Space Station STEM Challenge

Sponsored by the ISS National Lab

Welcome to the ISS National Lab Request for Applications

 

RFA No. CASIS 2015-NDC-2 | RFA Open Date: May 8, 2015 | Applications Due: June 12, 2015

The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory is a one-of-a-kind research platform that is now available for student research via the ISS National Lab. The ISS National Lab has developed a pilot program titled, the ISS National Lab National Design Challenge (NDC), which is a research competition, that facilitates authentic student research and experiment design with selected experiments being sent to the space station.

The Massachusetts Life Science Center will utilize this amazing STEM platform to sponsor the Space Station STEM Challenge for middle school students. Teams will compete to design, build and send their own original research experiments to the International Space Station in the spring of 2016. While on orbit, data from the experiment will be collected and stored for students to analyze.

The ISS National Lab and its industry partners, NanoRacks, Texas A&M University, and SparkFun Electronics, will assist the teams in experiment and engineering design and payload integration by providing resources, technical training and support.

Applicants should follow the step-by-stop process below to ensure an easy, efficient submittal process.

	Download the PDF to review the Program Description and Timeline.
	Review the Application Instructions and Scoring Rubric.
	Read answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Submit questions regarding this RFA to Diane Matthews at dmatthews@issnationallab.org Recording of Interactive Live Webinar held on May 7 is available here.
	Applications will be accepted on or before June 12, 2015.
	All submittals must be uploaded electronically in PDF format by 5:00 pm EDT on June 12, 2015. Only middle school educators are permitted to submit an application to the Challenge. At the time of submission, the applicant will be required to provide contact information on the online form before uploading the completed application and any letters of support.