Christopher Blair
NASA Media Specialist
media
Project Coordinator
NASA's Johnson Space Center External Affairs
September 2012
to July 2014
Full-time
Houston
United States - Texas
- Using our NASA Educational Implementation Plan, our Educational Strategic Framework and goals from the Committee on STEM (CoSTEM), I helped develop, implement and analyze activities across all lines of business for NASA Education, including:
• National Space Grant Foundation
• Steckler Space Grant
• Minority University Research & Education Programs
• CP4SMP+ Grants
• University Research Centers
• Internships
• Reduced Gravity Educational Programs
• Spaceflight Explorers
• NASA High School Aerospace Scholars
• NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars
• Pre-Service Teacher’s Institute
INTERNSHIPS
Using the OSSI site, I compared applicant skill sets against internship criteria. I scheduled and conducted interviews and made recommendations to Diego Rodriguez, project coordinator.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTERS
• Served as a STEM contact to an HBCU for internship selection.
• Provided web-based career and resume counseling to five Minority Serving Institutions.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH-1 (UR-1)
Produced and hosted a live webcast for a space station microgravity experiment, launched on SpaceX 3.
STECKLER SPACE GRANT
I reviewed proposals, yearly progress reports, evaluation processes & recommended funding awards.
SPACEFLIGHT EXPLORERS
Helped manage a multi-state project for 30 science centers across a 10-state region. This included recruiting, creating educator guides, teaching workshops, promotions, purchasing and reporting. I developed communication plans to support nationwide events. I presented at hundreds of teacher workshops, careers fairs, teacher workshops, web-based seminars and events for museums, science centers, Boy & Girl Scouts, libraries and more.
HUNCH
Initiated and secured funding for a student design project, making replica astronaut sleeping restraints for outreach events.
EDUCATION
I help coordinated and teach dozens of professional development workshops across the nation for in-service and pre-service teachers, as well as students in all grades. I also taught Online EPD using NASA’s Digital Learning Network, VIDYO and Adobe Connect. Topics included:
• Lunar certification
• Lunar geology
• Rocketry
• Spectroscopy
• Electromagnetic spectrum
• Solar physics
• Reasons for the Seasons
• Solar system topics
• Newton's laws
• Astronomy
• NASA history
• Living in Space
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
• NASA solicitation and proposal review
• Strategic communications for outreach and education
• Website design, development and maintenance
• STEM product development (handbooks, lesson plans, activities, etc.)
• National, state and local event coordination and staffing
• Financial management (purchasing, phasing plans, shipping, etc.)
• Social media content development
• Product development (brochures, pamphlets, flyers, bookmarks, tent cards, etc.)
METRICS
I generated metric reports to evaluate and analyze the results of events; teacher workshops and communication products to best approve alignment with performance goals or recommend changes to leadership. I developed and collected surveys, feedback forms, and conducted stakeholder interviews for written and chart-based reports.
VIDEO / PHOTOGRAPHY
I produced and hosted live webcasts for student science missions to the International Space Station, as part of the NASA’s University Research Center, as well as with NASA’s Digital Learning Network and SpaceFlight Explorers. I supported interviews with Dr. Ellen Ochoa and other subject matter experts for educational outreach videos and projects and helped produce STEM outreach videos for NASA’s High School Aerospace Scholars.
WEB EDITOR
As a NASA web editor, I helped develop and update several government websites, as well as wrote and posted STEM-themed educational content to the NASA portal.
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
I maintain access to several NASA-related software, programs and websites and have completed years of certification in government IT security, records training and management, web publishing, word processing, desktop publishing and graphics software systems. This includes: One Stop Shopping Initiative
• Office of Education Performance Measure • SharePoint • Salesforce • Satern • IDMax • Sprinklr • Vidyo
MEDIA PRODUCTS
I wrote and posted STEM-themed web features to the NASA portal, translating technical and complex scientific information into educator guides and lesson plans. I also developed and posted content to the JSC Education social media pages.
STAKEHOLDERS
I fostered and sustained working relationships with a national network of diverse formal and informal education providers, colleges and universities, public, private and home school systems, government offices, public and private organizations and industry partners. This includes developing relationships with HBCU’s, TCUP’s, HSI’s, and other MSI’s.
