NASA Educator Astronaut to Speak at Education Conference

HOUSTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NASA astronaut and schoolteacher Joseph Acaba will be the featured speaker at the International Technology Education Association’s (ITEA) 69th Annual Conference on March 16. Acaba’s presentation will start at 9 a.m. at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, 200 E. Market St., San Antonio. A media opportunity will follow at 11 a.m.

Acaba’s presentation, part of the Teacher Excellence Award Session, is designed to let attendees envision the life of educator astronauts, their missions, training, and how they hope to advance education as a result of their experiences. This session will also include an awards ceremony which will honor technology teachers from every state for their outstanding achievements.

Before being selected as an astronaut, Acaba served as a high school and middle school teacher in Florida. In May 2004, Acaba was selected as an educator astronaut by NASA. He completed astronaut candidate training in February 2006. He is currently serving in technical assignments until being assigned to a future space mission.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Kendall Starkweather, Executive Director, ITEA, at 703-860-4738 or Brenda A. Cabaniss, NASA Johnson Space Center Astronaut Appearances Office, at 281-244-8860. For more information about Acaba, visit:

            http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html    For more information on NASA educator astronauts, visit:                 http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/5-                   8/features/F_Educator_Astronauts.html    For more information on the ITEA International Conference, visit:          http://www.iteaconnect.org/Conference/conferenceguide.htm  

NASA

CONTACT: Brenda A. Cabaniss or Kylie S. Clem of NASA Johnson SpaceCenter, Houston, +1-281-483-5111

Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.htmlhttp://www.iteaconnect.org/Conference/conferenceguide.htm