NASA, Google Expeditions Celebrate Women in STEM With Virtual Tour

Antja Chambers, life support systems branch project manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, takes viewers on a tour of her work space. Image Credit: NASA.

To celebrate International Women’s Day Wednesday and Women’s History Month in March, NASA and Google Expeditions have teamed up to launch a series of virtual experiences that bring students into the careers of seven women working in STEM.

The Modern Figures series offers classrooms a three-dimensional glimpse into the kinds of workspaces used by materials scientists, launch directors, software engineers and other STEM experts, according to prepared statement. The VR tours are part of the Modern Figures program, which gets its inspiration from the 20th Century Fox film "Hidden Figures."

Workspaces include:

  • A 100,000-square-foot aircraft hangar;
  • Simulated Martian landscape; and
  • A spaceflight operations facility.

These are the first NASA-themed career tours available via the free Google Expeditions mobile app, according to the news release.

Further information can be found on NASA’s Modern Figures site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • young child sitting at a table, using a tablet with an AI-generated interface

    Research: 1 in 3 Kids Use AI for Learning

    In a survey of parents with children aged 8 or younger, nearly a third of respondents (29%) said their child has used AI for school-related learning, according to a new report from Common Sense Media.

  • robotic elements such as a mechanical arm, AI brain, microchip, and wheeled robot in a muted blue color scheme

    California District to Build New Robotics Facility for Student Creativity and Collaboration

    California's Fremont Union High School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study Finds Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.