CanSat is exhibiting in Feb!

For our design teams, aerodynamics is very important as our CanSat is deployed from the rocket and falls back to the earth. Paper rockets have similar aerodynamic challenges that have to be considered during their design. A thin strip of paper will wrap around a pencil and be taped to form the fuselage of the rocket. The pencil is then removed from the fuselage and then cut at an angle at the top and taped to form a nose cone. Fins may be added to the rocket. The rockets are now ready for their launch on a straw.

CanSat at VT is a student organisation that represents the three CanSat teams from Virginia Tech. CanSat is a competition for students to build a miniature satellite roughly the size of two soda cans that gets launched into the lower atmosphere and collects and transmits atmospheric and telemetry data on its way down to the ground.

Virginia Career VIEW will be at KTU on Feb. 26th!

Virginia Career VIEW
We're all about exploring . . . careers! Want to learn more about science and technology careers? Drop by our table to visit Career Town, our interactive game, pick up some "to-go" activities for kids, and get helpful information for parents.

Funded by the Virginia State Department of Education's Career and Technical Education office, all Virginia Career VIEW resources are supportive of Standards of Learning and Virginia Counseling Standards. Visit our site at: http://www.vacareerview.org/ for more information.

Balloon Rockets

The balloon rocket illustrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a rocket blows out air at high speed in one direction (action), the rocket is pushed in the opposite direction (reaction). The air pushes against the rocket and the rocket pushes back just as hard against the air. Although we will illustrate the law with balloon rockets, the same principles apply to fuel powered rockets. A horizontal track will be set up to race the balloon rockets horizontally. The youth will explore which balloon shape is most advantageous for racing. A rocket simulation program will be displayed on the laptop computer for the youth to simulate different rocket types and flight trajectories.

Exhibitor Information:

Sally Farrell, 4-H Extension Agent

Craig County VCE

24838 Craigs Creek Road

New Castle, VA 24127

Contact: sfarrell@vt.edu

NASA will be exhibiting at the Feb. KTU!

NASA and Climate
For more than 50 years, NASA has explored our moon, solar system and beyond — as well as our own home planet. In fact, NASA’s uses its unique vantage point of space to make critical measurements of Earth, from weather, air quality, ice and land surface to observations of Earth’s changing climate.

At the NASA tables, you will test your knowledge of the difference between weather and climate, make accurate measurements like a climate scientist, and see what our astronauts have to do to bring the comforts of Earth with them to space. We will have climate change resource information, including information on NASA’s Global Climate Change Education program.

Animal Adaptations to Polar Cold - exhibit on Feb 26th

How do animals survive in a land where the average winter temperature can be less than -30°F? Animals in Polar Regions have special adaptations that help them to endure temperature that can plunge to below -100°F. An interactive demonstration will show how a covering of blubber helps to insulate marine mammals and penguins. Other adaptations such as coloration and special fur or feathers will also be explored. The exercise came from the C2S2 Education Program, Andril Project. Catherine Short, 4-H Extension Agent, King William and King & Queen Counties.

MicroN_BASE Lab

Our project uses gadgets called Microbial Fuel Cells to make electricity for
places that can't get it easily. We feed wastewater from a sewer to the
germs we put in the fuel cell and they give off enough electricity to power
small items like a fan or a light. People have been using these for a long
time, but right now they don't make enough electricity to make them really
useful. We are trying different things to make the fuel cells smaller and
put out more electricity.

Our project is hosted by the MicroN BASE (Micro/Nano Biotic/Abiotic Systems
Engineering) laboratory. The MicroN BASE lab conducts research in a number
of different areas at the intersection of biological and nanoscale sciences.
The principal investigator for this work is Dr. Bahareh Behkam, with Dr.
Michael Ellis co-advising.

Southwest VATS

Southwest VATS is one of three regional sites of the Virginia Assistive Technology System, a statewide project committed to improving the quality of life for all Virginians by increasing awareness and accessibility of assistive technology (AT). Established in 1990, VATS is administered by the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS). Our Southwest Region encompasses 14,000 square miles in 29 counties and 13 independent cities.

We will help staff the Assistive Technologies display and showcase some of our devices and software with a similar focus as our campus AT partners.