“Space education provides one of the most powerful contexts for inspiring curiosity, innovation, and hope for the future. Teachers in Space gives educators experiences that cannot be replicated in a textbook and empowers them to bring authentic exploration back to their classrooms. When students see their teachers participating in real missions and research, space becomes tangible and attainable. These experiences help students realize that they, too, can become the scientists, engineers, and explorers who will shape humanity’s future beyond Earth.”
Hi, I’m Jill Weaver
My Teaching Experience
I am a veteran STEM educator with more than 20 years of classroom experience at Valley View Local Schools in Ohio. I currently teach grades 6–8 STEM and have dedicated my career to creating authentic, hands-on learning experiences that connect students with aerospace, engineering, biotechnology, and emerging technologies. I have secured numerous grants and partnerships to bring real-world STEM opportunities to my students and have been recognized nationally for my contributions to aerospace education.
Flight Experience
My flight experiences include participating in the Teachers in Space High Altitude Balloon Program in 2012 at NASA Ames Research Center, and a Zeppelin flight, completing a Civil Air Patrol Teacher Orientation Flight, and serving as a Space for Teachers participant preparing for a microgravity research flight aboard Novespace’s Air Zero-G aircraft this Fall. These experiences have strengthened my ability to translate authentic aerospace experiences into meaningful classroom learning.
Flight Experiment Experience
In 2012, I participated in the Teachers in Space High Altitude Balloon program, where I helped conduct near-space investigations and gained firsthand experience with flight operations, payload integration, and collecting scientific data in a near-space environment. The experience significantly influenced my teaching and inspired many aerospace investigations and opportunities for my students to fly successful HAB flights for the last 6 years.