Wilde Lake Middle School’s Ms. Stiller and Ms. Rathmann Will Take Flight Next Monday, September 12th!

30 Current and Future Teachers Selected for 
Microgravity Flight in Washington, D.C.

LOS ANGELES, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northrop Grumman Foundation is pleased to announce this year's Weightless Flights of Discovery "Class of 2011." Thirty educators, 28 math and science teachers from Arizona, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., along with two college students studying to become teachers, have been selected to participate in this year's teacher development program. These educators will participate in a unique initiative that places them on micro-gravity flights to test Newton's Laws of Motion and in turn energize their students, most of whom are in their formative middle school years. The flight will take place in the Washington, D.C. area on Sept.12, 2011.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation is partnering with the Zero Gravity Corporation to offer the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, one of several initiatives the Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsors to promote education and stimulate student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery program was created in response to a
shortage of college graduates in the STEM disciplines within the United States, a development that bodes
ill for the nation's industries that depend on talented scientists and mathematicians. The program targets
middle-school math and science teachers primarily because studies have indicated that a child's interest in
pursuing a certain career in the areas of science and math is sparked at the middle school level. Northrop
Grumman developed the Weightless Flights of Discovery to engage teachers, because they serve as key
influencers in the lives of students during these crucial years.

Teachers participating in the Washington, D.C. flight include:

To learn more about the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery, visit
www.northropgrumman.com/goweightless.

Ms. Stiller and Ms. Rathmann will be using what they learn to enhance their Mathematics and Science
lessons this year and in the future! Congratulations to both teachers for being selected to participate in this “out of this world” experience!