research Archives - �鶹��

Bringing Crewed Mission Planning to a New Digital Frontier

Kristyn Damadeo — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 20:21:30 +0000

The �鶹�� (VSGC) will be launching the first of our online summer programs, the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS), June 13.

Ian Cawthray, VSGC’s education programs coordinator, is taking charge of the six-day-long program.

“The purpose of VASTS is to educate today’s students on the space mission design process used by NASA through challenging their abilities to communicate and plan for the nearly infinite challenges of human spaceflight,” said Cawthray. “The students in each week of the VASTS Summer Academy collaboratively design a human mission to Mars in only a matter of days.”

Although all of our summer programs are now online, VSGC has taken every step to ensure all participants have the same experience in this new online platform.

“The biggest challenges in transitioning to an online format were maintaining the communications and social aspects of the VASTS Summer Academy,” said Cawthray. “We will achieve the goal of re-creating the critical aspects of the Summer Academy. [We are] combining our Content Management System and the ODU Distance Learning Webex system, in order to keep students discussing, planning, and solving problems.”

In addition to mission planning, the program will once again be hosting Astronaut Dr. Roger Crouch as it’s guest speaker, who has flown two space shuttle flights, STS-83 and STS-94.

“Dr. Crouch has been presenting to VASTS students for the last ten years,” said Cawthray. “His story of never giving up on your dreams is designed to encourage the VASTS students as they tackle this challenge and before they begin on their individual journeys to tackle the other challenges they’ll face in their careers and lives.”

When talking about his involvement in VASTS, Cawthray does not take his role lightly.

“This program is important to building the skills and futures of students in Virginia,” said Cawthray. “Being able to assist in the growth of hundreds of students a year is an important job to take on.”

Furthermore, the use of an online platform opens new possibilities for future programs.

“We will certainly be able to have a significant amount of lessons learned that we’ll be able to make use of in re-vamping the Summer Academy next year,” said Cawthray. “The new tools and techniques for delivering the VASTS Summer Academy will be crucial in pushing the limits of in-person and virtual technologies for a better student experience.”

VASTS will have two more iterations this summer, July 12-17 and July 26-31, with a total attendance of 223 students.

Visit from more information on our summer programs.

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ACRP Design Competition 2018 – 2019 Opens

Kristyn Damadeo — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 19:43:19 +0000

The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) is sponsoring the University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs for U.S.-based undergraduate and/or graduate students to design innovative solutions that address airport issues and constraints to enhance the management, safety, capacity and efficiency of the nation’s airports.

Winning design proposals receive cash awards, and first place winners present their work at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and at a professional conference relating to their work. The competition also provides students with exposure to aviation and airport-related careers.

Students are invited to propose design solutions addressing airport needs in the following broad challenge areas:

Airport Operation and Maintenance
Runway Safety/Runway Incursions/Runway Excursions
Airport Environmental Interactions
Airport Management and Planning

Follow the design submission guidelines prior to submitting an entry. Design submissions will be accepted from November 2, 2018 through April 29, 2019.

Guidelines for the 2018 – 2019 academic year competition are available at .

Additional information about the program can be found at .

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ACRP Design Competition Winners, 2018

Kristyn Damadeo — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 18:43:39 +0000

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) recently selected winners for its University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs. The prestigious competition encourages students to design innovative and practical solutions to challenges at our nation’s airports. Teams of students from the Florida Institute of Technology, University of Rhode Island, and Purdue University took home first place prizes in different technical challenge areas.

Photograph above: A team of students at Purdue University, advised by Dr. Mary Johnson, center, won first place in the Airport Operation and Maintenance challenge area.

Read the press release

Visit the ACRP Design Competition to learn more about the program.

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