About Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars: Computational Models for Teaching and Learning in Physics, Astronomy and Computer Science is a GK-12 program funded by the National Science Foundation, with support from CIERA and Northwestern University.

This NSF program places STEM graduate student fellows in K-12 science classrooms for the academic year with the goal of enriching their education and strengthening their development as researchers by advancing their communication and teaching skills. The fellows work in partnership with a collaborating teacher to bring more inquiry-based teaching methods into the classroom and to further expose K-12 teachers and students to the research process. Through Reach for the Stars, GK-12 fellows will adapt concepts of computational thinking and actual computational modeling tools from their research work to classroom activities connected to the existing math and science curriculum.

News and Announcements

April 2013

On May 13th, Reach for the Stars held “Computational Thinking and Mathematical Modeling”, a workshop that drew 35 middle and high school teachers and administrators from across the Chicago Public School District. This free, all-day event addressed questions such as: What are Computational Thinking and Mathematical Modeling? How are these skills utilized by university researchers? How can they be taught as part of the existing high school science and mathematics curricula? Are they already being taught? These questions were explored by speakers from Reach for the Stars, Net Logo and CT-STEM who specialize in a variety of areas including Astronomy, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physical Science, Earth Science and Computer Science. The workshop included presentations on the role Computational Thinking and Mathematical Modeling play in the Next Generation Science Standards, and break-out sessions where participants had the opportunity to choose from an assortment of small group presentations. Attendees left with a new set of ideas and tools with-which they can more effectively teach students various math and sciences.


Past News Items

 

Leadership Team

Vicky Kalogera (CIERA)

Vicky Kalogera received her Ptihio (B.S.) in Physics in 1992 from the University of Thessaloniki in Greece and her Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1997 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1997 she joined the Harvard-Smithsonian...more.

Kemi Jona (OSEP)

Kemi Jona has worked at the forefront of the e-learning and online learning fields for many years. He has worked with leading universities—including Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Columbia, and Northwestern—on the design, development, and...more.

Darren Gergle (School of Communication)

Darren Gergle is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Communication Studies and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at Northwestern University. He is also a member of the Center for Technology and Social Behavior. Gergle advises...more.

Michelle Paulsen (OSEP)

Michelle Paulsen is the Program Director for Reach for the Stars. She has over 15 years of experience in science education. She began her career as a science teacher at Deerfield High School where she taught chemistry and physics...more.

Daryl Haggard (CIERA)

Daryl Haggard received her B.A. in Philosophy from St. John's College, Santa Fe in 1995, a M.S. in Physics from San Francisco State University in 2004, a M.S. in Astronomy from the University of Washington in 2006, and her Ph.D. in Astronomy from...more.

Laura Trouille (CIERA)

Laura grew up in Evanston, IL and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community that was so supportive of her interest in science. She knew she wanted to pursue astronomy in particular after her first real observing experience...more.