Students tackle challenges in space

Over the course of the past year, the Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) and the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT) worked together to advance research and innovation in space, focusing on workforce development and collaborations with industry. 

The year was a productive one that included holding meetings with Space@VT’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB), participating in Virginia Aerospace Day, organizing a faculty retreat, and hosting a space-related challenge for K-12 students.

Afroze Mohammed, associate director of strategic alliances for CECE, works with Space@VT to strengthen partnerships. 

“CECE broadens Space@VT’s reach by collaborating with community colleges, K-12 educators, non-profits, and companies throughout Virginia,” Mohammed said. “This year, we participated in Virginia Aerospace Day in Richmond, joining with other universities and companies to update legislators about the industry and advocate for funding for aerospace workforce development.”

The Space@VT Industry Advisory Board comprises members with affiliations including Inmarsat, NASA, Lockheed Martin, and SAIC. This year, the IAB met with students to learn about their projects, in-class and extracurricular. Faculty members presented their research interests and received industry feedback. 

Scott Bailey, director of Space@VT and engineering research professor at Virginia Tech, said Space@VT’s collaborations with industry partners are vital. 

“Through these partnerships with industry, including Northrup Grumman, Scout Space, and the Southwest Research Institute, we’re able to build research capabilities to meet governmental needs as well as improve workforce preparation for Virginia Tech students,” Bailey said. “Students get valuable hands-on experience and develop relationships with employers ahead of recruiting and hiring process, which helps them land jobs after graduation. We are also able to receive input on campus curriculum development that is relevant to industry needs.”

An example of such a collaboration is the Major Design Experience (MDE), which provides Virginia Tech undergraduate students majoring in electrical and computer engineering real-world experience that includes technical, business, and professional skill development. 

Students in their senior year work on a capstone project with a company, gaining a better understanding of how the proposal, design, implementation, and testing process works, building skills in teamwork, project management, communication, ethics, and engineering professionalism along the way. Several sponsors have been in the space industry, including the Virginia Spaceport Authority, which has collaborated with the MDE program over the course of several years. This year, a team of six students worked with the Virginia Spaceport Authority – one of only four spaceports in the nation licensed by the Federal Aviation Association for vertical lift to orbit – on a project that developed a centralized monitoring system for one of the four launch pads and a payload processing facility at their launch complex.

“General Ted Mercer, CEO of the Virginia Spaceport Authority, personally attends the MDE Expo where the students present their projects to congratulate them on their work,” said Mohammed. “It’s a remarkable demonstration of commitment to student learning and workforce development.”

In March, Space@VT held a retreat to reflect on its mission and future opportunities. “Over the years, the center has improved its organization and increased its partnerships across campus,” Bailey said. “We are focused on becoming an established leader in research and workforce development, building on our strengths and working to better support our faculty in order to produce the workforce needed for the coming industrial revolution in space.” 

A way that Space@VT and CECE have supported the workforce in space was through an event called the Interstellar Dreams Space Debris Challenge. Interstellar Dreams Space Center, Space@VT, and CECE were sponsors of the event, which took place at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington. Space debris threatens the safety of astronauts in space, and just a small piece of debris can damage a satellite or puncture a spacesuit, putting the future of space exploration at risk. 

Through this event, students in middle and high school had the opportunity to tackle this pressing challenge while hearing from world-class aerospace experts, collaborating with leaders, and sharing their own solutions with a panel of experts. Speakers at the event included Florence Tan, deputy chief technologist for NASA’s science mission directorate and Che’ Bolden, president and CEO of the Charles Bolden Group.