CASSA STEAM Keynote Address
Written by Allen Davidson, Superintendent of Employee Services From CASSA – Conference July 2-4 Montreal, QC Theme: SCIENCE • TECHNOLOGY • ENGINEERING • ARTS • MATH (S.T.E.A.M.) The conference kicked off with keynote speaker Natalie Panek . Panek’s passion for science and exploration have lead this Calgarian to become a Mission Systems Engineer (Rocket Scientist and Explorer) at MDA Space Missions after internships with NASA. Follow Natalie on Twitter @nmpanek . During her inspirational message Natalie touched on the key learning opportunities and competencies that she sees as integral for engaged learning. First she highlighted the need for Perseverance as she recounted 4 rejections from the NASA space exploration internship program. After her 4 th rejection she decided to pick up the phone and call NASA herself. It only took two minutes on the phone before she was offered an internship! Natalie reminded us we as educators must encourage the young people ...