Harlingen: La Escuela Secundaria Gutierrez Participará En Los Retos Nasa Stem.

Press release from the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District:

October 5, 2020

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in conjunction with the US Department of Education have created different unique design challenges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). By participating in these challenges, high school students across the country will have the opportunity to communicate with NASA scientists and engineers to receive feedback on their designs, ask questions, and learn about their experience working at NASA.

Gutiérrez High School of Arts and Sciences has been selected as one of 10 sites in the state to participate in NASA's STEM Challenges for the 2020-2021 school year.

The Texas group, made up of 10 sites in Texas and named NASA 10, will represent the state of Texas among the other 25 states chosen to participate in this national challenge.

“We are very honored and excited about the opportunity that is being provided to our students here at Gutierrez High School of Arts and Sciences,” said Principal Mike Reyes. "We look forward to collaborating with NASA representatives to further enhance our STEM knowledge and continue to promote our HCISD brand."

This project will be carried out through the ACE after school program at Gutiérrez High School of Arts and Sciences.

“It is a great honor to have the Gutiérrez High School ACE program selected to participate in NASA's STEM Design Challenge 10 2020-2021,” said ACE Project Director Jesús Saldivar. “This will be an incredible opportunity for students to participate in creating solutions to real-world challenges. It will be exciting to see the students have the opportunity to interact with NASA scientists and engineers to discuss their solutions. "

Each STEM challenge is based on information from real missions and experiences gained during human and robotic exploration of the solar system. Students participating in this project with NASA will learn about the different unique challenges that NASA scientists and engineers face when designing new routes to different destinations and the innovative solutions they must produce.

Gutiérrez High School has been assigned a challenge called Skydiving on Mars, based on the interest expressed by the school. In this project, which is designed for grades 6-8, students will help design a device that slows the descent of a spacecraft or probe to the planet's surface while protecting cargo to achieve a successful landing.

Students will be able to use materials such as thin string, a small plastic bag, aluminum foil, balloons, paper clips, coffee filters, and cotton balls, among other small household items for this challenge.

Students must work within the limits or restrictions of mass, weight, and space to successfully accomplish this mission. They will work in teams to design and build a device that will remain intact throughout the fall and which must contain 10 grams of weight without exceeding a mass of 50 grams.

To submit their work, students will create a 3-5 minute video documenting their response to the NASA challenge. NASA will then select the best contestants and invite those students to connect once more in a special final recognition event.

“This is an incredible achievement,” said Superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos. “This collaboration will allow for authentic hands-on experiences in STEM. This is a unique opportunity for those students who are interested in the field of science at the Gutiérrez High School of Arts and Sciences ”.

Students and their instructors will receive online guidance and support through step-by-step teaching guides, videos, and activity lists to ensure student success. The teaching staff will also have training sessions available online upon request to better prepare them and guide their students through each phase of the design challenges.

“With the quality of the work they do and the culture they have at their school, I'm sure they are going to fall in love with this place,” Veronica Kortan, Organizational Development Manager, told administration and staff during an informational meeting via Zoom.

This press release was produced by the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District . The views expressed are the author's own.