WEB NEWS RELEASE
Astronaut Ricky Arnold with Dean Donna Wiseman
COLLEGE PARK, MD (April 2010) - Before Astronaut Richard Arnold ('92) ever became a space crusader, he was a science teacher who understood the value of math and science and how proper student assessment could lead to a lifetime of career possibilities in the sciences.
"All kids are born natural scientists," he says, "but unfortunately for some of those students, by the time they reach high school it's like we've taught them out of it."
Arnold got the chance to talk about his teaching experiences and his spacewalking adventures last month, when he met with a group of early childhood education majors from the College of Education. The audience also included science education majors as well as students from a local public high school in Washington, D.C.
Arnold addressing the group of College of Education and high school students
Arnold had motivating messages for each group. He advised the apprentice teachers to find a mentor in their school who could "teach them how to teach," noting that each one of them will someday be someone's favorite and most influential teacher. He then encouraged the high school students to stick with math and science although these subjects can be hard, because in the end they can also be very rewarding.
Arnold was one of the crew members of the March 2009 125th Shuttle flight of Discovery; the 28th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station. During his mission, he took part in two spacewalks and delivered and installed the final pair of power-generating solar array wings for the Space Station. Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after travelling 202 orbits, and 5.3 million miles in just over 12 days.
A graduate of the University of Maryland College of Chemical & Life Sciences, Arnold exhibited his Terp pride in space by wearing his University of Maryland t-shirt on in-flight videos. He also took a Maryland banner on his shuttle mission, which he presented to President Mote in March 2010 at a half-time ceremony during a basketball game on campus.
Certainly no stranger to the area, Arnold was born in Cheverly and raised in Bowie, Md. He is married to College of Education alumna Eloise Arnold ('92).
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For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu
or contact
Halima Cherif, Assistant Director for Communications, at: hcherif@umd.edu
