October 20: The ARISS educator at Tecumseh (OK) High School who led students in STEM projects that culminated in a December 4, 2020 ARISS contact has a new set of students for 2021. His Electronics and Amateur Radio Class completed an electrical project that depicts the ISS’s track as it traveled over Tecumseh the day of the ARISS contact. LEDs light up following acquisition of signal to loss of signal. Students did the entire project except for the instructor programming the Arduino unit controlling LEDs. Students divided into three teams with set responsibilities: 1) build the box in the correct size/shape; 2) build the circuit—design placement of wires, LEDs, on-off switch, power supply, and solder them together without use of a breadboard; and 3) lay out everything to put together and where—LEDs, switch, Arduino, map—and how to secure them. A student manager coordinated everything and wrote a report. The instructor said: “They dreamed up fantastic ideas and put it all together. They’ve learned how to build circuit boards to turn into projects and are studying for their amateur radio license.”
October 24: Teacher Ravi Davis at Estes Park Middle School, CO had co-led STEM activities leading up to her ARISS contact in February, and this summer, several students earned their ham licenses. Recently, she wrote: “We are setting up an amateur radio contact between our ham students and four girls in the UK! They’re the same age and it will be awesome for them to talk to each other.” The UK computer science instructor said the girls call themselves “The STEAMettes” and are interested in studying for their ham license. The two teachers share ideas, lately, about Micro:bit electronic projects. Estes Valley Amateur Radio Club is assisting Ravi in teaching her Estes Park students how to use Digital Mobile Radio.
October 23: ARISS volunteers Bob and Jann Koepke gave a 30-minute presentation on ARISS to attendees at the AIAA Orange County District’s (CA) 18th Annual Aerospace Systems & Technology Conference on Zoom. The sub-title of the ARISS talk was “10 Minutes to Change a Student’s Life.” About 100 attendees included formal and informal educators, seasoned and new engineers, area aerospace managers, and students. The talk included a clip of Mill Springs Academy (in Alpharetta, GA) students and ARISS volunteer Martha Muir who taught there, describing the good effects ARISS had on teachers and students.
October 27: Tarwater Elementary School in Chandler, AZ, hosted an ARISS contact, and details will be forthcoming.
ARISS Upcoming Events
Nov 9 South Yarra Primary School, S. Yarra, Victoria, Australia, ARISS-Japan team
Nov 11 Ural State U. of Railways & Communications, Yekaterinburg, Russia, ARISS-Russia team