NASA, Honeywell bring Hip-Hop education show to West Coast

FMA Live! is a high-energy, live stage show that features actors, hip-hop dance, music videos, interactive scientific demonstrations and video interviews with NASA scientists to teach Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion and universal laws of gravity.

"The name of the show comes from Newton’s second law of motion: force = mass x acceleration," read the NASA website

“It is critically important to get middle school-aged students aware of and excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics -- especially physics. We’ve seen FMA Live! make the introduction easier,” said Donald James, NASA’s associate administrator for Education. “Thanks to our collaboration with Honeywell, we’re inspiring students to set their sights on future careers in the critical STEM field.”

During the next 10 weeks, the show, under the direction of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, will travel to more than 40 public, private and Department of Defense-affiliated middle schools in seven states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Washington.

Research shows interactive, experiential learning is the most effective way to engage students in STEM studies. A major goal of FMA Live! is to encourage middle school students to pursue STEM academic coursework and, ultimately, seek careers in STEM-related fields. Since its creation in 2004, FMA Live! has reached more than 455,000 middle school students across the United States, as well as students in Canada and Mexico.

"Many of today's engineering challenges will be solved decades into the future by the next generation of engineers and scientists," said Mike Bennett, president, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. "To prepare students to become tomorrow's innovators, Honeywell invests in programs like FMA Live! to ignite that spark of inspiration in fun and relatable ways."

NASA is committed to using the agency's unique assets, programs and facilities to inspire students to pursue STEM studies and careers. NASA’s Office of Education collaborates with a wide variety of organizations from academia, industry and government to reach learners and educators across the United States.