July 14-18, 2025

2025 Workshop Flyer

What we know about the world, and how we know about it, is changing at breakneck speed. The goal of SATTAA2025 is to support STEM teachers with astrophysics content that includes the proverbial "tools-of-the-trade." Our sequence provides four foci as we aim to support the integration of scientific and engineering practices for classroom contexts:

  1. Development of STEM content specific to astrophysics.
  2. Exploration of current technology tools, including Al.
  3. Interactions with STEM professionals located in the USA and elsewhere in the world.
  4. Teacher-led sessions supporting lesson development and exchange.

Participant Stipends

We are grateful to our friends at B.E.A.T. for sponsoring participant stipends this year.

2025 Team


Jennifer Becerra, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Nieves Castro Rodriguez, Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)

Dr. Chris Combs, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Dr. Thayne Currie, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Sergio Fernandez-Acosta, Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)

Dr. Carmen Fies, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Rachel Fuechsl, McDonald Observatory

Dr. Lindsay Fuller, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Cuauhtémoc Méndez Rosas, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec)

Judith Meyer, McDonald Observatory

Dr. Chris Packham, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Martinique Pautzke, McDonald Observatory

Dr. Swara Ravindranath, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Dr. Kurt Retherford, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

Justine Schaen, National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab)

2025 Schedule


Date Time Activity Facilitator
July 14 9:00 Meet and Greet; Logistics Chris Packham & Carmen Fies, UTSA
10:00 Light, Color, EMS Lindsay Fuller, UTSA
11:00 Europa Clipper Kurt Retherford, SwRI
12:00 Lunch  
1:00 Teachers sharing favorite astronomy lesson resources Carmen Fies, UTSA
2:00 NOIRLab's Teen Astronomy Cafe Justine Schaen, NOIRLab
July 15 9:00 Solar System Chris Packham, UTSA
10:00 Optics Chris Packham, UTSA
11:00 Space Telescopes Swara Ravindranath, NASA
12:00 Lunch  
1:00 Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Online Investigations Justine Schaen, NOIRLab
2:00 Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Online Investigations Justine Schaen, NOIRLab
July 16 9:00 Ancient Astronomy in Mexico 4.0 Cuauhtémoc Méndez Rosas, Tec
10:00 Integrating AI Carmen Fies, UTSA
11:00 Virtual Fieldtrip: Dark Skies Judith Meyer, Rachel Fuechsl, & Martinique Pautzke, McDonald Observatory
12:00 Lunch  
1:00 Virtual Fieldtrip: Dark Skies Judith Meyer, Rachel Fuechsl, & Martinique Pautzke, McDonald Observatory
2:00 NASA STEM Jennifer Becerra, NASA
July 17 9:00 Telescope Design Chris Packham, UTSA
10:00 Climate Change, Terrestrial Lindsay Fuller, UTSA
11:00 Climate Change, Other Planets Lindsay Fuller, UTSA
12:00 Lunch  
1:00 Hypersonics Chris Combs, UTSA
2:00 Q&A Chris Packham, UTSA
July 18 9:00 Ground-Based Telescopes Nieves Castro Rodriguez & Sergio Fernandez Acosta, GTC
10:00 Exoplanets Thayne Currie, NASA AMES & UTSA
11:00 Eyes on Exoplanets; Planet Search Thayne Currie, NASA AMES & UTSA
12:00 Lunch  
1:00 AI Resources at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Carmen Fies, UTSA
2:00 Closure and Final Paperwork Chris Packham & Carmen Fies, UTSA

2025 Contacts


Dr. Carmen Fies

Dr. Carmen Fies
UTSA College of Education and Human Development
Carmen.Fies@utsa.edu

Dr. Chris Packham

Dr. Chris Packham
UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy
Chris.Packham@utsa.edu