Building on the Administration-wide commitment to expand student interest in the booming science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, the U.S. Department of Education launched CTE Mission: CubeSat, a national challenge to inspire students to build technical skills for careers in space and beyond. High school students from across the country are invited to design and build CubeSat (cube satellite) prototypes, or satellites that aid in space research, bringing space missions out of the clouds and into the classroom. To learn more, schools can join a virtual information session on September 1, 2020.

“This is such an exciting way to rethink education and get students engaged in hands-on learning in the growing aerospace and technology fields,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “I look forward to seeing the innovative prototypes students develop and hope this challenge inspires our next generation of American space explorers.”

Investors predict that space will be the next trillion-dollar industry, and as missions in space continue to expand, so do the career opportunities. This multi-phase challenge offers high school students across the United States the chance to build CubeSat prototypes while learning creative, collaborative, and technical skills for 21st century careers.

Schools interested in entering CTE Mission: CubeSat should form a team and submit a mission proposal by 5:59 p.m. ET, on Oct. 16, 2020 — no in-person collaboration or prior experience with CubeSats is required. The online submission form asks for school information, a team profile, a project proposal, and anticipated learning outcomes. Curated educational resources are available to students and teachers online in the CTE Mission: CubeSat resource hub. 

Up to five finalists will be selected to receive prizes and participate in Phase 2, which runs from January to May 2021. Finalists will have access to expert mentorship and additional virtual resources as they build CubeSat prototypes and plan flight events to launch their prototypes. The Department understands that due to current conditions, schools will need flexibility to safely collaborate when designing and building prototypes during the challenge. The Department looks forward to the creative solutions in the mission proposals it receives as challenge entries.
Each finalist will receive an equal share of the $25,000 cash prize pool, as well as satellite development, hardware, and software kits. Challenge sponsors include Arduino, Blue Origin, Chevron, EnduroSat, LEGO Education, Magnitude.io, MIT Media Lab, and XinaBox.

“Developing a CubeSat prototype is an opportunity for students to learn competitive skills and explore a wide range of careers in space — or their own communities,” said Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education Scott Stump. “Through CTE Mission: CubeSat, we aim to bring students new learning opportunities to build valuable technical skills for in-demand and rewarding careers.”

​Since the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan City, the whole world has been attempting to treat the disease and ultimately eradicate it. Hundreds of scientists and researchers are hard at work trying to rid the world of this disease. There are already thousands of completed studies with diverse conclusions and thousands still going on today. In order for the scientific community to have a better response to COVID-19 and for the U.S. to have a better plan dealing with it, the White House has ordered for the formation of a public database with the most up to date research and data on the coronavirus with over 45,000 articles called the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset(CORD-19).

​If you’re thinking about applying to college or any form of post secondary education, it is probably too late to change your GPA or win academic awards when you’re ready to apply. Those are the things that students should be aware of starting 9th grade if not earlier.. However, there are still some things you can do to make the right decision and put yourself in an environment where you can thrive. Here are some points to consider and some steps to take as you prepare your application.

​The novel coronavirus also known as SARS-CoV-2 has taken the world by storm. Since its origin in late 2019, the virus has taken 11,184 lives and impacted many more. Scientists around the world have devoted themselves to treating corona or formulating a vaccine for it.

​BY: EKREM KAYA

You may be wondering what a “molecular simulation” is anyway. We got this for you!
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Molecular simulations or molecular modeling is a collection of ways for doing “computer experiments” on model systems. Model systems are simplified version of real world cases. Molecular models are guided by the theory and work through the tools of math and physics. But then the scientists end up with equations that are too difficult to solve in a simple and accurate form. Not surprisingly, computers or supercomputers are used for numerical solutions. As you figured by now, this is a very interdisciplinary field and is called molecular modeling or computational chemistry/biology.

With the coronavirus pandemic taking the world by storm, COVID-19 gets closer to home every second. With over 15,129 reported cases of the virus in the United States, the virus has become hard to track. Luckily health organizations and other outlets have made tracking the pandemic easier for the public with detailed, up to date, maps. We’ve gathered a short list of reliable online maps to help inform the public and prevent misinformation. ​