In an effort to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, members of Montana State University Academic Technology and Outreach recently distributed 500 NASA science kits to students on the Blackfeet Reservation.

The kits were created in partnership with Blackfeet Community College and through a Northwest Earth and Space Science Pipeline grant from NASA. Jamie Cornish, outreach specialist for ATO, said the kits are a tool for teaching children about space science and encouraging them to get outdoors after months spent learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Because of the COVID emergency, schools all over the state had to go online. In some parts of Montana, the internet connection can be iffy, and a lot of families don’t have Wi-Fi in their homes, so students were doing packets of worksheets,” Cornish said. “Everything began to feel like homework, so kids were less engaged in learning. These kits are a nice way to get kids away from screens and to get them excited about space science.”

The kit’s theme is inspired by the NASA Mars 2020 mission, which launched in July with a rover called Perseverance. The rover will seek signs of life on Mars and collect rock and soil samples. Each kit includes eight “missions” with an accompanying activity. Some lessons in the kit include collecting rock specimens; using a bug box to gather and examine “signs of life” in their neighborhoods; and using an astronomical calendar to watch for celestial events.

The kits also include a list of local teachers whom interested students can contact to join NASA robotics teams in the fall. Each year, ATO hosts a NASA robotics competition for Montana students. Details for the next challenge will be released this fall.

Cornish said that an exciting aspect of these kits is how they blend Western science with traditional Blackfeet science. For instance, the geology rock collecting mission incorporates Blackfeet words for different geological terms, and the astronomical calendar also includes traditional stories of stars, phases of the moon and more.

“We started talking to educators and key stakeholders in the Blackfeet tribe with whom we have been doing research on whether blending Native and Western science improves students' learning outcomes,” Cornish said. “This was a great opportunity to connect students with their culture.”

Cornish added that ATO hopes to replicate this program collaborating with other tribes in the state during the fall semester.