NASA wants students to choose sciences

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education say they will work together to encourage students to focus on science studies.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said it signed a cooperative Space Act Agreement to work with Challenger to encourage students to focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies and programs.

"Through hands-on interactive educational activities, NASA and the Challenger Center will engage students, their teachers, their families and the general public to help increase overall science and technology literacy," the space agency said in a statement.

June Scobee Rodgers, the Challenger Center's founding chairwoman, said: "We are overjoyed with the signing of this agreement with NASA. When Challenger was lost, the families came together to look for a fitting legacy to honor those we lost and to carry on with their mission."

The Challenger Center, founded in 1986, trains more than 25,000 teachers annually to engage students in critical thinking, decision-making, communication and teamwork. During the past 22 years more than 8 million students have participated in Challenger Center programs, officials said.