My name is Jessica Hathaway and I am from Gates County, North Carolina. I am a senior Mathematics Education major at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. My interests for mathematics started from doing summer programs and school year competitions during middle to high school. Thought my interest did not grow more intensely until my summer student research volunteer experience at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia.

Today, at ECSU, I am involved in the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) program, directed by the principle investigator, Dr. Linda B. Hayden. The goal of this program is to develop and implement innovative and applicable education and research collaborations centered on ice sheets, coastal, ocean, and marine research.

During the CERSER program I was a member of the Education Team. The project that we worked on was about how the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) summer research program impacted student’s choice of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related major in college. Along with working with the team and our mentor Dr. Darnell Jonson. The title of the research was The Impact of 2006-2012 CReSIS Summer Research Programs that Influence Student's Choice of a STEM Related Major in College. The education team compiled data that was sent out in the form of survey sheets, and received many responses from students from the past that were in the program. This project was not only informative but helped remind myself of the times I was in the same programs in the summers of 2007 and 2008.

My first summer internship was the Watershed Watch at the campus of ECSU. During this internship I learned so much and had experience I never imagine that I would have done before. During this internship my mentor was Dr. Annette Schloss from University of New Hampshire, along with the help of Dr. Barrette Rock. The project titles “The Effects of Campus Development Affects Forest Growth”. In this project we learned about canopy cover. Canopy cover is the percent of a fixed area covered by layers of branches and foliage at the top of a forest's trees. It is an indicator to how healthy the trees are in an area.  We hypothesize that using canopy cover would be effective to compare forested areas on campus in undeveloped areas (such as the Outdoor Classroom) and areas surrounded by roads and parking lots. We also wanted to test different methods of measuring canopy cover. Trees are important in developed and urban areas as sources of shade, and other factors. Based on earlier research we knew that trees needed room to grow and could be deprived of oxygen and water due to competition from other trees.  Also we understand that the tree’s roots need a source above the ground to collect water.

Then later on after the Watershed Watch, I completed the Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science (REU). During this summer internship, I worked with Dr. Darnell Johnson, along with the Research Experience for Teachers Team (RET). The team collected data, along with the data from the 2012 team, to use testing in the common core to see what seventh graders knew on the pre and posttests. The title of the project was Using Common Core State Standards of Seventh Grade Mathematics in the Application of NXT LEGO® Robotics for CReSIS Middle School Students. With the pre test, the team did not give the students any instruction, after that the team gave instruction to the middle school students then gave the posttest. This proves to help students have a better understanding of the content.

During the summer of 2015, I participated as a student, volunteer at NASA Langley Research Center. During this volunteer experience my mentors were Dr. Gamaliel Cherry and Katrina Young. The two main projects that I participated in were NASA Langley Research Center (LARC) Day of Education and YOUth Day. I also had training on how to conduct hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities with K – 12 educators and students using NASA’s Rockets to Race Cars program. As an education major, this experience opens a door to show different activities that can be used in and out of the classroom.

NASA LARC’s Day of Education is a program that allows LARC employees to volunteer their time and expertise to talk with students about the value of education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and many other fields. If invited to do so, they may also discuss their work and answer questions about NASA’s mission in aeronautics, exploration, and science. Part of my project for the Day of Education was to identify potential partners and companies that offer programs like and/or similar to Day of Education and to collect data about surrounding school systems.  Day of Education is a chance for K – 12 students and teachers to learn more about NASA and see that there is more to its inner workings. This event is also a way to enhance communication among educators and community leaders.

NASA LARC’s YOUth Day, it was a one day event that allowed NASA employees to bring their youth (i.e., family members and friends aged 5 – 17 years old) to the Center in order to spend a day touring NASA facilities and participating in educational activities in the Integrated Engineering Services Building with other youth. YOUth Day is a way to inform youth about NASA and encourage them to pass on what they have learned to others during their school year. My responsibilities included getting the word out about the event through internal communications using web-based @LaRC advertisements. This is an online tool to post information about what is happening, when, and where. This is also how we gave out information to request staff and students to volunteer their time as a tour host, information booth helper and greeter/host. I also created a PowerPoint presentation that was used to share logistical information with all volunteers who were participating in the event. Lastly, I prepared materials that were to be handed out to the youth day participants during the event.

During the academic year 2014-2015 at CERSER, the project I participated in the project titled “Enhancing Parent Involvement in NC-CCSS for K-5 Mathematics at P.W. Moore Elementary School” with the advisement of my mentor Dr. Darnell Johnson. In this project a workshop was provided to assist parents with a better understanding of the homework assignments on the North Carolina Common Core State Standards for K-2 Mathematics. Parent involvement is defined as parent participation in the educational processes and experiences of their children. A chi-square analysis was used to analyze data collected from a pre-survey and post survey administered to participants in the workshop. The study revealed all of the individual components of parental involvement were positively and significantly related to educational goals. The study identified aspects of parent involvement that yielded statistically significant results in affirming that parent involvement attributed positively to urban student achievement. These findings were particularly helpful for indicating which kinds of parent involvement influenced academic success. Remarkably, parent expectations and styles demonstrated a strong relationship with scholastic outcomes. Parent expectations and styles created an educationally oriented ambiance that established an understanding of a certain level of support the child needed to succeed academically.
 
My goal for the future is to further my education by obtaining a master’s and doctorial degree in Mathematics Education field. My plan is to utilize my skills learned from internships and mentors to contribute to the next generation of youth that are coming up after me.