School children on course for NASA following space race at Imperial College London

12 school pupils win trip to NASA Space Centre, following national competition at Imperial this weekend <em>News</em>

Tuesday 27 April 2010
By John-Paul Jones and Elizabeth Batty

A design for a human colony in space has won 12 school pupils a trip to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, following a national competition at Imperial College London this weekend.

Running since 1984, the International Space Settlement Design Competition challenges school students around the world to tackle an engineering brief focusing on human colonies in space. Its aim is to give young people a glimpse into real work pressures and priorities, as well as to excite interest in engineering and science.

The competition to represent the UK saw 160 pupils aged 14 to 18 from 12 schools descend on Imperial for a weekend of preparing and presenting design proposals for the space settlements, by setting up mock companies to consider construction costs, technical details and effective interior layouts for the community of hypothetical inhabitants. The winning design included plans for simulated night and day cycles for inhabitants and genetically modified plants, adapted to thrive in the new environment, with building materials sourced from the moon and asteroids.

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As well as tackling the challenge of creating a comfortable and sustainable environment for humans in the darkness of space, students have the chance to realise the importance of communication, team work and effective marketing in companies. Dr Randall Perry from the College’s Earth Science and Engineering Department, who organised the UK stage of the competition at Imperial, says:

“This competition is a great opportunity to enthuse young people about science and engineering and show them the importance of imagination in investigating these subjects. The international competition is a great idea and I think we are fielding a really strong team in the finals. We wish them the very best of luck.”

Physics teacher Bhavna Choraria of participating school Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, adds: “Part of the reason we applied was because the competition was held at Imperial. It’s a different experience for the students to be here for than simply attending an open day. Just to be at Imperial and have experts in their field talking to the students is a great opportunity.”

The International Space Settlement Design competition, established first as US competition in 1984, aims to combine a real insight into the pressures and needs of industry, combined with a brief to capture imaginations. Its co-founder, and competition judge, Anita Gale, an aerospace engineer who works for the Space Shuttle programme, says: “Although we set the brief in 50 years’ time, this competition is about giving young people as real an experience as possible, in terms of managing themselves as a company and answering a brief.”

The winning company, made up of pupils from the City of London Academy, Southwark, Pate’s Grammar School, Gloucestershire, and Wallington County Grammar School, Surrey, will be sending 12 of its members to Houston in July. Team member and president of the company, Joseph Dudley, aged 16, from Southwark’s City of London Academy said of their success: “There was a moment of disbelief. For me this was an amazing opportunity to get involved with, especially since my school was a last minute addition as another school were unable to join the competition.”

The companies were assisted by volunteer CEOs drawn from industry and Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering, as well as Imperial postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students, on hand to give advice. Ms Gale adds: “It’s terrific that Imperial has got involved. As well as the quality of the volunteers working with the students it’s a great opportunity for Imperial to show its campus and some of the really exciting elements of its research to young people.”

This year’s semi finals are sponsored by Imperial College London, the UK Space Agency the organisation YES (Youth Exploring Science).

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