2023 CiS Student Academy

Welcome to 2023 CiS Student Academy Registration

Learn directly from the Founder of Cubes in Space! This Online Student Academy introduces students to aerospace science and engineering design processes essential for conducting research and designing experiments to fly on a real NASA mission to space in the summer of 2023. By the end of the Academy, students will design their experiment concept and submit their Application for Spaceflight.

Applications Open: 04 February 2023
Application Deadline: 22 February 2023
Notifications: by 01 March 2023
Academy Dates: 06 March - 05 May, 2023

WHO CAN APPLY?
Secondary school students, ages 14-18, who are U.S. or Canadian citizens or permanent residents may apply. Students must not be attending college, university, or post-secondary trade school. Only 30 students will be selected to participate in the Student Academy.

WHAT IS THE COST?
With a generous sponsorship from SSAI and their Bahethi Foundation, we are able to provide the Cubes in Space Student Online Academy at no cost for students!

CLASS EXPERIENCE
This 9-week (06 March - 05 May, 2023) course will introduce students to the fundamentals of scientific inquiry and engineering design processes along with aerospace science and engineering concepts that are essential for conceptualizing and developing research and a small experiment. The goal for students is to have their experiment selected to fly on real NASA missions to space or near space that launch in the summer of 2023.

Students will complete and submit weekly assignments for which they will receive high-quality and timely written and video feedback. Expect learners to spend 4-6 hours on activities and assignments weekly. Note: the last 2-3 weeks of the course, students may spend more than 8 hours depending on their level of interest and research on the topic they select.

Cubes in Space seeks to:
INSPIRE students to be inquisitive and willing to seek out knowledge
DEMYSTIFY science and engineering
DEMONSTRATE relevant interconnections between STEAM concepts
PROVIDE real-world experiences in which students apply their knowledge and skills
BUILD students' confidence in their own intelligence and problem-solving abilities

The end goal for students is to send their experiments into space on a NASA mission. Along their learning journey students will:

Learn what is required for the experiment concept design
Learn how to organize thoughts, questions, ideas and data
Develop and use a scientific notebook to record all relevant data and information related to their experiment and research
Understand the nature of the environmental and flight conditions associated with the NASA sounding rocket and high-altitude, long-duration flight scientific balloon
Conduct research
Design and experiment concept, and if approved, build the experiment
Write a proposal and create a scientific diagram of the experiment to be submitted as parts of the Application for Spaceflight

DISCLAIMER
This is a preparatory course designed to guide and facilitate students submitting an Application for Spaceflight for the Cubes in Space program. Successful completion of this course does not guarantee an experiment will be selected for spaceflight. Students' names on the Applications for Spaceflight are anonymous to Evaluation Committee members. The instructor for this course will be recused from evaluating the Applications for Spaceflight from these learners.

How the Academy Works:

Each week students will be introduced to aerospace science and engineering concepts and content via videos, presentation, models and simulations along with reading short passages and interpreting graphics. No reading of chapters from online textbooks here!

Learning is a social process; therefore, communication and collaboration are integral components of deep learning. Often virtual classes can be lonely and boring experiences. Well that's not happening with this Academy. Students receive discussion or activity prompts that catalyze the exploration and discovery of new knowledge and skills.

Because the use of online teamwork and collaborative tools are standard in many academic and professional fields, students will begin to acquire digital technology and communication skills. Students will be engaging in activities that use the design thinking canvas programs MIRO and Padlet. These simple-to-use tools allow students to visualize their thoughts and communicate their understanding. Students collaborate, comment, draw and annotate as they create systems thinking diagrams in real time with each other or use on their own. The working draft or final product can be shared via link or exported and uploaded into their digital portfolio.

All online tools mentioned are free and can be used by an individual student and allow for high-quality, timely and personal feedback from the instructor. The instructor has no affiliation with any education technology product referenced.

Academy Requirements:

Students must complete all weekly assignments and knowledge checks - on time - to qualify to submit an Intent to Fly Form and an Application for Spaceflight. This is a highly competitive program, and students should be fully willing and committed to put in the time each week and meet all deadlines. No specific math courses are required.

Academy Schedule:

Week 1: Introductions; Course Fundamentals; Scientific Inquiry Activity Part I; Program Overview; Scientific and Engineering Design Notebook set-up; Introduction to Science, Math and Engineering Relationships; Overview of Intent to Fly Form, Technical Diagrams, and the Application for Spaceflight.

Week 2: Scientific Inquiry Activity Part 2; Systems Thinking and Diagramming; Science Communication, It IS Rocket Science - Part 1 (space environment and conditions, introduction to launch vehicle).

Week 3: It IS Rocket Science - Part II (payload properties and configuration, understanding launch conditions, vehicle performance and payload relationships); It IS Rocket Science - Part III (variable identification): Launch! micro-g game activity- part I (learn fundamentals of space mission design principles and decision-making).

Week 4: Launch! micro-g game activity - part II; Big Balloons = Big Science, Part I (near space environment and conditions, layers and properties of Earth's atmosphere); vehicle characteristics, capabilities and flight profile; Big Balloons = Big Science, Part II; experiment design concepts; virtual ballooning; basic fluid mechanics. Material science terminology.

Week 5: Launch! game activity - part II;Designing "weird" experiments - intro to material science; Fun with Hypotheses (yes, you read that right!); Introduction to research methods and techniques; exploration of experiment design topics; Knowledge assessment.

Week 6: Getting Focused - Experiment Concept Design principles; Rocket and Balloon mission requirements and constraints and their influence on experiment concept design; Ready for Research - tools and methods; Intent to Fly Form (IFF) preparation and review; Preliminary experiment design.

Week 7: Submit Intent to Fly Form; IFF Revisions; Research and experiment concept design; Application for Spaceflight Overview; Question and Answer Discussions; Elements of Scientific/Technical drawing; Application for Spaceflight Review.

Week 8: Research and Proposal writing; Technical/Scientific Diagram Development. Submit Application for Spaceflight for Preliminary Design Review and evaluation.

Week 9: Individual meetings to discuss Application for Spaceflight evaluation and feedback. This meeting is the final stage of the Preliminary Design Review. By the end of the week, submit the final Application for Spaceflight to the Cubes in Space program.

Technology Needs:

Access to a printer
Access to a computer
Access to stable internet

Apply Here

Student Online Academy Application