
I teach 6th-grade science at Salado Middle School in Salado, Texas. I have a B.S. from Texas Tech University in horticulture, and an M.S. from North Carolina State University in plant pathology. Teaching science is my passion, particularly space science. I am currently a teacher mentor with the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Embedded Teacher Program, in which student experiments are flown aboard the Zero-G parabolic plane. This program is near to my heart, as the impact of conducting microgravity research has had a profound impact on my students. I am a Teacher Liaison for the Space Foundation, and part of an education advisory team for One Giant Leap Australia, working to build a multi-national STEM education exchange for students and teachers in both countries. Salado Middle School has participated in numerous NASA opportunities, such as an ARISS contact, the NASA WEAR Challenge, and SPARX. Each fall I organize school-wide STEM events with a Science and Engineering Fair each spring. I have participated and presented at Texas Space Grant Consortium's LiftOff Institute (2018-2022) and LiftOff Alumni (2019-2022), the Western Region Space Grant Consortium meeting in 2022, the SEEC Conference (2018-2023), and the upcoming 2023 SPACE Conference.
Documents
Sessions in which Laura Tomlin participates
- Explore Our Solar System Using Thermal Energy and Magnetism!
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 3
- 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- Engaging activities explore how spacecraft are used to map the solar system. Using Juno spacecraft as a guide, participants investigate infra...
- Session
Sessions in which Laura Tomlin attends
- Keynotes Session- Vanessa Wyche
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Space Center Theater
- 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- Keynote
- Expert/Educator: Going to Mars Without Leaving Earth
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 3
- 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- How would you perform in isolation, confinement, and remote conditions? The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), a simula...
- Session
- Planetary Analog Test Site (aka Rock Yard) (Tour)
- Signup required Tours Off- Site locations (take bus) - Mars Yard Bus
- 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- Tour
- Lunch 1 Thursday
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Astronaut Gallery - Lunch 1
- 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | 1 hour
- Space Robotics Challenge Phase 2 – Engaging Students Through Space Exploration Solutions
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Saturn Club
- 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM | 45 minutes
- NASA Centennial Challenges directly engage the public in the process of advanced technology development. The program offers incentive prizes to gen...
- Session
- Dropping in on NASA's Commercial Crew Program
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Destiny Theater
- 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- Did you know NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) is about to launch American astronauts using American vehicles from American soil once again? Par...
- Session
- The Eagle has Landed: A Hands-on Approach to Lunar Landings
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 4
- 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- As the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 nears, students will be immersed in the engineering, fascination, and the wonder of the moon. Starting off wit...
- Session
- Starlight Social
- Available Sold out Ticket sales have finished Ticket sales haven't started yet You've purchased a ticket Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Main Plaza
- 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM | 3 hours
- Elevate your evening and network with young professionals during Space Center Houston’s Starlight Social 5:30-8:30 p.m. Feb 7. Mingle with other pr...
- Keynote- Dr. Alan Stern
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Space Center Theater
- 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | 1 hour
- Dr. Stern is a planetary scientist, author and the principal investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. He will p...
- Keynote
- Mars MAVEN and Planetary Magnetism
- Signup required Gilruth Center - Off-Site Location (take bus) - Destiny
- 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- In a collaborative classroom setup, Participants will act as scientists discovering magnetic fields and electromagnetism through inquiry and mea...
- Session
- Fluid Dynamics and the Physics of Flight
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 1
- 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM | 45 minutes
- Fluid Dynamics! Good demos, great labs, and spectacular paper airplanes?This is a hands-on presentation, so get ready to have some fun. Instruction...
- Session
- Lunch 2 Friday
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Astronaut Gallery- Lunch 2
- 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | 1 hour
- Creating Your K-8 Makerspace with Confidence & Under Budget
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 3
- 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM | 45 minutes
- This hands-on workshop will focus on how to create a STEAM Lab/MakerSpace on a budget by using everyday and recycled materials. In additio...
- Session
- Lunch 1 Saturday
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Astronaut Gallery - Lunch 1
- 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | 1 hour
- Spark Interest in STEM: Creating a Personal Mission Patch
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 2
- 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM | 45 minutes
- What makes your students light up? Learn how to get students more engaged in STEM by helping them identify their own "spark" or passion. Student sp...
- Session
- Expert/Educator: Martian Meteorites: Providing clues to the Red Planet's Past
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Learning Innovation Center- Lab 1
- 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM | 1 hour 30 minutes
- Learn about martian meteorites and all the exciting things they reveal about Mars. How did Martian meteorites get here? How do scientists know they...
- Session
- Featured Keynote- Gene Kranz
- Signup required Space Center Houston (Hosting of all events take place on-line-virtually) - Space Center Theater
- 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | 1 hour
- An iconic NASA flight director, Gene is best known for his leadership in bringing Apollo 13 safely back to Earth and guiding Apollo 11 into hist...
- Keynote