NASA STEM EPDC and Texas State University
NASA STEM Engagement & Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) is a national educator professional development and STEM engagement organization designed to partner with NASA in service to STEM educators and their students across the country. Our mission is to guide and support a broader group of educators to utilize the best of NASA’s professional learning resources integrated with culturally relevant STEM pedagogies to serve diverse student audiences by inspiring and motivating them to pursue STEM fields of study, careers, and opportunities with NASA.
Texas State University is a public, student-centered, Emerging Research University located in San Marcos, halfway between the Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas. Home to an increasingly diverse campus community where ethnic minorities make up 52% of the student body — 36% are Hispanic — Texas State has achieved federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Texas State is home to one of the largest traditional university-based teacher preparation programs in the United States and is an experienced national leader in designing and developing research-based STEM Engagement and Educator Professional Development. The College of Education’s evidence-based teacher preparation and induction practices are closely aligned with standards and recommendations put forth by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Texas State University is the largest university producer of teachers in Texas, and among the largest nationally, preparing 700-800 teachers each year.
NASA STEM EPDC: STEM Engagement
NASA STEM EPDC supports and drives the goals of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement to:
- Create unique opportunities for students and the public to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration and discovery.
- Build a diverse future STEM workforce by engaging students in authentic learning experiences with NASA people, content, and facilities.
- Strengthen public understanding by enabling powerful connections to NASA’s mission and work.
Guided by these STEM Engagement national goals, NASA STEM EPDC provides high quality STEM engagement and education expertise, guidance, and resources. NASA STEM EPDC works with educators at all levels including university pre-service educators, pre-service teachers, K-12 teachers, and informal educators, and engages students of all ages to introduce them to relevant STEM content through exciting NASA STEM contexts.
Using a mixed-delivery approach to engage nationwide audiences of students and teachers with unique NASA and Next Generation STEM content, NASA STEM EPDC provides a combination of virtual and face-to-face resources. NASA STEM EPDC leverages virtual learning platforms to provide authentic STEM Engagement opportunities through student and educator webinars, badges, and bilingual resources to reach the greatest number of learners. NASA STEM EPDC specialists and senior personnel also deliver learning experiences face-to-face at events, seminars, and conferences to serve large groups of students and educators.
NASA STEM EPDC ANNUAL REPORTS
The EPDC project is pleased to share news of prior years accomplishments.
2021 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
2019 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report
2016 Annual Report