February 11: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ highly respected publication, AIAA Journal, recognized ARISS in its February 2024 issue. It carried a review of the recent AIAA SciTech Forum’s K-12 Educator Workshop and cited ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer and ARISS-USA Director of Education Tanya Anderson for presenting an ARISS forum there. They explained how students engage in ARISS’ hands-on STEM lessons tied to their ARISS contacts. The journal reaches 25,000 engineers and aerospace libraries.
March 7: ARISS learned that one of its educators, Cassie Zielinski, at Mountain View Elementary School in Marietta GA was selected as the school’s 2023-24 Teacher of the Year! Dr. Z, as she is called, leads the school as its STEM teacher and as co-leader of the Stem Key Team for teachers. The school reported, “She is the driving force behind all the great things that our students will be experiencing this year in the STEM Lab and with the ARISS radio contact.”
March 20: Adult students finishing their 9-year compulsory education (equivalent to a high school degree) at Second Chance School of Orestiada in Orestiada, Greece relished their ARISS contact with Loral O’Hara and Mike Barratt. The students’ 15 questions were divided up with Loral answering even-numbered questions and Mike answering odd-numbered questions. People listening in the room totaled 147 and they watched STEM presentations tied to “living beyond earth,” prior to the ARISS contact. Those viewing the livestream totaled 60, and in two days’ time, that climbed to 583! The URL is https://youtube.com/@sdeorestiadas9736?si=RPdn0JxEjpbK2Rhx.
March 14: K-12 students at Galileo STEM Academy in Eagle, ID enjoyed STEM Night, an evening of hands-on activities led by ARISS STEM teacher Gina Kwid and 40 of the faculty. The evening offered hands-on STEM projects to 400 students and 150 parents to complete together, including some at the ham radio display tables. The activities related to a range of STEM topics and a variety of STEM careers. Early PR announcing the event to parents touted: make a robot, explore a moon colony, discover drones, and take part in a builders’ challenge.
March 8: Clark County Amateur Radio Club members in Vancouver, WA (70 people on-site and 35 via Zoom) enjoyed a presentation from ARISS volunteer Craig Bledsoe. He talked about ARISS school contacts and focused on the club members’ questions, explaining types of equipment, including antennas, radios, cabling, etc. that a school and a community would want for hosting an ARISS contact. An area high school that submitted an ARISS Education Proposal had asked the club if members could set up an ARISS radio station at school if the faculty’s proposal was chosen by ARISS educators reviewing proposals.
ARISS Upcoming Events
Mar 25: Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia-ARISS contact, ARISS-Russia Team
Mar 27: Southwestern State University, Kursk, Russia-ARISS contact, ARISS-Russia Team
Mar 27: St. John’s School Authority, Newfoundland, Canada-ARISS contact, ARISS-Canada Team
Mar 29: Students in Ufa, Russia-ARISS contact, ARISS-Russia Team