Kristen Edwards
NASA Headquarters
Office of Education
Arkansas – Grades 10-12, Biology, Human Anatomy, and Physics
Kristen Edwards earned her B.A. in Biology at the University of Minnesota and is currently pursuing her Masters in Marine Science at the University of South Alabama. She has also studied abroad in Costa Rica as a recipient of a Miller-Levine Tropical Biology Scholarship and has participated in a 6-week Research Experiences for Teachers course in Florida. Edwards taught science (grades 10-12) in the Lee County School District in Marianna, Arkansas for almost ten years.
Edwards was resourceful in finding ways to obtain supplies for her classroom as well as seeking out grants and more funding to purchase science-related tools to enhance her students’ hands-on knowledge in the classroom.
“My school is located in a severely economically depressed region – nearly all of our students qualify for free lunch. I received very limited – if any – funding each year for supplies for my classroom and had to do something in order to provide my students with laboratory supplies and content specific software through small grants from various sources,” says Edwards.
Edwards was assigned to the Office of Education at NASA Headquarters for her 2010-11 Fellowship. During her Fellowship, she participated in inter- and intra-agency meetings, contributed her “teacher’s perspective” to educational materials and contests, and wrote to students and teachers who were seeking information about NASA programs and opportunities. Through her fellowship, she also attended workshops, seminars, and symposia related to formal and informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
Edwards assisted in the planning of the education launch conference for STS-131; last October, she traveled to Florida to support NASA’s education event celebrating Buzz Lightyear’s return from the International Space Station. A life scientist by training, Edwards plans to spend a portion of the second year of her fellowship at NASA working with the NASA visitor centers to create an education program (tentatively called “Nature at NASA”) based on the diverse ecology of their locations. Edwards also hopes to bring awareness of the perspective and concerns of her community and school district to the national level.