Students Lisangellie Flores, Ana Cabrera, Diego Roura and Michael Quiñones will design a device that will collect information for research from the stratosphere.
By THE STAR STAFF
A proposal presented by four physics and robotics students at the Mayagüez Educational Opportunities Residential Center (CROEM by its Spanish acronym) turned out to be the winner in NASA’s TechRise student competition, which entails an economic reward to carry out the experiments of the project presented.
“The students Lisangellie Flores, Ana Cabrera, Diego Roura and Michael Quiñones of the Physics and Robotics courses will design a device that will collect information for research which entails the application of their knowledge in science and mathematics in the design of a prototype to be tested in the stratosphere at the end of this semester,” said Prof. Danelix Cordero Rosario, who along with professors Elier Sánchez and Josué López is in charge of the group of students. “This experiment seeks to provide knowledge about Earth’s climate by studying particle physics. As is generally known, the study and knowledge of the Earth’s atmosphere helps us with possible solutions to global warming and the development of knowledge of deep space, among other uses.”
The CROEM professors said the work behind the proposal that was selected by NASA takes the students to another level, and expressed feeling very proud of the creativity, commitment and excellent work done by the young participants. The CROEM school, located on the premises of a former U.S. Army-Air Force radar base, houses 250 students in three residential buildings whose curriculum emphasizes science, math and technology.
“NASA selected this research proposal, which is aimed at the development of new technology that will be sent as an experiment to the stratosphere, from our CROEM school,” said CROEM Director Prof. Milton Tomassini del Toro. “NASA’s TechRise project is a highly coveted one among schools and universities since it provides financial aid of about $1,500 to teams working on developing new technologies that will eventually be tested by experts at the National Aeronautics and Space Agency. This is another challenge for our students and motivates them to design a science or technology experiment that could be tested in a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight. It is important to highlight the statement made by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson when announcing the winning schools, which included CROEM, and where he said: ‘NASA’s future missions are driven by the achievements of the Artemis generation that today are in classrooms throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Through opportunities like the TechRise Student Challenge, young people are deepening their passion for science and technology, preparing to be the future innovators and pioneers who help humanity soar to new heights and unlock more secrets of the universe.’”
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