The 2012 NASA Summer of Innovation Program for middle school
students and educators has begun! NASA’s third annual Summer of
Innovation (SOI) project is underway. The project is providing
hands-on learning opportunities for middle school students and
educators through NASA-unique science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) educational activities during the summer
school break. SOI is a key component of the agency’s broader
education program to increase student interest in STEM courses,
particularly among those in underserved sectors of the academic
community. SOI uses NASA’s out-of-this-world missions and
technology programs to boost interest in STEM among middle
school students by offering interactive learning experiences.
This year, a major portion of the SOI content focus will be on
Curiosity, a NASA flagship science mission currently en route to
Mars and scheduled to land Aug. 6. “NASA always has been
fortunate when it comes to offering interesting STEM education
content; our missions are comp