Student satellite workshop for Vaasa 7th graders at WIC
Jaakko Yliaho and Kendall Rutledge presenting Kvarken Space Center for 7th graders at Wasa Innovation Center.
Borgaregatans skola, Wasa Innovation Center (WIC), Kvarken Space Center, together with LUMA Center Pohjanmaa and Skolresurs arranged a Satellite Workshop for Borgaregatans skola’s 7th graders at the end of May 2023. The aim was to increase student interest in STEM subjects, satellites and space processes.
The chief organizer of the workshop, teacher, Jenny Rönnqvist-Norrby from Borgaregatans skola, brought the various “space” presenters together. With assistance from the other seventh grade teachers, she organized all the students (145 total) and chaperoned them to WIC for the space education workshop. The presentations included four sessions during the day.
KitSat cubesatellites.
Each student group attended a workshop session where Saana Söderlund from LUMA Center Pohjanmaa and Christian Ahläng from Skolresurs provided them a large constellation of KitSats, one-unit cubesatellites, to be investigated, disassembled and re-assembled. In this way the students learned about the important functional modules of a satellite.
Jaakko Yliaho.
In the presentation session, Jaakko Yliaho and Kendall Rutledge from Kvarken Space Center presented various Kvarken Space Center processes and the KvarkenSat cubesatellite mission to the student groups. Jaakko and Kendall also described what kind of space-related projects and activities there are in Vaasa, and why they are personally interested in working in “space”.
The workshop was a nice change for students waiting for the end of the school year, but at the same time it was an important part of space education for young people growing up in the Vaasa area. The plan is to continue the workshops in the future and improve them based on the feedback received from the students.
