Let's Go to Space: BLUE-SKY Learning

Today we meet withChristine Shayim, a Junior at the University at Buffalo studying computer engineering, with a minor in mathematics. Outside of the classroom, she dedicates her time to working at the UB Nanosatellite Laboratory, as the Project Manager and the Flight Software Lead for POLAR. She is also the vice president of UB STEMinism, a club that serves as a professional development community for women of color in STEM. Learn more about what motivates Christine and her team’s satellite work in this interview, and join as after for our takeaways.

Today we meet with Jillian Russell, a junior and Computer Science major at the University of Georgia. Now, Jilliam has always loved space, and she currently works at the UGA Small Satellite Research Lab with their beloved satellite, MEMESat- or the Mission for Education and Multimedia Engagement Satellite, The satellites mission is as a repeater in space that allows people to uplink and downlink memes to and from the satellite. With MEMESat-1 I work on our passive attitude determination and control system ( or ADCS) and the simulations for it. ADCS is just a fancy acronym to show how the team will ensure the satellite doesn't spin out of control during its mission. Right now, they are working on testing the components to make sure it will work once sent to space.

MEMESat-1 Instagram @memesatellite_1UGA SSRL

Instagram  @ugassrlMEMESat-1

GoFundMe https://gofund.me/e82a0a3f

This episode, we interview student Natasha Waldorf—she’s a senior majoring in physics and applied computer science at Whittier College, a small liberal arts college near Los Angeles. Due to the challenges of COVID lockdowns during her late high school and early college years, Natasha found online education made applying to internships and gaining research experience difficult; but Natasha made the best of her circumstances by working at a county park nature center in southeastern Pennsylvania learning about hiking trail maintenance and reptile husbandry. Though this may not seem relevant at first to Physics or computer science, the experience helped her to discover a love for the outdoors while developing her work ethic. Since then, she has gone on to intern at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Small Satellite Portfolio in Albuquerque, NM as well as Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL where she created tools for modeling sensor coverage and performance. Natasha reminds us that pursuing interests that may not always be specific “resume builders” can actually help set you apart in unexpected ways

Today we meet with educator and engineer, Claudia Cortez. Claudia has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Management Technology from the University of Arkansas Grantham, a Master of Business Administration from University of Texas at Brownsville, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Brownsville. She currently teaches CTE Engineering classes at Porter Early College High School for the Brownsville Independent School District in Texas. Her professional experience includes teaching, estimation and contract accounting, project accounting, bookkeeping, and academic advising. She has participated in various professional development programs with NASA Liftoff, Limitless Space Institute, the US Naval Academy, University of Texas Austin, MIT, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), and the Texas State Teachers Association. As impressive as her background is ,you may be more impressed to hear how she never gave up on her dream to pursue space.

As always, stay tuned after for our takeaways

Today we meet with  Urooj Seemeen, CEO and Founder of E-Services & Technologies, a global organization with a mission to drive change through education in our world. As an engineer by profession and an educationalist by passion, Urooj has dedicated hr career to empowering individuals through learning and innovation. Along with a degree in computer engineering, Urooj is  Certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt in education . She is a proud  member of the Board of Trustees and is an International Representative of Destination Imagination Inc. which inspires and equips youth to explore their creativity and innovation through a structured creative process. In response to a growing tech world and the need for human connection  Urooj launched a revolutionary platform called Chalk Talk. This platform aims to connect experts and professionals with learners from all corners of the globe, fostering real-time learning experiences.

Urooj is on a mission to empower individuals with the tools they need to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century. And we are excited to share her BlueSky Learning philosophy all the way from Pakistan and we hope you will stay tuned for our takeaways.

ChalkTalk Website: https://chalktalk.world/urooj/

Today Kevin and I meet with Prof. Hava Turkakin has always been fascinated by the secret works of the universe. Possessing a bachelor’s degree from the Black Sea Technical University in Turkey, and after teaching high school for several year, her desire to learn more about physics spurned her to continue her education further, earning her M.S. and Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Alberta. She even taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at both Bucknell University and the University of Central Arkansas, before coming to Utica University.

Dr. Turkakin’s research interests include solar-terrestrial interactions, space weather, space plasmas, and plasma waves and instabilities in space. But she also loves reading, taking a nature walk, and spending time with her children. We know we will learn a lot from this episode and we hope you do too. Remember to stay tuned after for our takeaways.

LINKS:

The NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/heat/home/
https://www.utica.edu/people/hava-turkakin

Today, we meet with Frank Soboczenski --an Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence at the University of York, an affiliate computer scientist at King's College London with links to Northeastern University. He is also the lead scientist for the NASA TechLeap Quantum Earth Observation high altitude balloon mission, a member of the NASA GeneLab Artificial Intelligence working group, a STEM scientist for NASA & NOAA's GLOBE program and member of the IBM Quantum Researchers Program. His research interests are in Machine Learning for earth and space science with a particular interest in explainable AI. Over the years Frank worked with multiple NASA centers and research groups such as Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Armstrong and Langley as well as having positions in law enforcement and other government agencies around the world. Science is Frank’s passion and he enjoys tackling challenging problems. In addition to loving his two-year old son, Frank has a passion for coffee—and chocolate, for which he will warn you to make sure you don’t leave anywhere near him. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.

In this final installment lesson, Kevin teaches me about the steps to go from CubeSat idea to space using the CubeSat 101 handbook. Check out the lesson on Youtube Aerospace and Innovation Academy vodcast playlist!

In this lesson, Kevin talks about the various kinds of subsystems that make up a CubeSat! If you are going to build one, you have to know the parts. Our students learn real-world aerospace in teams that meet as after school clubs. Your student can stand out today on resumes and college applications while getting experience in aerospace. Join Aerospace and Innovation Academy today. www. aerospacehigh.org

In this second in our series, Kevin tells us more about the history of CubeSats by addressing early and interesting missions and helps explains their payloads!