STARBASE is a STEM Education program focusing on middle grade (5th-8th) teachers and students. STARBASE serves students who are historically under-represented in STEM. Students who live in inner cities or rural locations, those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, low in academic performance or have a disability are in the target group. Teachers bring their students to STEM programming in Tulsa, Midwest City, Lawton, or Burns Flat.

Three NASA STARBASE STEM Workshops in the summer of 2018 provided inquiry-based, hands-on applications of STEM subject areas to in-service teachers who planned on participating in STARBASE programming. These workshops helped prepare the teachers for the STARBASE STEM programming in the upcoming school year. During the workshops, 65 teachers were introduced to teaching techniques, tools, lesson plans, and resources designed to bring STEM alive for their students. The teachers planned to implement the material and techniques in the upcoming STARBASE programming and in their regular classrooms. These workshops expanded the teachersâ understanding of inquiry-based hands-on learning and provided needed resources. As teachers replicate workshop strategies and lessons in their own classrooms, all of their students are challenged to enrich their STEM knowledge and skills. The goal of this higher education project was to contribute to the nationâs science enterprise through a statewide consortium. The objective of this project was to provide workshops for elementary and secondary education teachers to learn effective use of NASA-content, STEM based materials and programs in the classrooms. The number of students these teachers impact was 1,625 and these workshops grew the sustainable relationship between NASA, STARBASE and the local school districts.