The Innovative Technology Partnerships Office (ITPO) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has announced that the video submission deadline for the fourth NASA Goddard OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Challenge is January 12, 2015.
The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program and to inspire interest in all NASA missions, programs and projects. Students in grades 3 through 12 are provided a unique experience using 21st century engineering design technology and purposeful interactions with tech transfer and STEM professionals to create unique technology spinoff applications derived from actual NASA Goddard innovations. New for this year, the contest will feature two phases of project-based learning and team competition:
- NASA Goddard OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Challenge – Video Phase: Students in grades 3 through 12 create and submit videos about their favorite NASA Goddard spinoff story. In their videos, students must demonstrate an age-appropriate level of understanding of the selected spinoff technology and identify a possible new spinoff application for the technology. The video submission deadline is January 12, 2015.
- NASA Goddard OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Challenge – InWorld Phase: After completing the video phase, 20 teams in grades 6 through 12 will work with college student mentors to further develop their concept for a new spinoff application in a 3-D multi-user virtual world setting. The 20 teams will create computer-aided design (CAD) models and conduct basic engineering and business analyses of their spinoff concepts, which they will then present to a panel of judges within the virtual world setting.
Through participation in the challenge, students will:
- Learn about NASA technology transfer and technology commercialization processes
- Deepen their understanding of current, real-world, NASA-inspired design challenges
- Gain experience with the engineering design process
- Develop creative and problem-solving skills
- Learn to work in a collaborative environment
- Work with students from across the nation
- Develop modeling and simulation skills
- Build confidence and interest in STEM-focused careers, particularly computer science and engineering
Students, whether through a classroom or individual project, are encouraged to submit their videos by the January 12, 2015 deadline.
During the summer of 2014, ITPO’s high school interns wrote, directed and filmed age-appropriate videos for teaching professionals and parents to share with students.
Promotional videos for elementary school students:
Promotional videos for middle & high school students:
For more information about the challenge, please visit:
http://itpo.gsfc.nasa.gov/optimus/
For more information about ITPO, please visit:
Darryl Mitchell
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Darryl.r.mitchell@nasa.gov
301-286-5810