Project Scenario:
Your Mars rover is starting to run low on energy, but thankfully, the engineers at NASA have devised a plan to drop a spare solar panel from a satellite orbiting above Mars. The solar panel will be dropped from the satellite and will begin the reentry process into Mars’ atmosphere. Once it begins the reentry process, the solar panel will begin a trajectory towards the area in which your rover is currently sitting. Unfortunately you won’t be able to gather any data on the solar panel until it is directly overhead. Your task is to approximate the trajectory/landing spot of the solar panel once the data is received. After doing so, your rover is expected to be programmed so that it is able to drive to that landing spot and catch the solar panel to be used for the energy source on your rover.
13-STEM Integration
Project Scenario:
Your Mars rover is starting to run low on energy, but thankfully, the engineers at NASA have devised a plan to drop a spare solar panel from a satellite orbiting above Mars. The solar panel will be dropped from the satellite and will begin the reentry process into Mars’ atmosphere. Once it begins the reentry process, the solar panel will begin a trajectory towards the area in which your rover is currently sitting. Unfortunately you won’t be able to gather any data on the solar panel until it is directly overhead. Your task is to approximate the trajectory/landing spot of the solar panel once the data is received. After doing so, your rover is expected to be programmed so that it is able to drive to that landing spot and catch the solar panel to be used for the energy source on your rover.
In a cross-curricular leveraging of student talent, SPIRE recently asked for help from the Advanced Digital/Media Design course in designing a logo that would be used to brand our D3 Lab. Students toured the space and drew inspiration from what they saw in the Lab, and then returned to their Mac lab to work on from-scratch designs that eventually were created in Illustrator. After many revisions and redesigns, the final design was selected and will be used to brand the space and will appear on signs, shirts, and other products around the school.
17-Technology Integration
Peachtree Ridge student Jack Griffin created an app called FoodFinder to help food-insecure kids in the Gwinnett area find nourishment. FoodFinder is a non-profit that leverages a mobile-native website that aggregates food resources. This self-directed learning project is designed to help children in need find their closest free food resource. Jack was recognized with the 2014 TAG Excalibur Award for Most Creative Solution to a Problem Using Technology. The prestigious TAG Awards recognize Georgia companies that demonstrate the best use of technology, typically provided by a third party, to solve complex business problems. Following his Excalibur Award win, Jack made an appearance to speak at the Georgia State Board of Education and was a guest speaker at Georgia Tech Student Day at the Capitol.
