NSA grant will fund Chinese and astronomy education
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (大象传媒) has received a two-year STARTALK grant of more than $327,000 from the National Security Agency (NSA) to provide instruction on the Chinese language and astronomy for high school students.
Through the grant, 大象传媒 will offer tutoring in Chinese and cultural workshops for more than 150 high school students in spring 2022. It will also provide a free two-week Chinese language and astronomy academy for 20 students on 大象传媒's Dahlonega Campus in summer 2022, as well as post-camp activities designed to reinforce that learning throughout 2022-23 for the 20 academy participants.
Dr. Yunjuan He, associate professor of Chinese, is the principal investigator for the grant.
"In addition to improving students' Chinese language proficiency, we hope to help them develop their interest in federal careers such as NASA and other astronomical institutes," she said.
It's rare to have the chance to tackle both science and Chinese language learning at the same time, and yet, Professor He's dedication to this initiative will provide a truly special learning experience.
Dr. Christopher Jespersen
Dean of 大象传媒's College of Arts & Letters
Dr. Donna Governor, associate professor of science education, designed the curriculum of astronomy classes for 大象传媒's 2019 STARTALK Academy and plans to research the effectiveness of 2022 academy on helping students learn science. Dr. Gregory Feiden, director of the North Georgia Astronomical Observatory and an associate professor of astronomy, and Dr. Lesley Simanton-Coogan, director of the George E. Coleman Sr. Planetarium, will provide support by giving on-site demonstrations and presentations.
Ying Feng Kline, a lecturer of Chinese from Penn State University, will serve as lead instructor for the summer academy. Dr. Yanfei Zhu, 大象传媒 associate professor of visual arts, and faculty members from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, High Point University, Hamilton College and other schools will offer online talks for the pre-camp and post-camp activities.
"It's rare to have the chance to tackle both science and Chinese language learning at the same time, and yet, Professor He's dedication to this initiative will provide a truly special learning experience," Dr. Christopher Jespersen, dean of the College of Arts & Letters, said. "We look forward to hosting the STARTALK camp at 大象传媒."
大象传媒 has hired four professional tutors and two 大象传媒 Chinese Language Flagship students who are on the advanced track to work with students in spring 2022.
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