Greg Hawley, of Appomattox, was one of 19 high school math teachers in Virginia selected to spend part of their summer learning about virtual technology in an effort to get their students excited about science, technology, engineering and math. Hawley is a math teacher with Prince Edward County Schools and an adjunct professor at Central Virginia Community College.

The NASA internship, called Simulation-Based Aerospace Engineering Teacher Professional Development, provided Hawley a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with NASA’s latest aerospace engineering technologies while working closely with agency technical mentors.

Simulation-based aerospace engineering relies on computer models and simulations of aerospace structures, materials, atmospheric flight conditions and system operations. The goal is to design improvements for the next generation of flight vehicles and systems, such as the air transportation system.

Hawley and the other teachers spent two weeks at the NASA Langley Research Center receiving both resources and training on the use of modeling and simulation tools to perform research and technology development. They also toured the NASA facilities, participated in NASA’s Digital Learning Network, attended speaking engagements, and developed lesson plans and shadow mentors.

Hawley will implement the new lesson plans and share his training with other math teachers in his district. The goal is to get students interested in aerospace engineering and computer simulation early in their education.

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Radford University are sponsoring the program. For more information about the agency’s aeronautics research, visit: www.aeronautics.nasa.gov.