The Astronomy Activation Ambassadors (AAA) project, part of the NASA Science Activation program, aims to measurably enhance student STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) engagement via middle school, high school, and community college science teacher professional development. AAA participants draw on NASA resources and subject matter experts to enhance their teaching and help share their excitement about astronomy and planetary science with their students. An important component of AAA teacher professional development is STEM immersion experiences, including guided tours of working observatories.
天文学激活大使 (AAA) 项目是 NASA 科学激活计划的一部分，旨在通过初中、高中和社区大学科学教师的专业发展，显着提高学生 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）的参与度。 AAA 参与者利用 NASA 资源和主题专家来加强他们的教学，并帮助与学生分享他们对天文学和行星科学的兴奋。 AAA 级教师专业发展的一个重要组成部分是 STEM 沉浸式体验，包括带导游参观工作天文台。
Teacher visits to observatories offer a rare chance to connect science with history, culture, and place. Framing those visits around the historical context of astronomy and the cultural significance of “high places” helps students see science as a human endeavor shaped by many voices. People everywhere look to the sky for meaning and knowledge, and mountain peaks often carry spiritual, cultural, and historical weight for local communities. The significance of these locations can be shared with their students.
教师参观天文台提供了将科学与历史、文化和地点联系起来的难得机会。围绕天文学的历史背景和“高地”的文化意义来安排这些访问，有助于学生将科学视为由多种声音塑造的人类事业。世界各地的人们都向天空寻求意义和知识，山峰往往对当地社区具有精神、文化和历史的意义。可以与学生分享这些地点的重要性。
AAA STEM immersion experiences took place in Hilo, Hawaii, and Tucson, Arizona, respectively, in April and September 2025. During the weekend of April 12-13, 16 teachers from across the state of Hawai`i gathered in Hilo for a full agenda involving a hands-on electromagnetic spectrum and multiwavelength astronomy curriculum workshop, subject matter expert presentations regarding astronomy research and native Hawaiian perspectives on Maunakea, and a visit to the summit of Maunakea (Figures 1 & 2). Teacher participants expressed their appreciation especially for the summit visit portion of the workshop and had numerous discussions during the journey about ways they could incorporate this content into their teaching.
AAA STEM 沉浸式体验分别于 2025 年 4 月和 9 月在夏威夷希洛和亚利桑那州图森举行。4 月 12 日至 13 日的周末，来自夏威夷州各地的 16 名教师齐聚希洛，讨论完整的议程，包括电磁频谱和多波长天文学课程研讨会的实践、有关天文学研究和夏威夷当地人对莫纳克亚火山观点的主题专家演讲，以及参观夏威夷州顶峰。莫纳克亚火山（图 1 和图 2）。教师参与者尤其对研讨会的峰会访问部分表示赞赏，并在旅途中就如何将这些内容融入到教学中进行了多次讨论。
The tour paused on the way up the mountain at the mid-level Onizuka Visitors Center. There, workshop participant, local high school teacher, and native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Toni Kaui addressed the group: “Standing here, we have passed through the wao kele (vah-oh kay-lay; forested uplands) and are about to enter the wao akua (vah-oh ah-koo-ah), the heavenly realm where our spirits and our elements of sacredness lie. […] This is where we come to have our spiritual connection with the mauna (mountain). In the wao akua , all of our sacred and elemental processes happen, and those processes help to determine the well-being of our ‘aina (-eye-nah; homeland) down below in the wao kanaka (vah-oh kah-nah-kah; human realm) where we came from.”
上山途中在半山的鬼冢游客中心暂停。在那里，研讨会参与者、当地高中教师和夏威夷本土文化实践者托尼·考伊 (Toni Kaui) 向大家发表讲话：“站在这里，我们已经穿过了 wao kele（vah-oh kay-lay；森林高地），即将进入 wao akua（vah-oh ah-koo-ah），这是我们的精神和神圣元素所在的天堂。[…]这是我们与莫纳建立精神联系的地方。在wao akua（山）中，我们所有的神圣和元素过程都会发生，这些过程有助于确定我们来自的wao kanaka（vah-oh kah-nah-kah；人类领域）的‘aina（-eye-nah；家园）的福祉。”
The Maunakea visit was recorded by the NASA Science Activation program’s Infiniscope (Arizona State University) team, who joined AAA in the production of a virtual (video) tour highlighting both native Hawaiian and scientific researcher respect for the mountain. The virtual tour will be placed in the Infiniscope library ( https://infiniscope.org ) to be shared with a world-wide public audience.
美国宇航局科学激活计划的 Infiniscope（亚利桑那州立大学）团队记录了莫纳克亚火山的访问，该团队与 AAA 一起制作了虚拟（视频）游览，强调了夏威夷当地人和科学研究人员对这座山的尊重。虚拟游览将放置在 Infiniscope 图书馆 (https://infiniscope.org) 中，与世界各地的公众观众分享。
The AAA program’s final workshop and STEM immersion experience was offered September 13-14 to 25 teachers from throughout the U.S. at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab headquarters in Tucson, Arizona and at Kitt Peak National Observatory (Figure 3).
AAA 项目的最终研讨会和 STEM 沉浸式体验于 9 月 13 日至 14 日在美国国家科学基金会位于亚利桑那州图森的 NOIRLab 总部和基特峰国家天文台向来自美国各地的 25 名教师提供（图 3）。
Kitt Peak National Observatory is located within the land of the Tohono O’odham (tuh-hoh-noh aw-tuhm) Native American tribe, whose name for Kitt Peak is I’oligam Du’ag (ee-oh-lih-gahm doo-ahg), meaning “Manzanita Shrub Mountain”. Dr. Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, Tohono Oʼodham Education Development Liaison with the NOIRLab, spoke with workshop participants regarding the long history of productive collaboration between local indigenous authorities and organizations developing and managing astronomy facilities on the mountain (Figure 4). She noted that the lease agreement between the Tohono O’odham nation and the NSF: “… is in perpetuity, as long as the mountain is used for astronomical study and research/education.” The AAA participant teachers found Dr. Ramon-Sauberan so inspiring that they enthusiastically gave up part of their scheduled lunch hour so she could have more time for her presentation.
基特峰国家天文台位于 Tohono O’odham (tuh-hoh-noh aw-tuhm) 美洲原住民部落的土地上，基特峰的名字是 I’oligam Du’ag (ee-oh-lih-gahm doo-ahg)，意思是“曼萨尼塔灌木山”。 NOIRLab 的 Tohono O'odham 教育发展联络员 Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan 博士与研讨会参与者讨论了当地土著当局与开发和管理山上天文设施的组织之间富有成效的合作的悠久历史（图 4）。她指出，Tohono O’odham 国家与 NSF 之间的租赁协议：“……只要这座山用于天文研究和研究/教育，就永久有效。” AAA 参与教师发现 Ramon-Sauberan 博士非常鼓舞人心，他们热情地放弃了部分预定的午餐时间，以便她有更多的时间进行演讲。
The AAA project is winding down operations after 10 years as an active part of the NASA Science Activation’s collective efforts. In 2025, the ensemble of SciAct projects reached millions of learners in the U.S. and around the world via web-based content, public events, and education resources. As of the end of 2025, the AAA project alone had 780 teacher participants in 46 U.S. states plus 10 countries; 420 teachers have received STEM immersion experiences including flights on NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) or visits to ground-based observatories. An estimated 70,000 students nation-wide have been influenced and inspired by AAA educators.
作为 NASA Science Activation 集体努力的积极组成部分，AAA 项目在运行 10 年后即将结束。到 2025 年，SciAct 项目的整体通过基于网络的内容、公共活动和教育资源覆盖了美国和世界各地的数百万学习者。截至 2025 年底，仅 AAA 项目就有来自美国 46 个州和 10 个国家的 780 名教师参与者； 420 名教师接受了 STEM 沉浸式体验，包括乘坐 NASA 平流层红外天文观测站 (SOFIA) 飞行或参观地面观测站。据估计，全国有 70,000 名学生受到 AAA 教育工作者的影响和启发。
Lillian Reynolds, Hawai`i middle school science teacher, stated: “I was fortunate to go to this STEM experience at Maunakea. One thing that I learned is about how many other jobs and people it takes to run all the telescopes and everything up there. I had this preconceived idea that it’s mostly astronomers, PhD people that I didn’t really relate to. I got to meet a lot of the technicians and other folks and that really opened my eyes to other opportunities for my students. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to taking back. It made me feel hopeful that we can really increase our base of home-grown scientists here in Hawai`i.”
夏威夷中学科学老师莉莲·雷诺兹 (Lillian Reynolds) 表示：“我很幸运能够在莫纳克亚体验 STEM。我了解到的一件事是，需要多少其他工作和人员来运行所有望远镜和那里的所有东西。我有一个先入为主的想法，认为主要是天文学家、博士，而我并没有真正接触到。我遇到了很多技术人员和其他人，这真的让我看到了为我的学生提供的其他机会。所以，这就是我期待收回的东西，这让我感到充满希望，我们能够真正增加夏威夷本土科学家的基础。”
Olivia Kuper, Tennessee high school science teacher, noted: “The inclusion of the Indigenous history and perspectives connected to Kitt Peak was one of the most important aspects of the training for me. It reinforced the importance of teaching astronomy in ways that respect the land and the people tied to it. This approach deepened my understanding and will help my students recognize the value of cultural perspectives and historical context in scientific practice.”
田纳西州高中科学教师奥利维亚·库珀 (Olivia Kuper) 指出：“对我来说，培训中最重要的方面之一是纳入与基特峰有关的土著历史和观点。它强调了以尊重土地和与之相关的人民的方式教授天文学的重要性。这种方法加深了我的理解，并将帮助我的学生认识到文化观点和历史背景在科学实践中的价值。”