Education and Outreach

Part of AARG's mission is to bring rocketry into the community, particularly to youth and education groups. AARG has worked with such groups as cub scouts and scout troops, the Austin Children's Museum, the University of Texas, and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department to bring kids and rocketry together.

AARG members are available for presentations to schools, scout troops, and other educational groups. If you are interested in having a presentation or a launch for your organization, please contact one of the club officers.

Scouts Set a World Record	MITE Students use RockSim	ACM campers build

Outreach Events

Below are some photo albums from previous AARG outreach events. Be sure to check our Events Archive for pictures from scout launches, our Quint Wilson event at the Austin Children's Museum, and other activities.

Here are some links to general science and engineering related competitions and contests that might be of interest to teachers and other youth group leaders.

Ongoing Outreach Activities

AARG has been working with the UT College of Engineering MITE summer recruitment program since 2001. This program brings high school students to the University for a week in the summer to expose them to a variety of engineering-oriented activies. One component of this week is a rocketry activity in which student teams simulate a response-to-proposal to design and build a rocket with specific performance specifications on a budget.

• June 10-15 and June 24-29, 2001
• June 9-14 and June 16-21 2002
• June 9-14 and June 16-21 2003
• RockSim intro and launch support for the UT MITE camp 2004
• RockSim intro and launch support for the UT MITE camp 2005
• RockSim intro and launch support for the UT MITE camp 2006

AARG has been working with the Blast Off Aerospace Camp sponsored by Travis County Capitol 4H since '98, but don't have pictures from every year. This is a week-long Aerospace-focused camp in which model rocketry plays a major role.

• July 2001
• July 14-18, 2003
• Rocket launch and other support for the Blast Off Aerospace camp July 19, 2004 (no photos).
• Rocket launch for the Blast Off Aerospace Camp July 18, 2005. (no photos)
• July 17-21, 2006

Other Outreach Activities and Events

Through the years, AARG has been involved in numerous events related to education and promotion of rocketry as a hobby.

2007

• World Record Launch with Austin-area Cub Scout Pack 990 and Boy Scout Troop 990, Saturday May 12.
• Brookhollow Science Fair, November 19th.

2004

• Rocket history talk at the Austin Children's Museum July 16 (no pictures)

2003

• HobbyTown Build n Blast April 12, 2003
• Civil Air Patrol, Apollo Composite Squadron, TX371, based at the Georgetown airport - May 13, 2003
• Travis County 4H after school programs
• Austin Children's Museum summer camp series 2003
• Cub Scout Pack 406 from Pflugerville at OSP - June 28, 2003
• Travis County 4H Blast Off Aerospace Camp July 14-18, 2003
• Boy Scout Space Exploration Merit Badge Workshop, August 9th and 16th, 2003 in Round Rock taught by Alex Mericas for 21 scouts.
• Cub Scout Tiger Day at Emma Long park.
• Rocket Club at Texas School for the Deaf

2002

• Baranoff Elementary School Rocket Club - Spring 2002
• Cub Scouts Blast Off September 2002 meeting theme

2001

• Camacho Activity Center summer camp launches 2001
• Austin Children's Museum summer camp 200

Educational Information On-Line

There is a wealth of educational materials on line that could be used to develop a unit on rocketry, research a science fair project, or just have some fun. Here are a few links to get you started.

• Estes Educator's Web Site - of particular interest are the Estes technical publications available in PDF format.
• Rocketry for Educators from Apogee rockets. This site has extensive links to almost every source for rocketry educational materials.
• Space Exploration Merit Badge - all the information you need to complete the Boy Scout Space Exploration merit badge.
• Model Rocketry for Educators - classroom oriented rocketry material aimed around the middle school level.
• Beginners Guide to Model Rockets from NASA's Glen Research Center Learning Technologies Project. Includes a java rocket simulator.
• NASA Spacelink - An Aeronautics and Space Resource for Educators
• NASA Space Place - An Aeronautics and Space Resource with lots of fun facts and activities for individuals and educators.

Date last updated: 03/30/08 - comments to webmaster@aarg.org