From the President
Celebrating the Aerospace Industries Association & National Association of Rocketry
More than thirty industry representatives gathered on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at the beautiful Capitol Visitor’s Center to celebrate the National Coalition for Aviation and Aerospace Education 21
st Dr. Mervin K. Strickler Jr. Aerospace Education Leadership Award Ceremony. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) were recognized for partnering to create and sustain the Team America Rocketry Challenge, also known as TARC. They were also honored for growing TARC as the world’s largest rocketry-based student aerospace
challenge and education program. AIA President and Chief Executive Officer, David Melcher and NAR former President, Trip Barber accepted the honors.
(Photo - Trip Barber, left and David Melcher with awards).
AIA, NAR, and TARC epitomize Dr. Strickler’s commitment and lifelong contributions to aerospace education. The TARC program, now in its fourteenth year, has enrolled more than 50,000 students from all 50 states in this engineering design and flying challenge event. We applaud the program as it becomes global, reaching even greater numbers.
The Mervin K. Strickler Aerospace Education Leadership Award was established by NCASE in 1995 to distinguish and honor excellence in aerospace education. This award recognizes those who share Dr. Strickler’s commitment to aerospace education through the demonstration of outstanding accomplishment in the aerospace education field over a continuous period of time or the development of programs with a major national impact on aerospace education.
James Brough
(shown at left), FAA National STEM-AVSED Program Manager and NCASE Awards co-chair shared,
“As I am sure you all know, we lost Dr. Strickler in September, but I am proud to say his work lives on around the world today. I never knew Dr. Strickler personally, but I like to think that I and everyone here have a connection to him as we carry on his vision of aerospace education for the next generation…. Today his legacy lives on as we gather to recognize people and organizations who show true leadership in education and are providing opportunities to youth everywhere, but fifty years later the work he pioneered is still not finished. His message still resonates today. It is critical for the FAA and others to support aviation space education preparing our youth for the aviation and aerospace jobs of today and 
tomorrow. In 1960 we were taking our first tentative steps into space. Today we are on the threshold of commercial space travel but just as in 1960, we need skilled professionals to fill these jobs. We must all inspire, guide and support our youth. Through this process we all benefit.” (Photo above -Attendees watch the presentation at the U.S. Captiol Visitors Center.)
NCASE also hosts the Crown Circle Award each year. The Crown Circle Award was established in 1979 recognizing performance and outstanding leadership in aerospace education at the local, state, or regional level.
The aviation and space industries, as well as the education community recognize both of these awards as the highest honors available in aerospace education. Do you know of an outstanding organization or individual that has illustrated noteworthy achievement and contributions to aviation or space education? We invite you to nominate this special individual or organization for NCASE’s Dr. Mervin K. Strickler Jr. Aerospace Education Leadership Award or the Crown Circle Award. Watch for the upcoming 2017 nomination deadlines. For further information visit
www.aviationeducation.org or email NCASE Awards Co-chairs Shelia Bauer at
sbbuckaroo@gmail.com or James Brough at
James.Brough@faa.gov.
There is new and exciting news on the horizon that you will not want to miss providing your organization outreach to over 12,000 science teachers! Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming newsletters about the 2017 National Science Teachers Association ‘Air & Space Education Alley’ hosted by NCASE.
http://static.nsta.org
Remember, NCASE is your organization. Together, we represent more than 50 organizations. We can be proud of what we accomplished serving as a one stop resource for thousands of educators each year. Take a moment and recognize one of these educators or colleagues for their lifetime dedication in growing our future.
Best Wishes,
Judy Rice
NCASE President
Capitol Visitors Center Proves Excellent Venue for NCASE Award Ceremony
From left to right are Shelia Bauer, David Melcher, Miles Lifson, AIA, Judy Rice and Skye Bleu.
The U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington D.C. proved to be an excellent venue for the presentation of the Mervin K. Strickler Aerospace Education Leadership Award recently. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) were recognized on April 20th with the Strickler Award at an event hosted by the National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education (NCASE) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).
Judy Rice, President of NCASE presented the award to David F. Melcher, AIA President and CEO and to Trip Barber
(shown below), former President of NAR and founder and manager of Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC).
In accepting the award, Melcher told attendees that on behalf of the thousands of young rocket designers and launchers who’ve used the inspiration of the Team America Rocketry Challenge competition to extend their personal and professional horizons – and on behalf of the aerospace companies that have supported these bright young men and women’s aspirations – “I’m honored to accept the Mervin Strickler Award.” Melcher
said to be associated with Dr. Strickler, a pioneer in the field of aerospace education throughout his long and productive career, is high praise indeed. “And we’re delighted to share this prestigious award with our colleagues at the National Association of Rocketry.” With Trip Barber, and his NAR team, Melcher said they’ve had a terrific partnership since TARC began 13 years ago as a “one-off” celebration of the centennial of flight.
“Thanks to our strong partnership with AIA, who has done an amazing job of marshaling and sustaining aerospace industry support for this program,” said Barber, “TARC has given the NAR the best opportunity we have ever had as an organization to carry out this mission of ours.”
Participants in the award presentation included Rol Murrow, NCASE Vice President and Executive Director of the Wolf Aviation Fund, James Brough, FAA National STEM AVSED Program Manager, Cindy Hasselbring (
shown at right), AOPA Senior Director, High School Aviation Initiative and Shelia Bauer, Strickler Committee co-chair and former FAA National Aviation Education Program Manager.
Aviation Art Contest Winners Announced During Ceremony at Oklahoma State Capitol
In a ceremony at the state Capitol recently, the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission recognized nine students for their winning artwork as part of the Oklahoma 2016 International Aviation Art Contest.
The state-level Aviation Art Contest, sponsored by the Aeronautics Commission, encourages youth, ages 6 to 17, to reflect on aviation by designing a piece of art based on the year's chosen theme. This year's contest theme was "Air Sports in Harmony With Nature."
Gov. Mary Fallin, who is a longtime aviation advocate, said it is important to get Oklahoma's young people more involved in the aviation and aerospace industry.
"First of all, I want to commend all of the state winners in the Aviation Art Contest. There were excellent entries this year and these nine students were the cream of the crop," Gov. Fallin said. "Raising up another generation of workers for the aviation and aerospace industry is vital to our state, especially in this day and age when having a diverse economy is so important. And that is why this art contest, as well as other similar events or activities, can serve as springboards to our state's youth who may one day consider aviation as a career choice."
Winners of the Oklahoma 2016 International Aviation Contest were honored recently during an awards ceremony held at the state Capitol. The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission sponsored the statewide contest for youth ages 6-17.
"The aerospace industry is one of our state's top three employers and we must have skilled and competent workers for it to remain viable," Director of Aeronautics Vic Bird said. "The shadow of an aging workforce is cast across the industry, and events like the Aviation Art Contest are critical to stimulating interest among young people in aviation and Oklahoma."
First-place winners in each of the three age categories received $200, while the second-place winners received $150. A cash prize of $100 was presented to students who placed third. In addition to the cash prizes, the winners were also presented with certificates of achievement as well as citations from their respective state senator and state representative.
The top three entries in each age division were forwarded to Washington, D.C., where they competed nationally against other winners from the U.S. for the right to advance to the international competition.
Judges for this year's art contest were Glen Henry, director of arts education at the Oklahoma Department of Education; Cynthia Kennedy, Tinker's K-12 science and engineering outreach coordinator; and Eddie Compton, aerospace/defense industry liaison for the Oklahoma Department of Career Technology.
The 2016 International Aviation Art Contest is sponsored, in large part, by the National Aeronautic Association, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, National Association of State Aviation Officials, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education, Federal Aviation Administration and the Ken Cook Co.
