Students converse outside of Forbes Lecture Hall prior to opening remarks. | After a busy move-in, students were eager to officially begin their time at the Virginia Earth System Science Scholars Summer Academy. Despite braving Saturday morning traffic across the state, the scholars were full of excitement and energy. In her opening remarks, Virginia Space Grant Consortium STEM Programs Coordinator Joyce Corriere encouraged students to “make the most of your time here,” and stated that she hoped students would not only improve their understanding of environmental systems, but also take the opportunity to develop skills that would last them well into their careers. After these remarks, VSGC Education Programs Manager Rudo Kashiri introduced a teambuilding exercise in which students were asked to transport a ball 10 meters (about 32 feet) by creating a channel from plastic tubing. The scholars were divided into the four teams they will work in this week: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, and Lithosphere. Each group approached this challenge differently, displaying unique innovation and problem-solving skills. |
The Hydrosphere team found an innovative solution to transport the ball, but forgot to use a channel.
It seemed at first that the Atmosphere group would be the first to complete the activity, but a last minute stumble caused the group to drop the ball just before reaching the bucket. This led the Hydrosphere team to finish first, despite spending the first half of the activity trying to transport the ball by using the tubing like chopsticks. Both the Atmosphere and Lithosphere groups were able to later complete the challenge, but the members of the Biosphere team seemed to have bad luck, and dropped the ball right as time was called.
After the students finished the teambuilding activity, Rudo Kashiri explained that seemingly simple solutions can actually be very difficult to solve. She reminded students that thoroughly understanding a problem is essential to finding an effective solution.
After the students finished the teambuilding activity, Rudo Kashiri explained that seemingly simple solutions can actually be very difficult to solve. She reminded students that thoroughly understanding a problem is essential to finding an effective solution.
Tonight the scholars officially begin their respective group assignments. Currently, students are researching ongoing NASA missions to better understand how their mission can integrate with existing NASA projects. We look forward to the student’s presentations tomorrow, and are excited to see them begin planning their own missions! | Students from the Biosphere group get to work on their mission presentations. |