February 2020
This second edition of Aerospace Education, a monthly newsletter is coming with wishes that your 2020 is off to an amazing start!

February is African-American History Month. Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education pays tribute to American heroes such as Bessie Coleman and Katherine Johnson.
Coleman was the first woman African-American pilot and is featured in CAP's Women in Aviation, Volume 1 curriculum booklet. Johnson, NASA pioneer and mathematician who calculated rocket trajectories for early space missions, passed away this week at age 101. Johnson is featured in the upcoming Women in Aviation Volume 2 booklet, which will be released later this year.

If this is your first time seeing this new electronic publication, you should know that it is a space for news about the people and programs of CAP's Aerospace Education mission. If you have topics you'd like to see featured or know of members we should highlight in our Member Stories (and you can tell us about yourself and your youth, too) , please let us know at ae@capnhq.gov .

THIS MONTH : ACE Program update - Member stories -
Featured lesson plans - Region events update - Three things you need to know
Pictured (top right): The Bessie Coleman postage stamp was issued in 1995. (Left) Katherine Johnson was photographed at her desk at NASA Langley Research Center in this NASA photo.
PROGRAM UPDATE
ACE annual award nomination deadline approaches
ACE : And the winner is …. The Hollywood award season has come to a close, but the time to acknowledge outstanding achievement in CAP's K-6 aerospace/STEM program is quickly approaching. The Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Program honors achievement in the following categories each year: ACE Student of the Year, ACE Teacher of the Year and ACE School of the Year. The ACE Program is not possible without the enthusiasm of its teachers, and its students are the inspiration. Be sure to get those nominations in to celebrate the stars of the ACE Program. The 2018-2019 ACE School of the Year Winner was Friendship Elementary in Georgia (pictured above). The deadline is April 25 . For nomination forms and additional instructions, please click the link below and look in Related Links.
AEO STORY
Former cadet now leads in AEO role in Puerto Rico
Capt. Angelymar Sanchez is a former cadet who is studying mechanical engineering. Now as a senior member, she is helping cadets become engaged in aerospace and STEM opportunities. Click the link below to read her story.
"We play an essential role in our cadets' lives.
Let's make it count!"
-- Capt. Angelymar Sanchez, Puerto Rico Wing, on working with cadets
AEM STORY
Elementary educator uses aerospace topics
to inspire students
Dr. Rossana Chiarella, an elementary teacher in Miami, Florida, knows the importance of using aerospace topics to motivate students. She found out about Civil Air Patrol's AEM program at a Space Foundation Symposium in Colorado Springs in 2014. Now, she actively recruits fellow educators into the program. She also uses her CAP teacher flight (TOP Flight) to inspire her students, at least two of whom have expressed a desire to become pilots now that they are in middle school.
Click the link below to read her story and get a few helpful AEM tips.
CURRICULUM
"Creating a Star Finder"
The latest Lesson of the Month is from CAP's Astronomy Activity Booklet. Students and cadets can build a Star Finder to help them locate stars and constellations in the night sky. To access the entire booklet and our other curriculum products, visit AE Downloads and Resources in eServices. To go right to this lesson, click the link below.
STEM Kits : Additional star gazing curriculum offered by CAP goes along with the Astronomy STEM Kit. Civil Air Patrol is building lessons to accompany the STEM Kits featured in the program. As staff and volunteers develop these lesson plans, the plans are accessible in the Learning Management area of eServices. So far you can find lessons with AngLegs, Astronomy, Build and Learn Geometry, Code & Go Mouse, Flight Simulator, Hydraulic Engineering, Kano, Quadcopter, Raspberry Pi, RC Airplane, Ready-to-Fly Quadcopter, Renewable Energy, Robotics, Rocketry, Snaptricity, Sphero/Mini Sphero and Weather Station. To access these plans, go to eServices > Learning Management > AXIS (at the top of the screen) > then choose Aviation, Space or Cyber. As an example, to view the lesson plan that uses the Astronomy STEM Kit, click the link below and find the lesson "Can You See What I See?" in the SPACE STEM Kit lesson section.
Region and Wing Events
GREAT LAKES REGION
Save the date. The Great Lakes Region Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) School is set for July 20-24 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The school is open to AEMs as well. Registration procedures and fee information will be available soon. For additional information, contact froldan@cap.gov .

SOUTHWEST REGION
Save the date. The Southwest Region Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) School is set for April 23-24 in conjunction with the Texas Wing Conference in Dallas. The school is open to AEMs as well. Fees are $23 for senior members and $20 for educator members. Registration procedures will be available soon. For additional information, contact avural@cap.gov .
If you have Region or Wing events to share in this space, please contact ae@capnhq.gov.
Each month, this space will feature important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are three things you need to know now as an AEM or AEO.
AEMs get an online renewal email 60 days before membership expires; renewal is FREE but required to maintain active status
  • Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal.” We simply ask our AEMs to identify the CAP AE products or programs they plan to utilize during the next year of membership.
  • The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date and, if no response, the email is sent again 30 days before the membership expires. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiration. 
  • Once AEM membership expires, the online renewal link will not work.
  • It would be helpful to have a secondary email to ensure AEMs receive the free renewal.
  • AEMs can update their personal information in eServices under “My Account."
  • AEOs/DAEs can assist their AEMs by sending a reminder when it’s time to renew.

For more information, click the link below.
Save the date: 2020 National AEO School will be June 15-19
The dates are set for National Aerospace Education Officers School June 15-19 at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. AEOs and AEMs are invited. Registration will open soon for the event, which features hands-on activities, field trips and the opportunity to network. Course work for AEOs begins Day 1, June 15. Sessions for AEOs and AEMs begin June 16. To see a video of last year's school and get information, please follow the link below. Bookmark the link. When registration information becomes available, it will be placed at the link below, as well.
Headquarters staff has new telephone numbers

CAP's National Headquarters phone system has been updated. You can reach us directly.

Our new phone numbers are
  • Jeff Montgomery 334-953-9182
  • Shayla Broadway 334-953-9499
  • Debbie Dahl 334-953-9184
  • Susan Mallett 334-953-9193
  • Sue Mercer 334-953-9189
  • Ginny Smith 334-953-9187

As always, a great way to reach us is still by contacting ae@capnhq.gov.