In a day and age that desires more women in STEM fields, an OU student is participating in a year-long mentorship sponsored by NASA to become more equipped to teach future students about science.

Eman Beck, a chemical biosciences major, is getting certification in secondary science education. She first heard about the opportunity by reading a flyer in the college of education.

“I remember passing by and the NASA logo caught my attention,” said Beck. “As a young girl, I always loved astronomy and it brought up nostalgic feelings.”

However, Beck did not initially apply. In fact she thought she wouldn’t get accepted and walked away.

Fate had other things in store for Beck.

“A few weeks later, I got an email saying they didn’t receive a lot of qualified applicants,” said Beck, who then applied for the mentorship and earned a spot.

The year-long mentorship, called Mission To Planet Earth (MTPE), is sponsored by the NASA Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium (OSGC). Throughout the mentorship, “participants will be immersed in hands-on STEM-based activities for classroom application.”

The program began with an 11-day Summer Institute at Oklahoma State University where participants engaged in a variety of activities.

“The best experience was the 30 minutes we got to fly a plane,” said Beck. “It was very empowering. It gave me real life experience which I will use when I teach my future students.”

Beck is one of five students from OU participating in this mentorship, four of whom are women.