar educator—the 2025 National AFA/Rolls-Royce Aerospace/STEM Educator. 

As the June 30 deadline approaches for submitting nominations for AFA’s 2025 National Teacher of the Year, it’s inspiring to see how past awardees continue to make headlines as exemplary educators across the nation—proudly representing the Air & Space Forces Association wherever they present to fellow educators. Their ongoing dedication enhances the AFA Education brand and strengthens the national impact in STEM and aerospace education.