FARMINGTON – Recently, the Foster Tech Center Pre-Engineering program received high achievement awards from the Maine Space STEM Program. Jake Bogar, Pre-Engineering program teacher, won awards for the most modules and units completed by his students and for the most number of kits completed for the longest time.
A special high achievement award was given to Foster Tech for the development of a wind tunnel to test model rockets as part of the Maine Space STEM Program. The wind tunnel is a wooden box with a clear panel on one side to allow visual observation. The top of the tunnel has a curved PVC pipe fitting that connects to a leaf blower to provide wind, allowing the teams to observe how the rocket moves. Some rockets have curved fins, producing different effects from straight fins.
In addition, Foster Tech hosted the static fire test and launch test for the state’s middle school and high school space engineering programs.
Finally, Foster Tech won recognition in the High Altitude Balloon Launch Program for testing five different payloads for different projects.
The high altitude balloon launch is a project where a balloon is launched to high altitudes, carrying a small cube called a cube satellite or CubeSat. The cube can be filled with different payloads and data collection chips and sensors. One load that the Foster Tech students launched into space was a piece of pine wood, saturated with water. The CubeSat included sensors to measure temperature and humidity to see what changes the wood sample went through on the trip to space. Other CubeSat units could be fitted with other equipment such as a camera to document images of the payload, and even a transmission device to send a real-time feed back to the launch team.
The purpose of sending pine wood to space was to gather data about how wood material handles the temperature and pressure changes of space and learn more about the use of wood for spacecraft. Bogar said that typically when someone thinks of spacecraft, they think of aluminum and composites, but wood is a natural composite and a renewable resource with potential in this field.
“It’s really sort of a kudos for the kids for their work over the last year,” Bogar said about the awards.
Other projects in the pre-engineering program include tracking satellites, coding, 3-D printing, laser cutting and engraving, and design. Students have designed and created award plaques, One project on the workbench is to figure out how mount a shovel used for the ground-breaking on the Bjorn Center for Career and Technical Education, the middle school tech center under construction in RSU 9.
Foster Tech is the regional Career and Technical Education Center for Greater Franklin County. Under the umbrella of the RSU 9 school district, they also host students from Mount Abram High School, Spruce Mountain High School, and Rangeley Lakes Regional School.
The Maine K-12 Space STEM Program is the result of Congressionally directed NASA funds awarded to Educate Maine to deliver a K-12 Space STEM program across the state in 2023. The goal of the program is to promote STEM skills and open up career opportunities in the growing space sector. In April 2022, the development of the Maine Space Sector was confirmed and the K-12 Space STEM program was designed for Maine students.
The Student Challenge Award Category fast-tracked participation in the annual challenges coinciding with World Space Week. Centered on the theme “Space and Sustainability,” these challenges drew inspiration from the UN Sustainable Development Goals. An impressive twenty-six awards were distributed in Maine, enabling students to immerse themselves in these challenges over the summer. Awardees received access to a comprehensive online course, a custom MaxIQ Kit for the challenge, and an opportunity to attain even higher honors at the annual MaxIQ Space global awards.
“This year’s awards highlight the dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm of Maine’s educators, students, and institutions,” said Judi Sandrock, co-founder of MaxIQ Space. “As the world of space STEM education continues to grow, the Maine Space STEM Program is proud to recognize the pioneers at the forefront of this exciting field.”
The award-winning schools will receive trophies of recognition at the awards ceremony at the Maine Space Conference in November 2023 in Portland, Maine, as well as invitations to participate in the NASA High Altitude Balloon mission in August 2024 in New Mexico.
Background about Maine K-12 Space STEM Program: Congressionally directed NASA funds were awarded to Educate Maine to deliver a K-12 Space STEM program across Maine in 2023. The Maine Space Grant Consortium managed the project on behalf of Educate Maine with MaxIQ Space delivering their Space STEM program, aligned with the Maine Space Complex initiative.
The goal of the program is to promote STEM skills and open up career opportunities in the growing space sector. In April 2022, Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law establishing the Maine Space Corporation as a quasi-state body to manage the development of the Maine Space Complex and to expand Maine’s budding space industry. The Maine Space Corporation is committed to engaging businesses, communities, state and local governments, researchers and K-12 students and deploying a space economy in Maine.
About MaxIQ Space: MaxIQ Space was established to serve the broader space industry in delivering educational and skills development programs. The primary goal of the MaxIQ team is to inspire future space industry professionals through the practical and impactful delivery of Space STEM programs. The MaxIQ Space founders bring extensive experience in Space STEM education experience, from junior-high to PhD, multiple engineering industries, and space industry corporate governance. For more information visit maxiq.space
About The Maine Space Grant Consortium: The Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) is an Affiliate-based 501(c)(3) corporation and a member of the national network of Consortia in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The network is funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. Space Grant was established by Congress in 1988 to contribute to the nation’s science and engineering enterprise. Learn more at www.msgc.org/about.
About Educate Maine: Educate Maine, a business-led education advocacy organization, champions career readiness by increasing the educational attainment of Maine people, enabling all students to succeed in postsecondary education and in the workplace. Signature programs include the Maine Teacher of the Year program, Education Leaders Experience, Project>Login, and Maine Career Catalyst. More information is available at educatemaine.org.
