Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington, DC May 22, 2000
(Phone: 202/358-1761)

Lori Rachul
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH
(Phone: 216/433-2901)

Fred Price
Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY
(Phone: 212/594-8926)

RELEASE: 00-83

NASA AND CONGRESSMAN OWENS OPEN NEW AERONAUTICS CLASSROOM

     Brooklyn, NY, students soon will be exploring the world of science and technology using the latest computer hardware and software in the brand new Major Owens Aeronautics Education Laboratory (AEL), named for Brooklyn Congressman Major R. Owens.

     NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, Astronaut Michael P. Anderson and other NASA officials, along with Congressman Owens, and staff from Medgar Evers College/CUNY, Brooklyn, NY, and the Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, open the lab doors today at a dedication ceremony on the campus of Medgar Evers College.

     "This magnificent educational laboratory represents the culmination of a long-term effort to increase the benefits of educational technologies in the 11th Congressional District," said Congressman Owens.

     The laboratory steps outside the traditional classroom and offers a state-of-the-art, electronically enhanced, computerized environment that puts cutting-edge technology in the hands of students in grades 9 to 12. At the various workstations, students can examine elements of satellite global positioning, remote sensing, amateur radio and aircraft design.

     "NASA believes the opportunities the Aeronautics Education Laboratory offers the students of Brooklyn will honor the legacy of Mr. Evers by providing young people with the tools for success in the new millennium," said Administrator Goldin.

     NASA's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Washington, D.C., provided a $200,000 grant for the partnership to establish the laboratory.

     "The AEL is a wonderful addition to our college and pre-college programs," said Medgar Evers College President, Edison O. Jackson. "This laboratory will encourage our community partners and students to study in fields that lead to careers in aeronautics and aviation, fields where minorities have been underrepresented."

     A vision of former Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, the program was established in 1993 by Glenn and Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH, to help foster understanding and enthusiasm in school-age children for science, math and technology fields. Since its inception, the Science, Engineering and Mathematics and Aerospace Academy and its laboratories have grown from a single location to a multiple-site organization.

     -end-