INSPIRE: A Priceless Opportunity

By Kevin Heath, INSPIRE Community Member

I discovered the INSPIRE program in 2008 through the FIRST Robotics Competition. In the beginning, I didn’t participate very much, but as I gradually explored the Online Learning Community (OLC) website, I discovered a wealth of fascinating information and intriguing activities that I could dive into.

The activities ask the participants not only to think about the future, such as designing new ways to increase the efficiency of our current air-transportation system, but also to learn more about things we often experience but don’t think about, such as the activities that explored NASA spin-offs into the private sector. This particular activity really sparked my interest, and I discovered that the CRT contact lenses I use every day to correct my vision originated from NASA. INSPIRE has opened my eyes to see and to think in new ways, and as a result, my interest in STEM areas has increased.

One of INSPIRE’s primary purposes is to prepare students like me for the future and for the world beyond our homes, and it does a fantastic job at it. INSPIRE brings in experts in their field from various facilities and organizations and lets students ask questions like how they reached the position they’re in and what classes they recommend taking through live chats. Additionally, INSPIRE makes participants aware of the all the myriad STEM competitions, resources, and internships available, a service that nobody else provides. No other institution that I know of provides such great opportunities to so many people.


Out of everything that INSPIRE provides for students, my favorite part is the opportunity it gives students to explore their interests. Whether you are a scientist or engineer, there are always activities that fit your interests and help you develop and expand them. One activity that made a huge impact on me was Looking For Life. Previously, I had never truly thought about what alien life would look like. There are thousands of ideas about possible life forms, but most of them are fictional creations such as the Asgard, Klingons and the Na’vi. This activity set me thinking about what we know is possible, and I was forced to conclude that we know almost nothing about alien life forms. I finally decided on an extremophile for my alien life form, but the possibilities were incalculable. Since then, I have started to question the concepts that I had previously taken for granted both in and outside the classroom.

Shortly afterward, INSPIRE launched me into the virtual realm with Second Life, a virtual world where people can interact with each other through customizable avatars. Joining Second Life through INSPIRE allowed me to explore a private island that is conductive to learning about the virtual world in an educational framework. Through it, I have had the opportunity to make friends with people living thousands of miles away. INSPIRE is unique not just because it provides people with so many different opportunities but because it also helps people who are interested in STEM fields to interact.

In addition to the personal impact INSPIRE has made on me, it has also affected how I see other forms of education such as Second Life and live chats. Now I use school as an opportunity to expand on what I learn through INSPIRE, and vice versa. Education is far more than just learning, it is interacting with others and applying what you have learned. When I was learning about the Cold War in history class, I was both able to contribute what I had learned about that era from INSPIRE and expand my knowledge by delving deeper into the events of that time period. I have also been able to directly apply what I learned from science-based INSPIRE activities in my biology and chemistry classes. While INSPIRE has been first and foremost a learning opportunity for me, I hope to apply what I have already learned as well as continue my learning at Virginia Tech during my Summer Collegiate Experience.