NASA honors students of the National University of Mind – Science – Life

An initiative called Mind Campstudents Research hotbed of engineering minds and design (mind)from the College of Engineering in National University of Columbia (Unal), has toured Colombian territory since 2021 to promote children and young people’s interest in science, technology and innovation.

It is a project born in parallel with his participation in the recent editions of NASA’s Human Exploration Challenge (Herc)a competition for the US space agency aimed at designing teams of students, building and testing Rover – human-powered exploration vehiclescapable of traversing difficult terrain, similar to what they might have on places like the Moon or Mars.

According to Ivon Liseth Carreño Malaver, industrial design student and leader of Mind Focus, in this competition, in addition to the innovative design that allowed these students to become first place winners in 2021, NASA is also evaluating a component of outreach activities in the fields of steam (science, technology, and arts). and mathematics) implemented by the teams to motivate boys and girls to take an interest in participating in these areas.

“There are minimal requirements, but we wanted to be a bit ambitious and go to certain communities outside of downtown,” the student details. In this way, through alliances with organizations such as Phobis Youth and the Jeronimo Emiliani Foundationin La Guajira, has led to the Expansion of Educational Solidarity Project for Mind Camp Steam missions and workshops carried out in these and other areas that aim to motivate residents to learn about science-related topics and to think about projects that help your community.

“In the most recent edition we did, for example, a workshop on creating craters on the moon, one on creating light and one on creating robots. This is very much in line with the initiatives that NASA is promoting, especially the Artemis program, which hopes to take the first Woman to the Moon. It motivates the boys to also participate in this kind of competition, like us,” explains Carino.

Set up this year in agreement with the Jerónimo Emiliani Foundation at San Antonio Indigenous School (Arimacin County, Manor), La Guajira Mind Camp has brought these contents to around 600 students from this institution, as well as 100 students from public schools. Some Rancherias Manor and Artist House in Palomino. On the other hand, Mind Camp Mitú has been implemented, as of 2021, with 300 students from the Enosimar School, located in Mitú, Vaupés, in alliance with the Juventudes Vaupés platform.

NASA also praised this work with remote communities. In a letter to the think tank, the space agency invited its members to visit and tour two of its most important space bases on January 24, 2023.
One of them is Marshall Space Flight Center (in Huntsville, Alabama) It is where the NASA Aviation Museum is located, with replicas of planes launched into space, such as those at Apollo program. They will also visit Kennedy Space Center (in Cape Canaveral, Florida), where flight and launch simulations and zero gravity developments are performed.

The goal of NASA’s stimulus is to continue to promote and engage international academic institutions in the areas of Steam and space exploration. For Mind members, the invitation is a tribute to their perseverance and efforts in a two-year job representing the country in the space agency’s competition, for which they won three awards in total.

In addition, it is an opportunity to learn about the work of experts first-hand, outside of competition, to gather new ideas that feed the work that Mind does with the community and to evaluate possible agreements. However, he is seeking support to be able to make these visits to NASA. “We currently have about 20 percent of what we need for the trip, and we are evaluating agreements with companies or sponsors that help us get there,” Carino concludes.

science writing

Find also in science

Journey to the Moon: These are the clues that we were really there

Nanotechnology for sustainable development

‘Zombie fires’, what are the others out there and which one has been burning for at least 6000 years