Courtney IngramNC & SC Lead Teacher: Orbit Earth Expo Courtney Ingram was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a dedicated STEAM Curator Specialist with a passion for fostering educational partnerships, community development, and creative enrichment initiatives. Her expertise spans digital consulting, event planning, and leadership, and she is recognized for her motivational mindset and commitment to diversity in STEAM. With a background in Agricultural Science and a Master’s Degree in Education from High Point University, Courtney has seamlessly integrated into multiple pathways of the STEAM community. She has made significant contributions as a presenter, host, and community partner for various STEM outreach programs, and has also served as a judge in LEGO Robotics Competitions. Courtney’s work focuses on engaging students from low-income neighborhoods and promoting inclusivity for girls and diverse groups in the STEAM field. |
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Tracy CusterMarketing Director Tracy is a lifelong resident of North Carolina, though she loves to travel. She was a NC Teaching Fellow at Elon College and earned her MLIS degree from UNC-Greensboro. She has been a classroom teacher, school librarian, and technology guru over the course of her twenty plus years in public education. She was the Orbit Earth Expo lead teacher for the Carolinas from 2015-2019 and is passionate about making earth science accessible for K-8 students. She is married and has two children in their early twenties. When she is not working, she loves to read, play the Sims, and spend time with her family, which includes four cats and a bearded dragon. |
Students journey into space to create and experience the cycles, systems and relationships between the earth, moon and sun using our huge, inflatable Earth model and scale-sized moon. While interacting with the inflatable representations in a darkened gymnasium with a light to represent the sun, students manipulate the models to experience eclipses, seasonal/lunar cycles, creation of winds, day/night cycles, tides, rotation vs revolution, physical characteristics of the earth, moon and sun, gravity, order of the planets, seasons and more! The Orbit Earth Expo Program correlates to the state and grade level science objectives. There are different age-appropriate programs for each grade level.