Community Profiles and Local Partners: SSEP Mission 8 to ISS


Mission 8 is Community’s First SSEP Flight Opportunity: Yellow
Mission 8 is Community’s at Least Second SSEP Flight Opportunity: Green
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SSEP Mission 8 to ISS

Experiment Design Competition and Selection of Flight Experiments: Winter/Spring 2015
Flight to ISS: Kitty Hawk payload of Mission 8 experiments launched July 18, 2016, on Space-X-9 (Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft); returned to Earth August 26, 2016 (see Flight Profile page)

 

The 14 communities profiled below are providing the opportunity for thousands of grade 5-16 students to design and propose real microgravity experiments for flight aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of SSEP Mission 8 to ISS – the tenth SSEP flight opportunity. Two of the Mission 8 communities participated in at least one earlier SSEP flight opportunity. Of special note – Mission 8 to ISS is the first time that three communities in Canada have participated in a flight opportunity, two in Toronto, Ontario – University of Toronto Schools and Ryerson University, and one in Calgary, Alberta – Bishop Carroll High School. Mission 8 is the third flight opportunity for NEST+m in New York City, New York. and with Mission 8, Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas, becomes the first community to conduct 4 concurrent SSEP Missions in a row: M5, M6, M7, M8. Mission 8 also includes only the second informal science education institution to lead a SSEP community effort – the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, and the first time that two 4-year university communities have participated in a single mission – Delaware State University and Ryerson University.

Each community conducts a local Flight Experiment Design Competition with student teams designing microgravity experiments across multiple disciplines. Each team submits a formal research proposal, vying for an experiment slot reserved just for their community in a real research mini-laboratory scheduled to fly on the International Space Station. The Mission 8 to ISS community leadership project that across the network of 14 communities a minimum of 3,580 students will be fully engaged in experiment design, and a minimum of 720 flight experiment proposals from student teams will be received.

Thousands more grade preK-12 students are being given the opportunity to participate in SSEP Mission 8 to ISS community-wide programming, which includes the design of Mission Patches to fly aboard ISS. Through community engagement activities, together with microgravity experiment design, a total of 93 schools in 8 States and two Canadian Provinces are taking part in Mission 8 to ISS. In addition, Mission 8 includes three communities in New York, two in California, and two in Maryland. With Mission 8, for the first time there is a community participating in SSEP from the the State of Idaho – Boise.

For 6 of the 14 communities, Mission 8 is made possible in part by a grant from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. CASIS is a National Partner on the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. For 4 of the 14 communities, Mission 8 is made possible in part by a grant from Subaru of America, also a National Partner on SSEP. For 2 of the 14 communities, Mission 8 is made possible in part by a grant from Magellan Aerospace, SSEP’s newest National Partner and the first in Canada.

More generally, Mission 8 to ISS is made possible through the involvement of 46 Local Partner institutions, including school districts, corporate foundations, universities, community foundations, and companies, and which are providing both underwriting and material and human resources. This includes support from 3 NASA Space Grant Consortia at lead universities, including: Kansas Space Grant at Wichita State University; Maryland Space Grant Consortium at Johns Hopkins University; and New York Space Grant Consortium at Cornell University.

The level of partnership is remarkable, and speaks to what a team of partners at the local, state, and national levels can do together in STEM education.

Visit the SSEP In the News page and the In Our Own Words page to gain an understanding of program impact over all SSEP missions conducted to date.

 

1. Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Bishop Carroll High School

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 4; experiment design and mission patches: Bishop Carroll High School; mission patches only: St. Gregory School, St. James School, St. Michaels School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 400 (grades 10-11)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 7-9), (grades 10-12)

Partner Institutions
Bishop Carroll High School

The Calgary Foundation
Alberta Innovates Technology Futures
Canadian Space Society, Alberta Chapter
Canadian Space Society, National Organization

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Amy Webster
amy.webster@cssd.ab.ca

Stephen Britten
stephen.britten@cssd.ab.ca

Laurie O’Connor
laurie.oconnor@cssd.ab.ca

 

2. Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Ryerson University

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 16; experiment design and mission patches: Ryerson University; mission patches only: St. Josephs College School, Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute, St. Marcellinus Secondary School, Pickering High School, Brampton Centennial Secondary School, Neil McNeil High School, Agincourt Collegiate Institute, Leaside High School, James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School, Danforth Collegiate & Technical Institute, St. Joseph’s Morrow Park Catholic Secondary School, William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute, Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy, Turner Fenton Secondary School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 150 (grades 9-12 and 14-15)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 30

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 2-6), (grades 10-15)

Partner Institutions
Ryerson University

Ministry of Economic Development – Ontario
National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Magellan AerospaceSSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Nathan Battersby
nathan.battersby@ryerson.ca

Bryan Koivisto
bryan.koivisto@ryerson.ca

Emily Agard
eagard@ryerson.ca

 

3. Toronto, Ontario, Canada – University of Toronto Schools

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 1; experiment design and mission patches: University of Toronto Schools

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 9 and 11-12)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 35

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): one competition; (grades 7-12)

Partner Institutions
University of Toronto Schools

Ministry of Economic Development – Ontario
Magellan AerospaceSSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Suzanne Monir
suzanne.monir@utschools.ca

Philip Marsh
pmarsh@utschools.ca

Shawn Brooks
shawn.brooks@utschools.ca

 

4. Santa Ana, California

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 24; experiment design and mission patches: Gonzalo & Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School; mission patches only: Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School, Santiago Elementary School, William Howard Taft Elementary School, Pio Pico Elementary School, Andrew Jackson Elementary School, Jose A. Sepulveda Elementary School, John C. Fremont Elementary School, Lydia Romero-Cruz Elementary School, Jim Thorpe Elementary School, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, James Russell Lowell Elementary School, James Monroe Elementary School, James A. Garfield Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, John Muir Elementary School, John Adams Elementary School, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Carl Harvey Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Glenn L. Martin Elementary School, Herbert Hoover Elementary School, James Madison Elementary School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 6-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-5), (grades 6-8)

Partner Institutions
Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School
Santa Ana Unified School District

CASISSSEP National Partner
Subaru of America, Inc.SSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Lizette Cabrera
Lizette.cabrera@sausd.us

Cassandra Cabrera
cassandra.cabrera@sausd.us

 

5. Vista, California

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 5; experiment design and mission patches: Vista Magnet Middle School; mission patches only: Grapevine Elementary School, Monte Vista Elementary School, Vista Visions Academy

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 500 (grades 6-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 100

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-5), (grades 6-12)

Partner Institutions
Vista Unified School District

CASISSSEP National Partner
Subaru of America, Inc.SSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Director
Anne Green
annegreen@vistausd.org

 

6. Dover, Delaware – Delaware State University

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 2; experiment design and mission patches: Delaware State University; mission patches only: Dover High School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 35 (grades 13-16)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 9

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 9-12), (grades 13-16)

Partner Institutions
Delaware State University

CASISSSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Director
Matt Bobrowsky
mbobrowsky@desu.edu

 

7. Boise, Idaho

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 1; experiment design and mission patches: Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 300 (grades 7-12)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 50

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 6-9), (grades 10-12)

Partner Institutions
Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center
Boise School District

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Holly MacLean
holly.maclean@boiseschools.org

Paul Verhage
paul.verhage@boiseschools.org

Dave Whitacre
david.whitacre@boiseschools.org

 

8. Montgomery County, Maryland

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 3; experiment design and mission patches: Parkland Magnet Middle School, Seven Locks Elementary School, Ronald McNair Elementary School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grade 7)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-5), (grades 6-8)

Partner Institutions
Montgomery County Public Schools

Maryland Space Grant Consortium
Society of Satellite Professionals International
Lockheed Martin
Washington Space Business Roundtable
ADNET Systems, Inc.

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Amy Gensemer
Amy_N_Gensemer@mcpsmd.org

Brad Gurda
Brad_S_Gurda@mcpsmd.org

Donna Blaney
Donna_M_Blaney@mcpsmd.org

 

9. Prince George’s County, Maryland

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 5; experiment design and mission patches: Thomas Johnson Middle School; experiment design only: Chesapeake Math and IT Public Charter Elementary; mission patches only: Bladensburg High School, Mt. Rainier Elementary School, Paint Branch Elementary School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 5-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-4), (grades 5-12)

Partner Institutions
Prince George’s County Public Schools

Maryland Space Grant Consortium
Society of Satellite Professionals International
Washington Space Business Roundtable
ADNET Systems, Inc.
a.i. solutions
MDA Corporation

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Pamela Smith
pamela.jones@pgcps.org

Sallie Smith
sallies@pgcps.org

Felicia Martin-Latief
felicia.martin@pgcps.org

Traketa Wray
traketa.wray@pgcps.org

 

10. Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas

Noteworthy: this is the fourth SSEP flight for Kansas City

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 6; experiment design and mission patches: Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Technology, Dalla Lamb Charter School, Crossroads Academy Kansas City, Academie Lafayette, Notre Dame de Sion, Tesla Knights Home School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 395 (grades 5-12)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 85

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-4), (grades 5-8)

Partner Institutions
aSTEAM Village

University of Kansas GEAR UP
St. Peter’s Parish
Kansas Space Grant Consortium
CASISSSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

Mission 7 to ISS
(see Mission 7 community profile, flight and honorable mention experiments, and flight mission patches)

Mission 6 to ISS
(see Mission 6 community profile, flight and honorable mention experiments, and flight mission patches)

Mission 5 to ISS
(see Mission 5 community profile, flight and honorable mention experiments, and flight mission patches)

SSEP Community Program Director
William Wells
william@asteamvillage.org

 

11. Elizabeth, New Jersey

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 11; experiment design and mission patches: George Washington Academy of Science and Engineering School No. 1, Nicholas S. LaCorte-Peterstown School No. 3, Terence C. Reilly School No. 7, Jerome Dunn Academy School No. 9, Abraham Lincoln School No. 14, Christopher Columbus School No. 15, Robert Morris School No. 18, Victor Mravlag School No. 21, William F. Halloran School No. 22 @ 31, Juan Pablo Duarte-Jose Julian Marti School No. 28; mission patches only: Dr. Albert Einstein Academy School No. 29

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 5-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades K-4), (grades 6-8)

Partner Institutions
Elizabeth Public Schools

Community Foundation of New Jersey – J.C. Kellogg Fund

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Linda Seniszyn
SeniszLi@Elizabeth.K12.NJ.US

Mike Wansaw
Wansawmi@Elizabeth.K12.NJ.US

 

12. New York City, New York – Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 5; experiment design and mission patches: Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, Institute for Collaborative Education, Public School/Intermediate School 30 Mary White Ovington, Oliver Wendell Holmes Intermediate School 204, Urban Assembly Institute for New Technologies

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 6-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 6-7), (grades K-12)

Partner Institutions
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
Tom Barry
tbarry@Intrepidmuseum.org

Gerrie Bay Hall
ghall@Intrepidmuseum.org

 

13. New York City, New York – NEST+m

Noteworthy: this is the third SSEP flight for New York – NEST+m

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 5; experiment design and mission patches: Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, Institute for Collaborative Education, Public School/Intermediate School 30 Mary White Ovington, Oliver Wendell Holmes Intermediate School 204, Urban Assembly Institute for New Technologies

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 200 (grades 6-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 40

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 6-7), (grades K-12)

Partner Institutions
New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math

NEST+m PTA
New York Space Grant Consortium
Subaru of America, Inc.SSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

Mission 5 to ISS
(see Mission 5 community profile, flight and honorable mention experiments, and flight mission patches)

Mission 3 to ISS
(see Mission 3 community profile, flight and honorable mention experiments, and flight mission patches)

SSEP Community Program Director
Brendan Alfieri
BAlfier@schools.nyc.gov

 

14. Suffolk County, New York

Program Scope
Number of participating schools: 5; experiment design and mission patches: Milton L. Olive Middle School, Birchwood Intermediate School, Maplewood Intermediate School, Silas Wood 6th Grade Center; mission patches only: La Francis Hardiman Elementary School

Experiment Design Competition

Expected Minimum Number of Students Fully Engaged in Experiment Design: 300 (grades 5-8)
Expected Minimum Number of Student Team Proposals: 70

SSEP Community-wide Engagement Program

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition(s): two competitions; (grades 5-6), (grades K-12)

Partner Institutions
Wyandanch Union Free School District
South Huntington Schools

CIRCOR Aerospace
Long Island Forum for Technology
Zion Youth of Elmont
Cameron Engineering & Associates, LLP
Brookhaven National Laboratory
A+ Mobile Solutions, Inc.
Farmingdale State College STEM Diversity Roundtable
CASISSSEP National Partner
Subaru of America, Inc.SSEP National Partner

SSEP Mission Participation
Mission 8 to ISS

SSEP Community Program Co-Directors
David Milch
David.Milch@wufsd.net

Mari Scardapane
mscardapane@shufsd.org

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in the U.S., and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory. SSEP is the first pre-college STEM education program that is both a U.S. national initiative and implemented as an on-orbit commercial space venture.