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Discussion on Education. Thomas Zurbuchen University of Michigan thomasz@umich.edu.
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Discussion on Education Thomas Zurbuchen University of Michigan thomasz@umich.edu
“every scientist, every engineer, every technician, contractor, and civil servant must give his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space”.
“to observe geophysical phenomena and to secure data from all parts of the world; to conduct this effort on a coordinated basis by fields, and in space and time, so that results could be collated in a meaningful manner.”
Status assessment • Queried 6 Universities, 2 Supporting organizations • Air force Academy, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford • Air force Research Lab, American Aerospace Advisors. • Bias towards Research Universities. There are counter-examples, mostly associated with exceptional leaders: Taylor U (Voss)
Engineering or Science? • Most programs originate in engineering departments but most of them include science components. • Exceptions: • Colorado effort is in LASP • Michigan effort is in AOSS
Educational Opportunities • System Engineering • Collaborations • Interdisciplinary • High-quality work • Stanford: Outreach program K-U
Inclusion in Curriculum • Most classes are not directly included in curriculum, and/or are not part of ABET assessment. • Examples • Penn State: Sequence of courses, project course, capstone courses, certificate program • Michigan: Building concentration program in this • Air force Academy: Advanced Physics experimental course.
Experience of working on system Collaborations Interdisciplinary work New technology Innovation Output very variable Complexity drives schedule – cannot to all. Costly Not much benefits to profs Pros and Cons for such programs
Sustainability • University needs to commit – cannot be single professor to be sustainable • Need synergies between platforms • Balloons, rockets, small sats, space hardware • Need inclusion in curriculum • Need infrastructure – cannot start over every time… • Need Grads and U-grads, perhaps in sequence or simultaneously • Need launch opportunities
Academia vs Small Sats • Solutions run counter to traditional academic structure • Need to cross department boundaries, college boundaries • Seek partnerships with government and industry to enhance realism of project/approaches
Discussion Questions • How do we balance science, engineering and educational issues? • How do we include these efforts into a curriculum? • How do small sat efforts become sustainable? • What are models for cost-effective collaborations?