NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

RELEASE : JE07-015 NASA Education Team to be Honored at Tech Museum Awards HOUSTON – NASA’s Learning Technologies Team from the Johnson Space Center was recently named one of 25 innovators from around the world to be honored by this year’s Tech Museum Awards. These awards honor individuals who are applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Learning Technologies Team was selected from hundreds of nominations sent from 68 countries.

NASA’s Learning Technologies Team, which includes Robert Shelton, Stephanie Smith and Terry Hodgson, is being recognized for its work on MathTrax and the MathTrax Description Engine Software Development Kit. Together, the accessible education software tool helps blind and sighted students learn and understand math and science. It describes information in three ways – using “smart” text, nonverbal sound and custom graphics descriptions.

“MathTrax was originally designed for students with blindness or low vision. It turns out that graphical concepts are stumbling blocks for the sighted and blind alike. MathTrax turns those stumbling blocks into stepping-stones,” said the team’s project manager, Shelton, who lost his sight when he was 11 years old. He now holds a doctorate in mathematics.

Established in 2001, The Tech Museum Awards recognize 25 laureates in five categories: Education, Equality, Environment, Economic Development and Health. These 25 laureates have developed ways to use technology to improve the environment and the lives of people around the world.

All of the laureates will be showcased at The Tech in San Jose and featured on The Tech Award’s official Web site, www.techawards.org. One laureate in each category will receive a $50,000 cash prize, announced during the annual Awards Gala, which takes place this year on Nov. 7.

The laureates are reviewed and selected by an independent international panel of judges administered by the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University.

The Tech Museum Awards represent a collaborative effort among educational institutions and businesses. Key partners supporting The Tech Museum Awards include Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society, presenting sponsor Applied Materials, Inc., and global outreach partners the United Nations Development Programme, the American Council for The United Nations University, the World Bank Institute and Catholic Relief Services.

For more information about the Tech Museum Awards on the Web, visit:

www.techawards.org

For more information about The Tech Museum of Innovation, visit the Web at:

www.thetech.org

For more information on NASA and its education programs on the Internet, go to:

www.nasa.gov

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