If you’re wondering, “what is high altitude science?”, then you can breathe a sigh of relief because we’re going to explain what it
is, why it’s important, and how you can start taking advantage of it with your students.
What is high altitude science?
At the heart of high altitude science, it is a process designed to get students involved in the learning experience. It’s all about connecting the STEM methodology (science, technology, engineering, and math) with project-based learning. During a high altitude science lesson, students get to design and send an experiment to the edge of space! They also have the opportunity to track the weather balloon that the experiment is attached to and then analyze the results of the experiment.
Why is high altitude science important?
High altitude science is important because of our need for people in STEM careers. In the very near future, there is going to be huge gap in STEM employees. While the economy is turning more towards STEM fields, think technology and Internet of Things, there are fewer and fewer employees to fill those roles. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Administration, STEM occupations are growing by 17%, but only 16% of bachelor’s degrees in 2020 will specialize in STEM fields. The whole point of high altitude science is to get students interested and engaged in STEM early on.
How can you take advantage of high altitude science?
By partnering with StratoStar, you can stop telling students that learning is fun and actually show them how much fun learning is. When you and your students launch a weather balloon to the edge of space, they’ll feel like they’re part of mission control. By tracking the balloon, designing an experiment, and analyzing the results, students get hands-on learning experience while having fun at the exact same time.
Sound like something you’d like to bring into your classroom and curriculum? Contact StratoStar to get started or download our “High Altitude Weather Balloon Curriculum and Project Based Learning” e-book to learn how weather balloons can impact the learning process.
