Micro-g NExT challenges undergraduate students to design, build, and test a tool or device that addresses a space exploration challenge. The overall experience includes hands-on engineering design, test operations and public outreach.
In July 2019, the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services 18th mission launched to the International Space Station (ISS). With it flew a newly-designed zip tie cutter tool — a tool that would be instrumental in helping astronauts complete repairs during upcoming spacewalks.
What was so unique about this device? It was invented by a team of undergraduate students.
Team CERO, which included students Maria Gonzalez, Francesca Liso, Sean Palmer, James Philippi and Daniel Vasek, as well as faculty members Dr. Yiheng Wang and Jared Cammon, had submitted a proposal for their design to Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design (Micro-g NExT). Micro-g NExT challenges undergraduate students to design, build and test a tool or device that addresses a space exploration challenge.
“This program, and others like it, is the best opportunity for students to get a real-world experience,” says Trinesha Dixon, Micro-g NExT Activity Manager. “When you get to do this type of work early on, it can really open the door to what else is out there.”
The overall experience includes hands-on engineering, test operations and public outreach. Test operations are conducted in the simulated microgravity environment of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA Johnson Space Center. The 6.2 million gallon pool — the largest indoor pool in the world — is an integral piece of how astronauts simulate the feeling of weightlessness to train for spacewalks.
“[The most exciting thing] about Micro-g NExT is when the students walk onto the deck of the NBL for the first time, and they really grasp how big of a facility it is,” says Katie Livingood, Micro-g NExT Coordinator.
In 2018, when 25 Micro-g NExT proposals were selected, more than 200 students had the opportunity to be a part of NASA’s mission. When team CERO’s zip tie cutter tool had been tested in May 2018, it surpassed the engineers’ expectations so much so that they were invited back to develop their tool further for testing with NASA’s Active Response Gravity Offload System.
With help from the Extravehicular Activity Tools and Development team, the device became flight certified. Now onboard the Space Station, the tool is now an important component for the repair of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.
“Undergraduate students are given an experience that prepares them for the STEM workforce,” says Livingood. “What student wouldn’t be excited to say ‘Hey, I helped design this and it’s on the International Space Station right now?’”
Both Livingood and Dixon have a strong passion for fostering a love for science and technology, having both come from an education background. Prior to joining NASA, Livingood started her career in education in 2005 as an adjunct professor at Tulsa Community College. She also taught high school science.
“I love seeing the lightbulb go off when a student grasps a concept or really comprehends something,” says Livingood. During her 10 years in the classroom, she developed science curriculum and implemented new strategies and technologies to increase student engagement and performance.
Prior to joining NASA, Dixon contributed to the advancement of Quantum Cascade Lasers and laser-based sensor systems with Bell Labs and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Dixon began her career in education in 2007 when she played a key role in steering the mathematics and physics curriculum for the school district.
“Coming into this line of work from more of a technical side, I’m always wondering how we can bridge this gap between academia and the actual workforce world,” says Dixon. “I like helping [students] see their place in the big picture.”
Since being involved with Micro-g NExT, Livingood and Dixon have noticed a strong retention in the students who have participated in the program and then gave gone on to pursue a career at NASA or in STEM.
“This is our 6th year of Micro-g NExT, and we are already seeing previous participants brought on as civil servants and full-time contractors, and excel in other STEM areas and careers,” says Dixon.
In addition to helping students use their studies for real-world applications, Micro-g NExT helps students try out new fields that they would not ordinarily have a chance to sample.
“When we met with former participants a couple of weeks ago, they said that not only did Micro-g NExT encourage them to choose the right career path, but it motivated them to try different career paths,” says Livingood. “If they encountered something in Micro-g NExT that they hadn’t encountered yet in college, it encouraged them to try it out.”
“We have engineering students come and realize that there are opportunities to be a diver at the NBL, or work in communications,” says Dixon. “It opens their eyes to the broader sense of what it takes to be successful.”
Livingood will be presenting about Micro-g NExT at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington D.C.
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement aims to take available resources and employ them to enhance the quality of STEM instruction and improve the level of STEM literacy in America. Through its programs like Micro-g NExT, students are given opportunities to work on challenges that not only provide a hands-on STEM experience, but also contribute and help NASA develop new tools that will solve the engineering challenges of the next generation.
By: Thalia Patrinos