Minnesota is a northern state where it is possible to view the Aurora Borealis and Dee McLellan is a native. She was born and grew up in Minneapolis and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota in education. This makes Dee a golden gopher. She was a classroom teacher at a small Minneapolis school and then Meadow Creek Christian School in Andover until her oldest son was born. She then took the time to teach her four children at home for several years. During that time she also was involved with a variety of teaching opportunities at the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History and other smaller colleges around the Twin Cities. She taught science and math enrichment courses for middle school students. After that, Dee returned to the classroom and taught 7th and 8th grade science and math at Meadow Creek. She even taught some of the children of her former students. She became involved with NASA, first as a STARDUST educator in 1999, and then a Solar System Educator. She has been part of a remote sensing pilot program with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and attended training there. Dee has also attended workshops at JPL, Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and Ames. Currently she is writing curriculum for a mission to a comet and is part of the JASON Project as a Lead Trainer. Dee trains teachers in the US and internationally to use the JASON project curriculum. She is pleased to have a part in NASA's vision to inspire the next generation of explorers as only NASA can. She is currently working as Observatory Coordinator for Jackson Middle School. SOLAR SYSTEM AMBASSADOR MASTER TEACHER