Small Satellite lab hosts Women in Technology workshop

The Small Satellite Research Laboratory hosted a Women in Technology Workshop for young women from Madison County Middle School on Monday May 22. The workshop was directed by SSRL members David L Cotten (Assistant Research Scientist, Center for Geospatial Research (CGR) in Geography), Paige Copenhaver (Undergraduate, Physics and Astronomy), Natalie Davis (Undergraduate, Computer Systems Engineering), Sydney Whilden (Undergraduate, Physics and Astronomy),  Susanne Ullrich (Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy), and Marguerite Madden (Professor of Geography and Director of CGR). The effort was supported with funding from the Office for Service Learning, the department of physics & astronomy, Franklin College Associate Dean and professor Thomas Mote, and the Franklin Office of Inclusion and Diversity Leadership

The participants built their own 1U cardboard CubeSat’s using materials acquired from NASA and they learned about other small satellites, the two missions at UGA, and the capabilities of the lab. During their tour of the lab the students saw 3D printers in action, learn how they work, and took home one of the 3D printed objects.

Students also learned about basic circuits and the emerging world of soft circuits. They designed and created bracelets that illuminated when attached to their wrists, allowing them to create their own personal designs while having to correctly sew/connect the different components of the circuit. The other project utilized LilyPad Arduino development boards, where they learned how to write code for the Arduino microprocessor. They programed the boards to play music, vibrate, make different LEDs flash, and even detect temperature. The students learned how to alter the programming of the Arduino so they could create their own projects after the workshop was completed.