ESCAPE for Summer Could Inspire Next Generation Explorers

	Dillard Menchan gives the welcome address at Ballou High School.

As the summer days began to heat up at Goddard so has the summer educational activities on and off the Goddard campus. On Wednesday evening, June 25, Dilliard Menchan, Goddard's Chief of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Minority University Program Manager, provided the welcoming address for the inaugural of Project ESCAPE, at Ballou High School in Washington D.C.

Project ESCAPE (Eager Student Community Activism for Planet Earth) is an educational collaboration between Ballou High School and community sponsors that include NASA's Spacelink Educational Activities, Goddard and Southeastern University.

During his address Menchan spoke of NASA's continued commitment to education. "This is not just a one summer program, we are going to be here," Menchan told the audience that included students, parents and educators. "Most people when they think of NASA think of outer space exploration," said Menchan. "But, what many people don't realize is that we spend millions of dollars every year to study planet earth."

Terri Patterson, Minority University Program Specialist talks with students from Ballou High School. Photos: Chris Gunn/293

Menchan introduced Terri Patterson to the crowd. She is a Minority University Program Specialist and is directly involved in the Ballou initiative. Menchan also told the audience that college placement boards look at grades, SAT scores and the what else have you done to support your education efforts. "Project ESCAPE is that what else you may need that will get you into college," said Menchan to a group of Ballou sophomores.

Project ESCAPE was developed to allow Ballou 10th graders the opportunity to participate in a four-week term over three consecutive summers. This year 85 students will focus on earth science educational activities. Next summer the students will be involved in the mathematics of micro-gravity. The third summer term will focus on internship placement, research experiences for the participants and a special section that will focus on college entrance requirements.

During each four-week term students will conduct varied research experiments in land and cover studies, ozone depletion, soil moisture measurements, snow accumulation and weather tracking. The students will be offered an opportunity to visit college campuses and research centers. Students will also be afforded the opportunity to participate in local and state legislative hearings that focus on environmental and science policy.

According to Dr. Elaine Heath, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs and lead for Project ESCAPE, the Ballou sophomore had to meet rigorous selection standards to be accepted into the program. Each student had to have a high grade point average in math, science and technology and present two letters of recommendation.

Project ESCAPE mirrors NASA's desire to inspire the next generation, in this case, as only NASA along with Ballou High School can.