Middle School Science Teacher Ace Schwarz continues to bring cutting-edge astronomical research and hands-on STEM opportunities to Shipley students through their work with the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP). Recently, Mx. Schwarz attended the prestigious American Astronomical Society (AAS) Conference, where they presented an education-focused project aimed at making authentic space research more accessible to students.

At AAS, Mx. Schwarz showcased a series of lessons they developed to help middle and high school students engage with real astronomical data—lessons designed to bridge the gap between professional research and classroom learning. Their presentation, delivered in a competitive poster session, drew strong interest, particularly from college students who remarked, “This would have been so cool when I was in middle school.”

Mx. Schwarz’s work with NITARP has been instrumental in integrating real-world science into Shipley’s curriculum. Last year, they led a team of students in researching young stars, culminating in a presentation at the AAS Conference in New Orleans. This year, they took on a new challenge—translating complex research concepts into structured, scaffolded lessons for middle schoolers. By incorporating more visuals, step-by-step guidance, hands-on activities, and vibrant slides, Mx. Schwarz ensured that younger students could actively participate in the kind of authentic research typically reserved for high school and college-level learners.

A firm believer in inquiry-based learning, Mx. Schwarz emphasizes the importance of students engaging with authentic data rather than pre-packaged experiments with predetermined outcomes. Their lessons encourage students to either collect their own data or analyze existing astronomical datasets in ways that lead to unique discoveries. This approach fosters critical thinking, synthesis of information, and scientific reasoning—key skills for future STEM leaders.

Mx. Schwarz’s commitment to bringing professional-level scientific research to middle schoolers isn’t stopping here. They are starting work on a new science project to identify young stars in the Serpens Main cluster and will collaborate with a team of middle school students. Mx. Schwarz is also applying to be a mentor for the 2025-2026 NITARP cohort, a highly competitive role that would further extend Shipley’s involvement in national astronomical research.

With their passion for student-driven inquiry and groundbreaking research, Mx. Schwarz is shaping the next generation of scientists—one authentic dataset at a time.