Middle-schoolers Challenged to Plan Asteroid Mission

Clemson University and NASA are teaming up once again to ask students to design a mission to an asteroid.

This is the second year in which NASA, Clemson University and other members of the NASA Human Health and Performance Center are challenging students in the sixth through eighth grades to dream of going where no one has gone before.

The contest is open to teams of one to four students who will submit slide show or video presentations to NASA outlining their plans to send a human crew on a trip to an asteroid.

The goal of the contest, according to Clemson psychology professor Benjamin R. Stephens, is to engage more students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and to stimulate students by providing an opportunity for them to explore and discover. This activity may also meet some National Science Standards.

"Asking kids to create a presentation for NASA is a very cool challenge,” Stephens said. “That creative process can enhance their interest in science and technology, setting the stage for their next steps toward STEM topics in higher education."

Although winners of the Asteroid Contest will not receive prizes or monetary awards, select winners of the challenge who have displayed exemplary workmanship and creativity will have the opportunity to have their presentations highlighted on the NASA website.

Creative Inquiry students at Clemson working with Stephens have been involved in designing the challenge and creating the website. They will promote the competition regionally, judge the submissions and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the challenge. Creative Inquiry is a program in which small groups of undergraduates work alongside faculty on research projects for multiple semesters.

Complete guidelines and instructions for submitting an entry are at http://www.clemson.edu/psych/ugrad/nasa-challenge/. Submissions will be accepted from Jan. 15 to March 8, 2013.

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