You could say they are hitting new heights as winners of a NASA Aerospace Engineering contest.
On this episode of the Supercast, we head to JATC North to hear how four students will be working with NASA TechRise engineers over the next 18 months to bring an experiment they proposed to life. It is an experiment, with real world applications, that will be launched into the edge of space on one of NASA’s high altitude balloons, a dream come true for aspiring space engineers.
Audio Transcription
Student:
Now that we've won, we're going to be building some things that we can put in a box that they'll send up to the edge of space and we'll measure the amount that these different data storage units are going to... like what just happens to them.
Student:
It'll reach 60,000 feet
Student:
And we are going to test how the radiation and pressure there affects the electronics.
[Music]
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. You could say they are hitting new heights as winners of a NASA Aerospace Engineering contest. On this episode of the Supercast, we head to JATC North to hear how four students will be working with NASA TechRise engineers over the next 18 months to bring an experiment they proposed to life. They'll be working on an experiment with real-world applications that will be launched using NASA's high-altitude balloons, a dream come true for these incredibly talented students.
[Music]
Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at the JATC North campus to talk with Amber Saffen and some of her students about the Aerospace Engineering program. Amber, thanks for talking with us today.
Amber Saffen:
Yeah, welcome. Welcome to our program.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me how you and your students are now involved with NASA.
Amber Saffen:
Yes, so our CTE coordinator right at the beginning of the school year sent an email our way that NASA has a competition called NASA TechRise where students can write proposals for an experiment to be sent up into the stratosphere, and so as part of my program, I was like, "Hey, we're the aerospace program. That seems pretty dang relevant." So fresh to the program, my students got in and they did some research and they put together some proposals of some things that useful experiments they thought would be good to send up there. And then just a couple months ago, I got an email that one of those proposals had been accepted. And so I'm here with four of my students and they wrote a proposal and now NASA will be working with them once a week for the next 18 weeks to build the proposal. Gave them, is going to provide $1,500 for them to buy the supplies, is going to help them learn how to do it, and then that will be shipped back to be go up on the WorldView balloon.
Anthony Godfrey:
Let's meet your students and have them describe to me what this experiment is all about. Introduce yourselves, tell us what grade you're in, and what school you're from.
Student:
All right. My name is Blake Bigler. I'm a senior at Mountain Ridge High School.
Student:
My name is Canyon Bullock, and I'm a senior at Herriman High School.
Student:
My name is Mason Rice, and I'm also a senior at Mountain Ridge High School.
Student:
My name is Zach Hull, and I'm a senior at Riverton High School.
Anthony Godfrey:
Someone tell me about this experiment, what's involved exactly. What will you learn from being a part of this?
Student:
Yeah, we created this proposal like six months ago, but basically what it is, is we designed an experiment where we are testing how data storage is affected and how it works in space with like radiation and lower pressure. So now that we've won, we're going to be building some things that we can put in a box that they'll send up to the edge of space and we'll measure the amount that these different data storage units are going to, like what just happens to them.
Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me, how do you send this up? How far up does it go? What is all that going to look like?
Student:
So what we will be doing is we will be taking different data storage types like hard drives, disk drives, flash drives, things like that, and we will put them in a box, which we will attach to a weather balloon.
Student:
It'll reach 60,000 feet and then once it reaches 60,000 feet then it'll gradually go down where they can pick up all the tests and then take them back to the facility.
Student:
And we are going to test how the radiation and pressure there affects the electronics.
Anthony Godfrey:
What's the theory? What do you think might happen once you send that information up? I assume you'll send a zip drive up as well, a couple of floppy disks.
[laughter]
Never mind. No, don't worry about it.
Student:
I don't know that a five and a quarter floppy would fit in the box.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's going to be that small.
Student:
It's not particularly large.
Anthony Godfrey:
That makes sense.
Student:
We have to use a SATA size disk drive because a standard five and a quarter would just be too much.
Student:
We think we're going to put different amounts of insulation around the drives. So we're thinking different materials.
Student:
Lead, aluminum, foil, things like that.
Student:
So we're just trying to stop the radiation from reaching the data encoding because otherwise the radiation can scramble that and then your data that you send up there is no longer useful.
Anthony Godfrey:
So is it the radiation and the altitude? You're measuring the impact of both on data storage. Is that right?
Student:
Yes. It will mostly be the radiation because that's what we'll be getting through into the storage. But the pressure will also be being tested on the other parts of the experiment.
Anthony Godfrey:
I understand they're going to send you some money for materials to conduct this experiment. Somebody want to speak to that?
Student:
On the subject of materials, we're currently in a storage crisis. Things like RAM and NVMe drives and things like that are all way more expensive, like three times, four times. So great timing.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, if you change your mind, I do have some of the large and small floppy disks available in my home. And if you really want to take your experiment to the next level, just let me know. We can include that. Tell me what interested you in being part of the Aerospace Engineering Program to begin with.
Student:
Well, for me, my dad's a pilot at Delta, so I've always been kind of interested in aviation. And I also am pretty decent at math and science, and I like those things, I'd say. So I thought that I'd try to put them together and do aerospace engineering.
Anthony Godfrey:
I'm not sure I would be surprised that he's really decent, but I appreciate the humility. So that's pretty cool. So have you traveled lots of great places with those pilot flight benefits of your dad's?
Student:
Yeah, I've traveled some pretty cool places.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do you want to be a pilot, or what do you want to do with your knowledge and with your science and math skills?
Student:
Well, that's kind of what this class is doing for me, is I'm trying to figure out if this is something that I'd want to do. And I think that this opportunity to work with NASA has definitely, like, it's got me a lot more excited about aerospace engineering, and it's, a lot more interested in this now for sure.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. How about for you? Why did you decide to be part of this class?
Student:
I've been doing, like, taking engineering programs at JTEC for a while now, and I just thought that aerospace would be the next one. And I was like, that's pretty interesting, but it's been my favorite one so far. And I think it's been really cool learning about things that fly, and rocket ships, and airplanes, and everything that flies. I think it's all really cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
What other engineering classes have you taken here?
Student:
Engineering Principles, CAD Mechanical Design, Architecture, Civil Engineering. I was going to do Robotics, but I opted out on that one. But this is the coolest one so far.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. How about you?
Student:
I always wanted to be an engineer, but I didn't know which kind. This is my first engineering JTEC class. And I decided to go with aerospace because I really like NASA and SpaceX, and I think that planes and rocket ships are really cool. So I just decided to take this class, and this class inspired me to start my, well, not start, but I'm going to start my degree in mechanical engineering with an aerospace emphasis at BYU.
Anthony Godfrey:
And for other engineering programs, the sky's the limit, but the sky's not the limit for aerospace.
Student:
No, not for this one.
Anthony Godfrey:
And you want to continue your studies at BYU, ideally.
Student:
Yep.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. Well, I'm glad you're getting a start here. That's awesome. And it's great that you've been able to narrow that already to aerospace. How about you?
Student:
So I'm actually in aerospace and robotics right now.
Anthony Godfrey:
So flying robots is really your thing.
Student:
Yes. So I've always found both interesting. Like, I would take apart toys to figure out how they work, and rockets are just awesome. There's no doubt about it. But I took these classes because it's just fun for me.
Anthony Godfrey:
How long before robots are our overlords?
Student:
Ideally, never.
Anthony Godfrey:
But let's be realistic. We're just here on the podcast. When's it going to happen?
Student:
If it's going to happen, it will be within the next century, I believe.
Anthony Godfrey:
I like how you leave the door open that it might not happen, but at least we've got a few years left. All right. Tell me, why did you decide to teach aerospace engineering? And what's your background? And how exciting is it for you that your students are now working with NASA?
Amber Saffen:
It's super, super, super exciting. I mean, as a teacher, all I want to do is get opportunities put in front of students so they can fly and do what they want to do. I got my degree in engineering education, and I took over. This is my first year teaching the aerospace course. I took over from Noel Schick last year. She had a good program going through PLTW, and I wasn't able to continue with them this year, though we might jump back on. And so I was looking at any opportunities I had to connect, get into this. I was already teaching the drone course, and I started teaching that because there was a need for it. I saw that there was this huge industry blowing up that we were starting to get college degrees, and I thought, we need to get this in the high school. And that’s my job is, is to connect students. So I started teaching that in partner with Noel's aerospace class, and then when she left the school, I took over aerospace. And so any connection I can make with NASA or anything like that, we have a big aerospace industry here in Utah, with Boeing here. And so there's a lot of opportunities. We have some great college programs, like Mason mentioned, BYU. A lot of the universities have pretty good aerospace programs. So I just want to make sure students get a head start, figure out if that's what they want to do, and then have a head up into getting into those programs so they can work where they want to work.
Anthony Godfrey:
And Mason, you nodded your head a couple of times. Are there specific opportunities that career-wise that you're interested in?
Student:
I would really like to work for either NASA or Lockheed Martin, personally. But that's just because I like the planes and the ships that they make, so.
Anthony Godfrey:
Lockheed Martin, listen up. Lock in right now. Now's your big chance to grab him.
[music]
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with the students and teacher who are working with NASA TechRise engineers.
[music]
Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
Female Voice:
In Jordan School District, communicating and connecting with parents is really important, and that's why we're very excited about ParentSquare. ParentSquare has replaced Skylert as the District's new communication platform. With ParentSquare, you'll receive all district and school communication via email, text, and/or the app based on your preference. All messages can be translated to your preferred home language indicated in Skyward, and it takes less than a minute to set up your notification preferences. You can use the ParentSquare app on any device. The app is available at parentsquare.com/sign-in. We look forward to connecting with you through ParentSquare.
Female Voice:
This is from the NASA TechRise announcement.
Male Voice:
“We know that taking on the challenge to innovate and explore is never easy. It takes hard work and courage to share your ideas, and we applaud everyone who submitted a NASA TechRise proposal. From all of us here at WorldView, thank you for participating. We cannot wait to see the final experiments fly.”
[music]
[applause]
Amber Saffen:
. . . link on their website, and some of you might recognize this little paper right here on “The Effects of Low Space Radiation on Electronic Devices and Data Storage.” So . . .
[applause]
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us what it was like to hear that your experiment had been approved by NASA. Talk us through that scene.
Student:
I just couldn't believe it was totally unexpected. You'll hear all of us say this, but we didn't even recognize it was our project at first because we weren't expecting it. It had been so long.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. You submitted it. You'd kind of forgotten about it. Now all of a sudden you're working with NASA.
Student:
First I saw what was it that Zack jumped up in his chair, and I was like, "Oh, that's so cool. He won the project." And I was like, "Wait a minute."
Anthony Godfrey:
"Wait a minute. I'm part of that.”
Student:
I'm part of that. That's so cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's great.
Student:
Oh yeah. I was also really shocked. I didn't recognize the project. I saw that all these random people were there, so I was like, "Oh, so somebody must have won. And then they pulled it up, and I was like, "Oh my goodness. That's our project. I never would have thought in a million years that would be us."
Amber Saffen:
I found out about a month before I was allowed to tell them, and I found out while I was at a conference in Nashville, and I was looking at my computer, I got the email. I immediately pulled up an email to tell them all and then read the next line that said, "Do not let students and parents know yet," and realized I had to be sworn to secrecy for a month. And that was, it was not easy. I was just so excited for them, and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, NASA also told me that I have to wait for—no, I'm just kidding. Tell me, what do you hope that students gain from a program like this? Because this is the time of year where people are choosing classes for the coming year, and this may not be the first one that pops to mind. And they may wonder, "Oh, am I ready for this? Do I have the math and science skills to be able to be part of it?" What would you say to those considering this, and what do you hope is the outcome for students who are in your class?
Amber Saffen:
Well, the number one thing that I try to teach, and we try to teach here at the engineering department at the JATC, is critical thinking and problem solving. Because no matter what you go into, those are skills that if you develop them, it's going to help you. So even if my students don't go into aerospace, I'm not mad, but I know that the experiences they got here in teamwork and troubleshooting and problem solving and critical thinking, no matter what they go into, that's going to be helpful for them. And so, if I, you know, giving those connections and opportunities to students, if they can take it, and then also giving them those experiences, so if they go do something else, it's still beneficial. I see how much my students grow in a year working together and doing all these hard tasks we do in engineering. And they do. They grow, and it's just so awesome to see.
Anthony Godfrey:
Aerospace engineering in particular, but engineering classes in general, are going to be changing a lot over time. And what you just described is exactly the type of education that we hope to be providing. That is problem solving, the sort of skills that you will be able to use no matter what comes your way. You also want the industry-specific knowledge, but really, if you can't problem solve, then you're not going to be able to adapt to future needs. And I just, I love the way you describe that. It's really exciting. What have you loved most about this class? I want to ask each of you, whether it's just a general, something that you've learned, or a particular class, what have you liked most?
Student:
For me, I think it's just how hands-on it is. Our main project is we're building a drone just from scratch. And I think it's really cool being able to solder everything together and program things and just really see a drone just appear out of nowhere because of what you and your group are doing. I think that's pretty cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it gives you a deep understanding of how it all works when you're building it from scratch.
Student:
I just like making my ideas become a reality and just getting what I think would be cool to make it real.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me one of your ideas that you've been able to work on.
Student:
I don't know, our drone, for one. I don't know, we're making like a claw for it right now, and I think it's really interesting to try to...
Anthony Godfrey:
You're making a what?
Student:
Like a claw for the drone.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, a claw for the drone. Oh, wow. Okay. So it can pluck people out of their backyard and transport them someplace else.
Student:
Yeah, I guess.
Student:
It's for stealing hats.
Anthony Godfrey:
For stealing hats. Hey, you know what? You got to start somewhere. How about for you?
Student:
I like just how different it's been from a regular education and how similar it will be to real life. I enjoy it a lot more because there's more creativity and there's more teamwork. And you're not just doing things just to like waste time or get credit. You're actually building something that has a task, that has a purpose, and in the real world can make something happen. So it's very exciting.
Anthony Godfrey:
So there's an application for what you're learning, and really every minute is useful.
Student:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful.
Student:
Kind of the same thing that Mason said, honestly. It's how hands-on it is, how I'm not sitting at a desk just staring at a screen. You know?
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. No, I understand. I appreciate that. That's great. What's the timeline for completing the project, and what will that look like? What are the steps?
Amber Saffen:
We've started meeting with the TechRise team. The students will be meeting with their NASA TechRise team and the NASA engineers they'll be working with this Thursday for the first time. And then they'll be meeting with them once a week for the next 18 weeks to help them learn how to put this together, build the experiment. The box that will be going up on the balloon that they sent us arrived the other day. It's sitting in the classroom. We're very excited to open it. And then they will finish it up around May right at the end of the school year, ship it back to NASA, and then it will be going up in the summer on a Worldview balloon to lower stratosphere. That date is pending on weather, of course, for the launch. But it will be in the summer.
Anthony Godfrey:
This is really going to be rocket fuel for your careers where you think, “Hey, wait a minute. Maybe I do really want to do this. Maybe this is something that I could turn into a profession,” because there's nothing like working with NASA for figuring out whether aerospace engineering is for you. So congratulations. This is really exciting. And I can't wait to hear more about how the experiments go.
Amber Saffen and Students:
Thank you.
[music]
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you'll do today!” We'll see you out there.
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