NASA OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR 'INSPIRED' HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

WASHINGTON -- High school students in the United States are invited to

participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program

Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, through the program's online

learning community.

Applications are being accepted from Monday, May 3 through Wednesday, June

30. NASA will make selections for the program in September. Selectees and

their parents will participate in an online learning community with

opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers and scientists. The

online community also provides appropriate grade level educational

activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants to gain

exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA.

Students selected for the program will have the option to compete for unique

grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2011 at NASA facilities

and participating universities. INSPIRE is designed to encourage students in

ninth through 12th grades to pursue careers in science, technology,

engineering and math, or STEM. The summer experience provides students with

a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in those

disciplines.

INSPIRE is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students

in the STEM disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information about

INSPIRE, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE

To apply for the program, visit:

https://inspire.okstate.edu/index.cfm?liftoff=login.LoginForm

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education