NASA TechRise Challenge
by Ryan Kim
Have you ever wanted to conduct an experiment in a space-like atmosphere or design an experiment for NASA? In the new 2024 TechRise Student Challenge, you can do exactly that. Interested students can join any time before October 20. Those in the Robotics or StellarXplorers clubs may be especially interested.
NASA has invited all schools with students in grades 6-12 to form a group to design, build, and submit an experiment to be held in a high-altitude balloon or rocket-powered lander in the 2024 TechRise Student Challenge. Students can participate in the challenge by going to https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise, and submitting their proposals.
How To Participate
To participate in the challenge, students must first form a team of four students and a team leader (a teacher or school employee). The team can consist of four students spanning from grades 6-12 with no limit of students per team. Secondly, students must read the proposal template and guide at https://tinyurl.com/mru394z2. Next, choose between a rocket-powered lander or a high-altitude balloon for your experiment. The rocket-powered lander includes a clear view out to the ground from eighty feet, or about as high as a six-story building. The flight time for your experiment will be about two minutes. From the balloon, your experiment will be open to the air with the ability to take pictures vertically and horizontally. It will ascend through the troposphere and into the stratosphere from Baltic, South Dakota while attached to a frame called a gondola. Once it reaches 70,000 feet, the balloon will stay there for at least four hours. After the experiments have been concluded, the balloon will separate from the gondola and fall to the ground where NASA will retrieve the experiments.
Example of the gondola.
Your team leader can submit the proposal on or before October 20, 2023, and the winners will be announced on January 16, 2024, with a prize package of $1,500 for their experiment, a flight box, technical support for the experiment, and an assigned spot for the experiment. The experiments must be mailed no later than May 10, 2024. The experiments will be launched in the summer of 2024.
A NASA experiment being launched.
NASA said that the goal of the challenge is to inspire “a deeper understanding of space exploration, Earth observation, coding, electronics, and the value of test data.” All students are encouraged to apply and participate in the challenge, so be sure to send your experiment ideas to TechRise! For more information go to: https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNSdAIDS9lI.
Read MoreFall 2023 Middle School Science Center Field Trip
by Maleeya Mickelson
A favorite Back to School tradition is our annual middle school field trip to the California Science Center, which this year took place on September 21, 2023. This field trip occurs early on in the school year, giving students a great opportunity to make new friends, socialize, and share some science-related adventures.
The California Science Center was created to teach students about science in a fun way using hands-on exhibits. At the Science Center, studentsare able to further their knowledge on subjects they’ve been learning about at school as well as general scientific topics of interest. As a STEM school, it’s especially important that we go field trips like this in order to allow students to use their critical thinking and creativity to learn more about different scientific concepts. This field trip can also spark new scientific interests that students may want to explore in the future.
Right after we arrived at the Science Center, we watched the IMAX movie Blue Whales. IMAX movies are different from regular movies, in that they are shown on gigantic screens and in 3D. The IMAX movie we watched this year showcased the journeys of two crews of scientists: one documenting whales in the Gulf of California, and the other searching for a missing population of blue whales off the Seychelles Islands. This movie taught the students about the communication methods, diets, survival challenges, and so much more regarding these massive creatures, which are the largest mammals to ever live on Earth. Most importantly, the students learned about the impact of blue whales on the oceans’ ecosystems and why we must strive to protect them.
Once the IMAX movie finished, everyone headed to the cafeteria area to eat lunch. After lunch, groups of students with their chaperones were free to head off to explore the exhibits.
Images from Blue Whales
The California Science Center includes four major exhibit areas: World of Life, Creative World, Ecosystems, and Air and Space. The World of Life exhibit highlights aspects of human biology, evolution, and genetics to teach students more about the living world around them and how it came to be. Creative World shows students how people take advantage of technology to help them with transportation, communication, and construction projects. The Ecosystems exhibit lets students explore more that 200 species of plants and animals in various environments. This exhibit shows how organisms on Earth all depend upon each other and are therefore interconnected. The Air and Space section of the Science Center allows students to learn more about atmospheric flight and space travel using the principles of science and engineering. This exhibit area also houses the space shuttle Endeavour, which will unfortunately be leaving the Science Center on December 31, 2023 until its new exhibit is created nearby at the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
The different exhibits with many interactive and informative experiences help to make the annual middle school field trip to the California Science Center a great way for the students at The Science Academy to learn more about science while also having fun. The hands-on exhibits and IMAX movie covered a handful of scientific topics including aquatic mammal biology, human biology, evolution, genetics, engineering, architecture, environmental and climate challenges, atmospheric flight, and space travel. Overall, this field trip gave the middle schoolers a very fun, engaging, and educational experience made possible thanks to our students and their families through donations to the Science Academy Fundraising Initiative (SciFi), which paid for the IMAX admissions and bus transportation. Thank you, SciFi!
More pictures:
Read More
The Fall Season
by Liz Zarikyan
Did you know catching a falling leaf is said to be good luck? Fall is a season full of comforting traditions and overall nostalgic feelings. In the Northern Hemisphere, fall occurs during the months of September, October, and November. The start of the fall season is officially declared on the Autumnal Equinox, when the sun’s position is directly over the Earth’s equator, creating equal amounts of daylight and nighttime hours. This date falls on September 22nd or September 23rd. Fall continues until the Winter Solstice, which occurs annually on December 21 or 22.
Fall is also known as autumn and the harvest season. Fall is often called the harvest season as this is when many crops became ripe and farmers found that it more beneficial to harvest these crops in the cooler months after summer ended. The word autumn comes from the Latin word “autumnus”, which means “the passing of the year” and describes the position of the season in the annual calendar. Finally, the word fall is short for “fall of the leaf” since deciduous trees tend to lose their leaves in September and October, which allows trees to expend less energy through the harsh winter months and conserve moisture within the trunk.
There many popular themed events that occur during this time. These include amusement parks with dedicated displays for the spooky Halloween season. Six Flags has an event known as Fright Fest, where you can enjoy the thrill of rides during the day before experiencing their frightening night attractions, which includes scare zones, live entertainment, roller coasters, and more. If you’re looking for something more family related, they offer family-friendly events and food during the day. Knotts Scary Farm and Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights offer similar experiences, so you can pick and choose from your favorite amusement park.
If you’re looking for something slower-paced, try the Electric Dusk Drive-In in Glendale, where you can experience horror-themed movies in the comfort of your own car. Info: https://www.electricduskdrivein.com/ If you’re a fan of artifacts from the San Fernando Valley, visit the Valley Relics Museum where they offer a Halloween open air museum every Saturday and Sunday: https://valleyrelicsmuseum.org/. Or maybe you’d prefer an outdoor area with stunning scenery. This is exactly what Lavender Nights offers. 123 Farm in Cherry Valley transforms into a lit-up lavender farm containing over 30,000 lights. Experience the romance of the night while you stroll through their gardens, enjoy food and live music, and much more now through October 29th, Thursday – Monday from 5-10pm. https://www.123farm.com/lavendernights
However you celebrate, have a Happy Fall!
Read More