Each year, Challenger Center and AIAA celebrate three K-12 educators who go above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators in science, technology, education, and math (STEM) through the Trailblazing STEM Educator Award.
$5,000 award to the educator
$5,000 award to the educator’s school or organization
All recipients must be or become an AIAA Educator Associate member
A trip to Washington, D.C. to be honored at the AIAA Awards Gala
Free access to Challenger Center’s STEM education programs
Opportunity to attend a future space launch experience
Nominee must be a K-12 educator who brings real-world STEM experiences to students
Past recipients are ineligible for future consideration
All recipients must be or become an AIAA Educator Associate member
Preference will be given to teachers who demonstrate active use of AIAA and Challenger Center resources in their classroom
Self-nominations are not permitted
Nominator is not required to be a current AIAA member
Nominator may not serve as a reference
References are not required to be current AIAA members
One of two letters of endorsement must be provided by the principal of the nominee’s school or the educator's supervisor
Nominations must be submitted using the online database
Challenger Center and AIAA are proud to present Aymette Medina, Caroline Little, and Taylor Whisenant with the 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award. The three winners come from schools across the United States and were selected from 51 nominations. The nominations demonstrate the incredible efforts teachers make every day to empower underserved and underrepresented students in STEM while using unique strategies, tools, and lessons in and out of the classroom to further energize students.
As an educator for more than a decade, Medina’s mission is to give her students every opportunity to see their potential within STEM fields. Recently, she engaged her students in the NASA TechRise Challenge, International SeaPerch Space Exploration Challenge, and the SystemsGo Rocketry Program. She uses Challenger Center and AIAA educational materials throughout her lessons and takes students on field trips to connect their learning experiences within the classroom to the real world. Medina is a Space Foundation teacher liaison and an ambassador for both Space Explorers and SeaPerch (Robonation).
Little has spent more than 20 years teaching science and world languages and is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and astronauts. She creatively breaks down complex STEM principles into easy-to-understand lessons and connects her students to real-world examples through personal experiences. For example, her students recently presented their research on lunar crop growth during a NASA Space Food webinar. Little is a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Teacher Innovator Institute Fellow, DiscoverE Girl Day ambassador, and advisor for several national STEM-based educational programs.
With a background in special education, particularly in autism spectrum disorders, Whisenant is a champion for equity and access to quality STEM education programs for all students. During her first year at ARS, she developed a robotics program with eight FIRST® Robotics teams spanning the K-12 age groups. The program has grown to 14 teams now. Whisenant is a University of Alabama in Huntsville Alumni of Achievement Honoree and a FIRST® Inspire the Future Educators Recognition Program Honoree. She is also a program delivery partner for FIRST® LEGO® League.
Cedric Turner, Jackie Blumer, Jennifer Cheesman, Kellie Taylor, and Katrina Harden Williams