The American Innovation Kit Roadshow makes its second stop in Washington DC on December 2nd, featuring NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara and the donation of American Innovation Kits to local students.
COLUMBUS, OHIO, December 2, 2024 — The Center of Science and Industry’s (COSI) American Innovation Kit Roadshow that kicked off last month at the Statue of Liberty in New York is coming to Washington, DC on December 2nd to visit 450 students at Watkins Elementary School. COSI’s American Innovation Kits will be distributed to all students at the event.
The event will include the participation from NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara and a NASA contractor supporting the agency’s NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate that defines and manages systems development for programs critical to NASA’s Artemis campaign and Moon to Mars exploration approach.
The event will also include a presentation from COSI’s SVP of Corporate Strategy Stephen White on the importance of STEAM to the country’s future, along with a variety of demonstrations that bring the importance of STEAM to life in ways that students and adults will appreciate and readily respond to.
“COSI, in collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), U.S. State Department and America250, created the American Innovation Kit and Roadshow to celebrate 250 years of America’s excellence in advancing STEAM programs in schools all across our great country,” said COSI President and CEO Dr. Frederic Bertley. “The kits provide students with hands-on activities and experiments that empower them to become the innovators of the future.”
NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will talk to students about how their STEAM background shaped their development and led them to successful careers as pilots and astronauts who achieved their greatest ambitions when they traveled to and stayed aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 70. Furthermore, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate contractor will explain the role their team plays in managing the human exploration system development for lunar orbital, lunar surface, and Mars exploration.
“STEAM is not some theoretical exercise,” Dr. Bertley stressed. “It is the foundation upon which our greatest advances as a civilization are created, built, and expanded to benefit all of humanity. I love to see the lights come on in the eyes of school children – it gives me hope for the future.”
The American Innovation Kit is the latest in a series of award-winning “Learning Lunchbox Kits” from COSI that work to increase diversity and equity in STEAM and inspire youth towards related pathways, while providing parents and educators with a framework to increase engagement and accelerate learning.
COSI has already distributed over 400,000 Learning Lunchboxes in more than 40 states and seven countries in partnership with federal agencies such as NASA, the White House, and more.
“The goal of this very ambitious initiative, including community partnerships, kit donations, and STEAM themed activities, is to promote the power and importance of STEAM to all Americans, especially those in underserved communities,” emphasized Dr. Bertley. “To create the next generation of STEAM leaders, and to tackle increasingly complex global and planetary challenges, we need to empower all children, irrespective of their socioeconomic background, with STEAM understanding, education, and appreciation.”
Following the Washington, DC visit at Watkins Elementary School, the nationwide American Innovation Kit Roadshow will continue throughout 2025 to cities and schools across the country.
For more information on COSI, click here and to purchase your own COSI American Innovation Kit, click here.