By Alan Boyle

Wanna do some space science? You no longer have to be a professional researcher, or even a grown-up, to get your experiment ]]>

Montana State Univ. / NASA - CubeSats like the one shown in this artist's conception, measuring 4 inches (10 centimeters) on each side, are coming within reach of student experimenters and DIY enthusiasts.

By Alan Boyle

Wanna do some space science? You no longer have to be a professional researcher, or even a grown-up, to get your experiment into orbit. A new program called DreamUp is offering slots on the International Space Station’s experimental racks to school groups for as little as $15,500 a pop, and you can use credit-card reward points to help cover the cost.

“We are committed to lowering the barriers for entry to space research,” Jeffrey Manber, managing director of NanoRacks, said in a news release announcing the program. “This is a double win. This first-of-its-kind student experiment donation platform will help create a world-class experience for students.”

NanoRacks, which has already helped put iPhones and the makings for Scotch whisky into space, is partnering up with the Conrad Foundation on the DreamUp program.

“Some experiments can’t be done on Earth because we can’t ‘turn off’ gravity,” said Nancy Conrad, the foundation’s chairman and the widow of Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad. “DreamUp, powered by our partner NanoRacks, is the ultimate ‘plug and play,’ helping our next great innovators participate in a scientific research opportunity like no other.”

Organizers say American Express Membership Rewards points can be put toward the cost of an experiment, at the rate of $10 for every 1,000 points redeemed. The DreamUp program is open to junior-high students, high-schoolers and college undergraduates from accredited U.S. schools.

Teacher, I shrunk the experiment

The concept follows up on a series of student experiments that have already flown up to the station on NanoRacks’ platforms. One of the key players in the project will be Werner Vavken, director of Valley Christian Schools’ Applied Math, Science and Engineering Institute in San Jose, Calif. Vavken and his students have built experiments for the space station and taught several other schools to do likewise.

The first lesson that Vavken shares with other schools is that doing space science isn’t as hard as it sounds. “I explain this to them, and they think I’m from outer space,” he told me. “But they really can do it. The sky is no longer the limit.”

Werner Vavken / Valley Christian Schools Valley Christian High School's principal, Mark Lodewyk (back row with tie), Vice Principal Jennifer Griffin and projector mentor George Sousa (in the blue shirt) witness the packing of one of two NanoLabs being readied for shipping to the International Space Station. The students are Brian Hu and Evan Borras.

NanoRacks / Kentucky Space / Valley Christian Schools A NanoLab container holds a plant growth experiment as well as electronic gear.

The key trick is to shrink the experiment: Vavken said the experiments that he and his students build have to fit within a 2-by-2-by-4-inch space (5 by 5 by 10 centimeters). That sounds incredibly challenging, but it can be done. One of the schools he worked with wanted to design an experiment to mix concrete in microgravity — a task that some thought would cost millions of dollars. Suffice it to say that the eight-student team from Faith Christian Academy in Coalinga, Calif., found a cheaper way.

“They conjured up a way to mix concrete in space, in 16 cubic inches, and they didn’t have a $4 million budget,” Vavken said. The experiment is due to return to Earth next month aboard a Russian Soyuz craft, and the students will then analyze how zero-gravity concrete differs from the Earth-made equivalent on the molecular level.

Other high-school experiments have been aimed at monitoring plant growth, bacterial growth and food spoilage in microgravity.

“The opportunity for students to do small experiments on the ISS is a powerful motivator in science, technology, engineering and math,” Julie Robinson, NASA’s chief scientist for the International Space Station, said in this week’s news release. “DreamUp will provide the opportunity for top students of all socio-economic levels to fly their experiments to the space station, and the NanoRacks system allows them to be completed without any impact to other research activities.”

The revolution continues

NanoRacks’ standardized research platforms, known as NanoLabs, are shipped up to the space station on cargo flights. NASA astronauts plug them into the station’s power and communication system, and then just let them run for 30 days. The students get the opportunity to interact with the astronauts and check in with their experiment.

“It’s really pretty revolutionary for teenagers to conjure this up, get it built and tested, and approved by NanoRacks,” Vavken said.

Next year could be even more revolutionary. “We are teaching the kids how to design and launch a satellite from the International Space Station,” Vavken said. The CubeSat device, measuring 4 inches (10 centimeters) on each side, could be sent into orbit as early as next February from Japan’s Kibo laboratory, he said.

Vavken acknowledged that the $15,500 cost was “a little pricey,” but he said the project could be a game-changer for teens who are interested in math, science and engineering. He recalled the case of one high-schooler who was on the team for a space experiment he helped organize. “She graduated this past year … and got a four-year, full-ride scholarship to MIT,” he said. “Now, I think that’s a good payback for a kid in an after-school program.”

For more information about the DreamUp program, including a registration form, click on over to the Conrad Foundation website.

But wait … there’s more

Meanwhile, aerospace experts and their corporate partners have just set up a Kickstarter campaign for a citizen-space-science project called ArduSat. They’re soliciting donations to cover the anticipated $35,000 cost of building a CubeSat that will contain more than two dozen sensors for orbital observations. “As soon as the funding goal is met, we can move ahead with applications for free launches through various NASA or ESA ride-along programs,” the project leaders say.

Organizers of the ArduSat project state their case for Kickstarter backing.

Organizers of the campaign say that ArduSat will be the “first open platform allowing the general public to design and run their own space-based applications, games and experiments, steer the onboard cameras to take pictures on demand, and even broadcast personalized messages back to Earth.” If the project gets off the ground, Kickstarter supporters will get the first turns at taking the controls, at a discounted price.

Follow @CosmicLog

Discover Magazine has partnered with ArduSat to run the Discover Space Challenge, which is soliciting ideas for innovative experiments, games or applications to run on the nanosatellite. The winning team members will be awarded a Team Development Kit that could turn their idea into a reality.

Interested? For more information, check out Phil Plait’s spiel on the Bad Astronomy blog, plus Evan Ackerman’s report on the DVICE blog.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/15/12245222-hey-kids-send-your-stuff-into-orbit

2012 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge Winners Announced      

HOUSTON – Four teams of ]]> High school innovators recognized for creating breakthrough technologies

2012 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge Winners Announced      

HOUSTON – Four teams of high school students unleashed a new wave of product development and entrepreneurism receiving top honors at the 2012 Innovation Summit, the final round of competition for the 2011-2012 Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Conrad Challenge). Winning presentations ranged from a water purifying specialty bicycle that creates potable water while also serving as transportation in under-developed communities to a new lightweight fabric constructed of phase-changing crystals for cooling and ventilation in harsh environments.

The conference took place March 29-31 at NASA-Ames Research Center. It gathered 15 finalist teams, who have been competing since fall 2011 to develop innovative products that tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues in the areas of aerospace exploration, clean energy, and health and nutrition. The program is hosted by the Conrad Foundation.

The following four teams were named this year’s Pete Conrad Scholars:

Aerospace Exploration  

Moonwalking Manakins, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy, TX for its SPacemaker device that stimulates an astronaut’s heart contractions at a healthy pace in order to reduce heart atrophy and atrophy of other organs incurred during space travel.

Infinity, West Salem High School, West Salem, OR for its Infinity Suit which utilizes a newly developed fabric constructed of phase-changing crystals to provide a better alternative to Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) used in astronaut spacesuits.

Clean Energy  

Operation Gulliver International, Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FL for its Operation Gulliver International water filtration device that removes bacteria, pathogens and viruses from disease-spreading water in developing countries or those hit by natural disasters.

Health and Nutrition  

Team H20, St. Francis Academy, Conroe, TX for its H20 water purification system which utilizes an affordable retrofit/replacement wheel for bicycles that purifies dirty water as the user rides their bicycle to and from work in developing countries that lack potable water.

“The Conrad Challenge students are the Innovation Generation,” said Nancy Conrad, founder and chairman of the Conrad Foundation. “Each year, we are inspired by the brilliance of these young entrepreneurs. When given the opportunity to design their future and create viable products to solve real world challenges, they never cease to amaze me.”

The winning teams were selected by an elite panel of judges consisting of industry experts, leading entrepreneurs, government officials and world-renowned scientists. The judges critiqued each team’s product based on commercial viability, scientific soundness and its potential to support global sustainability. There was also a public voting component. The Conrad Foundation announced the winners on the final day of the Innovation Summit.  For the first time in the history of the program there was a tie in the aerospace exploration category.

Each winning team received a Next Step Grant of $5,000 to continue product development and a one-year affiliate membership to Sigma Xi, an international, multidisciplinary research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement.  All teams competing as finalists will also be considered for the Conrad Portal, a mentoring and educational program designed to assist teams in growing as individual innovators, businesspeople and scientists through the practical development of their product ideas.

Other honors bestowed at the Innovation Summit included the following:

Innovative Teacher of the Year – Roger Kassebaum, the coach of the 2012 Ballet, Autism, and Mirror Neurons team and a teacher at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles, received the first Teacher of the Year recognition from the Conrad Foundation. Sponsored by Fisher Space Pen®, this award honors Kassebaum for excellence in guiding numerous teams through the competition since its inception in 2008. He received a $500 stipend and commemorative trophy for his commitment to student innovation. Kassebaum also took home a custom-designed bronze trophy by Sculptor Erik Lindbergh, grandson of famous aviator Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh, for display at the Milken School for one year until the prize is awarded to another educator at the 2013 Spirit of Innovation Summit.

People’s Choice Award – The Bros, North Carolina School of Science and Math, Durham, NC received the most votes cast during the online, public voting period. Each team member received a Kindle Fire for their PiezoMat product which is composed of renewable collagen film (made from recycled dry bone) and super-efficient lead zirconatetitanate inserted into shoes that generates a significant electrical current to recharge small electric devices.

Michael Lampert and Shawn Richard from West Salem High School and Cinco Ranch High School respectively, the coaches from the winning teams in the aerospace exploration category, each received a $500 stipend from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation, for their dedication to innovative education.

A key Summit highlight occurred during the opening ceremonies on March 29 – a down-linked message from the International Space Station. On behalf of the Expedition 30 crew, U.S. astronauts Don Pettit and Dan Burbank saluted all of the finalists for their creativity and ingenuity.

“The world needs great thinkers, but more importantly we need great doers,” Pettit said. “By being selected as finalists, it’s clear you are doers. You exemplify what’s great about the Innovation Generation movement. Your products have great potential and this competition provides momentum for your ideas to become real.”

Presented by Lockheed Martin Corporation and PepsiCo, the annual Conrad Challenge inspires high school students around the globe to combine innovation and entrepreneurship with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to create commercially-viable products. Details about the 2012-2013 Conrad Challenge will be announced in May.

About The Conrad Foundation

The Conrad Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to transforming the current methods of teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in high schools. The Spirit of Innovation program is free to all who wish to participate and reaches all socio-economic levels. The Foundation is the only organization of its kind to combine education, innovation and entrepreneurship to inspire solutions for achieving global sustainability. For more information, visit www.conradfoundation.org.

Relevant Links:

Innovation Summit: http://conradawards.org/pages/about-the-event
Spirit of Innovation Challenge: http://www.conradawards.org/pages/competition
Finalist Pages and People’s Choice Award: http://bit.ly/yIpeN9
Conrad Foundation:  http://conradawards.org/pages/about-us
Pete Conrad Scholars: http://conradawards.org/pages/awards
Sigma Xi: http://www.sigmaxi.org/
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation: http://www.aiaa.org
Down-linked message from the International Space Station: http://youtu.be/XlGbuvsaxpg
Lockheed Martin Corporation: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/
PepsiCo: http://www.pepsico.com/

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Kim Nahas
Griffin Communications Group
Office: 281-335-0200
knahas@griffincg.com

Jessica Ballard
Griffin Communications Group
Office: 281-335-0200
jballard@griffincg.com

It is the power of the people that will select the 2012 winner of ]]> Online voting opens for the People’s Choice Award in global high school competition

It is the power of the people that will select the 2012 winner of the People’s Choice Award which is bestowed on the student team with the most innovative new product in the Conrad Foundation’s annual Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Conrad Challenge).

Through March 23, the public is invited to review the profiles of the 15 finalist teams, view their product videos and cast a vote. One vote is allowed per person per challenge category.

In its fifth year, the Conrad Challenge inspires teams of high school students across the globe to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to create commercially viable, technology-based products in specific categories. The 2012 teams have innovated new technologies to solve real-world problems in Aerospace Exploration, Clean Energy, and Health and Nutrition.

This year’s finalist teams designed a variety of game-changing technologies ranging from water filtration devices directly addressing the scarcity of clean water in Haiti, to graphic labeling of allergens in food products, to spacecraft that extract valuable materials from asteroids and return them to Earth for sale in global markets.

“Every year, I am awestruck by the incredible innovations put forth by students from across the globe,” said Nancy Conrad, founder and chairman of the Conrad Foundation. “This innovation generation is truly designing the future. Online voting is a great way for the public to support these students and recognize them for their visionary thinking.”

Currently, the finalist teams are preparing for the competition’s culminating event, the Innovation Summit, which will take place March 29-31, 2012 at NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. There, student teams will present their innovations and compete for awards and commercialization opportunities. Public votes provide valuable points in each team’s overall score. The People’s Choice Award winning team members will each receive a Kindle Fire.

About The Conrad Foundation

The Conrad Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to transforming the current methods of teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in high schools. The program is free to all who wish to participate and reaches all socio-economic levels. The Foundation is the only organization of its kind to combine education, innovation and entrepreneurship to inspire solutions for achieving global sustainability. For more information, visit www.conradawards.org.

Relevant Links:

People’s Choice Awards: http://www.conradawards.org/pages/peoples-choice-award
Conrad Foundation: http://www.conradawards.org/
Innovation Summit: http://www.conradawards.org/pages/innovation-summit
Cast a vote: http://bit.ly/yIpeN9
Conrad Award Category Descriptions: http://www.conradawards.org/pages/product-category-descriptions

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kim Nahas
Griffin Communications Group
Office: 281-335-0200 | Cell: 713-249-6265 | Email: knahas@griffincg.com