Greenbelt, MD — June 2025
Students at the Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore (AAES) are getting a head start on the future—thanks to a powerful new partnership connecting classroom learning with NASA-level science. As part of Old Dominion University’s College Partnership Lab Schools initiative, the AAES team is collaborating with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to integrate authentic Earth observation data, remote sensing tools, and satellite technologies directly into the classroom.
This hands-on partnership—developed in close collaboration with Accomack County Public Schools and Northampton County Public Schools—is providing both students and teachers with access to real-time environmental data and the inquiry-based tools used by NASA scientists. By equipping classrooms with these high-powered resources, the partnership brings learning to life and opens doors to careers in aerospace, data science, and climate technology.
“By embedding NASA technology and data into our classrooms, we’re not just teaching science—we’re preparing students to solve real-world problems,” said a member of the AAES instructional team. “This work is giving our educators the tools to make STEM learning relevant, immersive, and connected to future careers.”
Teams from Accomack Co and ODU attend training at NASA Goddard Flight Facility
As part of a multi-day summer institute, AAES teachers worked directly with NASA experts and Earth systems scientists to explore how to bring satellite imagery, climate modeling, and environmental monitoring into student-driven, project-based learning. The training offered not only technical knowledge, but also strategies for helping students draw connections between global environmental systems and their own coastal communities.
“This partnership reflects the heart of what our lab schools are about—connecting students with real-world learning opportunities that begin early and build toward long-term success,” said Dr. Rachel White, faculty fellow with the ODU Center for Educational Innovation & Opportunity. “It’s about relevance, access, and ensuring that students on Virginia’s Eastern Shore have the same opportunities to explore STEM careers as students anywhere else in the state.”
Hands on learning in the future of Aerospace for the team at AAES
The Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore is one of four lab schools led by Old Dominion University, launching this fall as part of Virginia’s statewide investment in innovative, workforce-aligned public education. Through the leadership of the Center for Educational Innovation & Opportunity (CEIO), these schools serve as living laboratories—testing bold models that connect K–12 learning with career and college pathways in high-growth sectors like aerospace engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, and environmental science.
As the state and nation seek to expand talent pipelines in critical STEM fields, the work happening at AAES is a compelling example of what’s possible when public schools, higher education, and federal agencies come together around a shared vision for innovation.
This is lab schools in action: delivering tomorrow’s education, today.
