NASA has invited five Wichita State University education students to participate in its Pre-Service Teachers Institute (PSTI). Students will attend one of two sessions, June 19-25 or July 24-30.

Tasha Kolbeck and Brooke Baldwin will attend the June workshop. Eve Terrell, Janet Tull and Melissa Engelbert will attend the July workshop. Last year, two Wichita State seniors, Jennifer Cole and Diana Meister, were accepted into the PSTI. The PSTI is open to kindergarten-eighth grade education majors.

“We are very fortunate to have five of our students chosen as participants for this special experience,” said Patrice Hein, community coordinator, Education Dean’s Office.

Only 40 students were chosen for each workshop. The PSTI is designed to help upcoming teachers learn new and engaging ways to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The institute teaches STEM methods that teachers can integrate into their lesson plans.

STEM methods are designed to instill a love for math, science and engineering into elementary and middle school students.

At the PSTI, college students from across the U.S. will study and work for a week at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Students will meet NASA personnel and tour the Johnson Space Center while learning to incorporate cutting-edge research into STEM lesson plans.

For more information on the PSTI, visit http://education.jsc.nasa.gov/psti/.