The Google Lunar X PRIZE has announced a renewed emphasis on education, and points out the connection between new Moon race and lagging science literacy in the United States. Introducing herself, the new Education Manager for the prize, Chandra Gonzales, lays out the challenge:
One of the greatest challenges that I have seen in our education systems is the need to meet our world’s significant workforce shortages in the critical sciences, technology, engineering and math fields. Did you know that in the US alone, the Department of Education reported that only 18% of high school seniors are considered proficient in science and 5% of undergraduates earn degrees in science and engineering? I feel that it is imperative that educators work with industry to tackle this issue.
With a program built around teaching and flying the space sciences, Kentucky Space certainly understands the challenge as well. It's nice to see the Google Lunar X PRIZE connect "education to inspiration."