Dawn Marie Burbach says that as a girl growing up in the Midwest, she came from a traditional family and felt she had few career options: teacher, nurse, secretary, or mother. She chose to be a mother and teacher and would not change either, as they have both brought her great satisfaction. However, she has always had a secret desire to work with real research scientists. Now with JASON, her wish has come true.
A teacher for the last 19 years, Dawn currently teaches K-5 gifted-and-talented classes at Bonham Elementary School in Texas. Dawn believes that being a JASON Teacher Argonaut gives her the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion in math and science with others.
Dawn plans to share her Teacher Argonaut experience in her district by hosting in-services, giving technology presentations, and starting a Science Club. The experience has also given her a golden opportunity to not only learn new things, but also to work with older Argonaut students.
Dawn is described by her principal Cathy Silstorf as having a contagious enthusiasm that is inspiring to others. Not surprisingly, she is a leader in her school and school district. In addition to teaching, she
is the sponsor for her school's Student Council and founder of the school Glee Club.
In her own words:
What it was like to launch the Aerosonde:I was able to ride in the launch truck. The engine of the Aerosonde was fired up. The noise inside the cab was incredibly loud. I could feel the thrumming in my body. We started down the runway slowly. When the clearance was given, the driver accelerated to 50 miles an hour and then increased to 55 miles per hour. The launch signal was given. The driver then began to decelerate. There was a very loud thump as the Aerosonde lifted off from the top of the truck and went airborne. The thumping we heard was the lift pad lifting off the truck through the pull of the drone and then bouncing back onto the truck.
On working together with the Argonaut Team:
The nine Student Argonauts who arrived at Boot Camp in Milwaukee are the most amazing students! We had an awesome time getting to know each other and working on a variety of activities. We worked with many researchers, scientists, and professors in the areas of weather and storms. We were in classrooms and out in the field. We spent time on the land and the water. We put in 15-hour days, but none of us were complaining! We saw, did, and learned so many incredible things that helped us understand storms and forecast weather. I learned more during this 10-day adventure than I could have ever imagined.
What it’s like to be an Argonaut:
The experiences that I have had here at NASA Wallops have been unbelievable. This has been such a life changing experience. I worked with such awesome Student Argonauts. In addition, I worked with incredible people from both Aerosonde Team and NASA generally. They gave kindly and willingly of their time and expertise to ensure that all of us had a wonderful learning experience.