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The Viera High School, KSCIA and The Michaelis Foundation hosted the "STEM Night Meeting With Space Experts" event on October 23rd to inspire local and international students to consider taking up STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – subjects in school.
Students had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with two guest speakers who are working in the space program. During the presentation students learned about the International Space Station and some of the innovative experiments that are being conducted on the ISS. The Michaelis Foundation has invested years developing programs that build bridges between the United States and the world. We are honored to be co-hosting this amazing program and welcoming students and educators from all over the world to the Space Coast to experience first-hand leadership in international space education that our country has to offer," says Jefferson Michaelis, Space Educator of The Michaelis Foundation. "The experience and expertise that The Michaelis Foundation brings to the world is very much needed in the time we live in today," said Jose Carlos Filho (JC) head of the International Space Cooperation (ISC) for KSCIA International Space Academy (KSCIA). "Working with students who think and feel differently from us, who come from different cultures is a life changing experience." We not only guide young students to learn mathematics science, but we also actively promote compound education in space, with new PBL experiments, science and technology, and promote cooperation to different ethnic groups, so that the whole society gains on this global cooperation and harmony among various countries says Carla Michaelis project manager of The Michaelis Foundation. Special thanks to Mr. Michael Gisande and Janicce Harp.
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 The International Space Camp Journey To Mars was launched in August 2019 and already inspired hundreds of children and young adults to better understand the wonders of space and our universe. The program is based on an international alliance of cooperation for global space education and offers participants a chance to learn about innovative experiences of the space agencies.
The Space Camp Journey to Mars, created by the Michaelis Foundation, is a combination of hands on and PBL Space and STEM experiences celebrating the man's journey to Mars that is truly inspiring hundreds of young minds to pursue STEM education and careers. The Journey To Mars featured the giant Mars exploration map - a huge map that reproduces the Martian terrain in details. During the Space Camp, children had an opportunity to build and launch very cool stomp rockets, explored the wonders of the red planet and, with the help of an app, interacted with NASA rovers - space exploration vehicles - in augmented reality. Professor Füchter, who lectured at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) on the theme: “Augmented Reality for Technical Training” to NASA engineers by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), demonstrated to young people the augmented reality experiences during the Exploration Tour called Journey to Mars. Hundreds of young people also had the opportunity to participate in a special activity called surviving on Mars, where they used similar geopositioning coordinates that NASA uses to explore Mars terrain. Also used in the workshop occupying Mars, 8- to 12-year-old kids learned about Mars habitat and its structural requirements. Additionally, kids tested their own designs to develop their future homes on Mars, and thus learned how astronauts in the near future will inhabit Mars. All these amazing experiences bring new perspectives on science. According to the student Gabrielle Mendonça "It was very exciting and motivating, exceeding all my expectations. Glad I went to the space camp. I'm sure it will open many doors and I am now available to contribute with this project. I'm certain that my participation will bring me closer to my dream of going one day to Space. This was just a start point in my life, because my dream goes much further when I see Earth through space into the unknown” said Gabrielle. “I am teaching the Mars generation,” says Space Camp instructor Amanda Cirne, “These students will be the astronauts, engineers, scientists and project managers that will lead to human exploration of Mars and beyond. Plus, the current space missions provided a tremendous hook to help connect STEM content with real-world application. Science becomes real and exciting.” The public is welcome Saturday July 20th to come and talk to the space workers who played a part in Apollo 11--and toast the Moon landing--as the American Space Museum plans a special day of activities for the whole family.
“Meet Apollo Space Workers Who Did It!” will feature a panel discussion by three special NASA workers from 10:30 am-noon; informal interaction all day with many other Apollo-era NASA contractors; hands-on STEAM and straw rockets for kids; an afternoon science demonstration; and a “Tang Toast” at 4:18 pm--the moment the Eagle Lunar Module touched down on the Moon. The non-profit museum will also have docents at the site of the Apollo Monument and life-size statue of President John F. Kennedy at Space View Park in Downtown Tittusville to explain the lunar voyage. The NASA Apollo workers, who will share some of their memorabilia from the Moon Race, include: Bob Pearson, NASA engineer who was an instructor on the Lunar Module simulator at Kennedy Space Center and taught all the Apollo astronauts how to land on the Moon; Hazel (Sekac) Banks, NASA clerk/stenographer to the astronauts, interacting with them professionally--and sometimes on the softball field! Ike Rigel, NASA engineering legend and World War II Pacific Rim veteran, who, at age 96, will be signing his book about his long life titled, “Ike,” with proceeds donated to the museum. There will also be many other Apollo-era space workers at the museum throughout to day to share their stories one-on-one and explain some of the artifacts on display from the 20th Century Space Age. Everyone in attendance will be given a commemorative coin of Apollo 11, and ASM will promote a $5 discount for individual and family annual memberships. The Saturday event is partnered with the Titusville Downtown Merchants Association and the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce promotion of Apollo 11 Moon landing with a Tang toast at 4:18 pm, occurring at other retail locations around Titusville. Special participants at the ASM celebration of Apollo 11 will be: Emile Buehler Planetarium, Michaelis Foundation, Sidewalk Science Center and Brevard Astronomical Association.  There are many exciting and lucrative careers in STEM fields, and women working in those fields like Dr. Nahid Mohajeri are inspiring the next generation of powerful females working in science, technology, engineering and math.
Dr. Nahid Mohajeri is the Advanced Polymer Technology General Manager at Nitto, Inc. Prior to joining Nitto, Dr. Mohajeri was the CEO of HySense Technologies LLC., the company which she founded with a mission of developing/marketing a chemochromic hydrogen detection tape developed by scientists at NASA-KSC and University of Central Florida. She is the inventor/co-inventor of 12 patents and author/co-author of greater than 50 publications. Hundreds of young girls from various schools attended Dr. Nahid's presentation during Science Days hosted at FACENS University. "I really love to see so many girls come out from all over the state to feel empowered by Dr. Nahid," said Julia, a senior at Santa Rosalia COC High School who plans to pursue a career in Science. She attended the International Journey of Science & Technology last year and volunteered to be Dr. Nahid's translator this year. Paula Gonsalvez, a senior at Sorocaba High School, said she enjoyed Science Days experience, an opportunity where the students can talk with real STEM professionals and take part in a variety of very cool experiments. "I really loved the vibe that Dr. Nahid brings to all of these girls and it really just makes you think ‘Wow, I really can pursue a STEM, career and be successful'" Paula said. "Expanding the number of women in STEM fields has benefits far broader than diversity. It drives the bottom line revenue, profit and success of organizations across the world," Carla Cristian, Science Days project coordinator, said in a statement.  Mike Conroy, with the Florida Space Institute (FSI), joined the Michaelis Foundation for Global Education to bring STEM/STEAM inspiration to Brazilian students and families.
Science Days included the soft opening at the Sorocaba Engineering School, (FACENS), in Sorocaba, a visit to a local High School, a 2-day event in Rio de Janeiro and six more Science Days throughout Brazil. The FACENS trip enabled talks with university leadership (Dean, International Relations, Research), faculty (predominantly Engineering) and students while the “soft” opening included over 1,000 students from area middle and high schools. FACENS expressed desires to: partner with UCF, exchange students, exchange projects, team on projects and host guest lectures. An evening lecture on complex design drew over 200 attendees. Interest exists in FSI’s Senior Design approach with a desire to have FACENS student teams work on FSI projects as well as to replicate the program at FACENS. Read full article: fsi.ucf.edu/2019/05/13/brazil-science-days/  The Michaelis Foundation is very proud to partner with UCF, FIT, FACENS and more than 12 universities around the world to create a talent pipeline in the space exploration modeling & simulation field.
The Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE) joins students, industry, professional associations, and faculty together for an annual modeling and simulation (M&S) challenge. SEE champions collaborative collegiate-level modeling and simulation by providing a venue for students to work in highly dispersed inter-university teams to design, develop, test, and execute a simulated lunar mission. Participating teams gain valuable knowledge, skills, and increased employability by working closely with industry professionals, NASA, and faculty advisers. Special thanks to Jean Wright, Docent NASA Kennedy Space Center.  Space inspires citizens in every country to be creative and collaborate, and with new amazing opportunities available in the space exploration field, representatives from seven different space agencies and space foundations, including Israel Ian Ramon Foundation, the European Space Agency Austria BIC, NASA, the Brazilian Space Agency AEB, Buzz Aldrin Share Space Foundation, the Florida Space Institute and the Space Laboratory, spoke about STEM and the future of Space exploration and the need for countries to work together in space during Science Days last month at the International Space Expo & Symposium hosted in several cities in Brazil. "One of the defining characteristics of the modern space age is the way that more nations are taking part like never before, said Jeff Michaelis, space educator with the Michaelis Foundation". Space exploration is no longer a battle to prove which country is the best, and the citizens of the United States can expect even more international involvement as NASA prepares to return to the moon on its way to Mars. That’s evident in President Donald Trump’s plans for space exploration, which is steeped in international partnerships. His fiscal year 2019 budget provides funds to develop the foundation for the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, which would give the U.S. "a strategic presence in the lunar vicinity that will drive the U.S activity with commercial and international partners and help us further explore the moon and its resources and translate that experience toward human missions to Mars." Working with others is how NASA will succeed, Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at the Wilson Center last fall, and according to the Houston Chronicle, Bridenstine said. “Now, NASA is international, cooperative, and we’re able to do more for a whole lot less than ever before.” The space leaders who attended Science Days expressed their commitment to international cooperation, and to finding new ways to collaborate even more in the near future. As more countries expand their space activities, strong international cooperation and collaboration is imperative, according to space leaders from around the globe who attended Science Days. "We're all in this together, and we will all benefit from these activities," said Nadia Sacenco , a senior space executive at the Brazilian Space Agency.  Scientific presentations are often left to professionals, but more than 9,300 middle school and high school students attended Science Days on March 27th and 28th in the city of Fortaleza to learn about Science and the future of Space exploration. Co-sponsored by the Michaelis Foundation, the STEM/Space event featured hundreds of innovative projects, exhibitions and students' experiments. “Being able to have this experience of actually presenting our experiments to thousands of students was so amazing,” said Giovanna Machado, director of the Future Scientists program. "Participating at Science Days in Fortaleza was unforgettable. This event gave me the experience of being able to share and expose to other people a little bit of my project, the Future Scientists program and what I love about Science! The most interesting thing was to be able to see in the eyes of the people to whom I presented, especially to the children, the brilliance in knowing that Science is present in so many things and that it can be used for more innumerable others. Also important was the interaction we had with the other exhibitors, international speakers and with other students at the tables next to me! All committed to transmit what they believe, what I also believe! Without a doubt, Science Days was memorable for me." said Vitoria Rocha, member of the Future Scientists.  The Michaelis Foundation is working in collaboration with the American Space Museum expanding its STEM education outreach.
"What makes this collaboration even more special it is the fact that it coincides with the 49th anniversary of Apollo 12 landing on the Moon, and we have a large group of very young students learning exactly how that second moon landing occurred,” said Carla Michaelis the project coordinator. The American Space Museum has become one of the world’s unique space museum, exhibiting hundreds of artifacts used by space workers during the Moon Race of the 1960s-70s to the 30-year Space Shuttle program that began in the 1980s.  Today, high school students got a behind-the-scenes experience at the Astronaut Space and learned how critically important planning and determination is.
For young students, the project focus on STEM through exploration, play and building curiosity about how the space program began and the way things work. "STEM learning is important for everyone and can happen anytime, anywhere. The real-life skills that kids develop when learning STEM through our program help make everyone better problem-solvers and learners", commented Carla Michaelis with TMFGE. For the High School student Henrique Crosby., it was an eye-opening trip. "It's a really good experience for us kids to get out and explore and get a better understanding of how the space program works and we're able to get a better perspective of all the opportunities that are available for us,” Henrique said. Our special thanks to Mr. Gary Hayward and Michael Lombardi. |
Michaelis in actionWe work with partner organizations worldwide to tackle critical challenges in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Archives
October 2019
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