ATLANTA, Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Foundation will launch nearly 60 Georgia teachers into weightlessness on October 7 as part of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The goal of the program is to inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers -- critical areas where the U.S. has fallen behind globally.
Teachers from all over the state applied for the program just as the school year ended in May and 60 were chosen from more than 100 applications. Those selected attended a workshop in mid-August in Atlanta.
Georgia school districts represented are: Atlanta, Banks, Bartow, Ben Hill, Buford, Bulloch, Butts, Camden, Carroll, Carrollton, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Dougherty, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Greene, Gwinnett, Henry, Houston, Jones, Kennesaw, Marietta, Murray, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Richmond, Thomas, Troup, Walker, Walton and Wayne.
Northrop Grumman has a dedicated work force of more than 1,200 employees working in 39 facilities across Georgia, supporting customers including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Air Force Logistics Center in Warner Robbins, Georgia law enforcement and the City of Atlanta. These employees are also committed to their communities, involved in civic life and participating in improving the state's quality of life.
The Georgia flights will take off from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport on October 7.
Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery is an innovative hands-on training program that gives teachers an 'out-of-this-world' experience as a way to help them inspire their students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Area teachers prepared for the zero-gravity flights this summer by attending workshops and designing experiments to execute while in zero-gravity in order to test Newton's Laws of Motion. Following the flights, the teachers will bring their in-flight experiences, enthusiasm and videotaped experiments into the classroom, where they will be integrated into lesson plans.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
For more information on Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery, visit: http://www.northropgrumman.com/community/weightless.html.
For information on following local teachers, photos or video, contact Rosalie Hagel, M. Silver Associates at 954-765-3636, ext 26 or at rosalie@msilver-pr.com.