Student Prize Roundup - April 15, 2009

Up … Up … and Away! - GM Today.com (Greater Milwaukee) -

On Sunday, the trio of Washington County 4-H Rocketry team members will launch a 31-pound rocket at the Student Launch Initiative in Huntsville , Ala. In 2007, the group earned a spot in the top 25 teams and finished in 15th place in the Team America Rocketry Challenge. ... The team has been working on the project for almost three months, and because it need FAA flight clearance to launch, it had its first trial run at the Quad City Rocket Challenge in Princeton , Ill. on April 4.

Student Launch Initiative 2008-2009 - Washington County 4-H Rocketry - This includes photos and video of the rocket (including an innovative rocket retrieval mechanism), as well as design information. The experiment:

Our payload/science experiment is to reclaim as much power as possible from 3 wind turbines located in tube fins. Each turbine will use a different blade design or configuration but with an identical Igarashi DC motor. The goal is to see which blade design is the most efficient. In addition, a thermoelectric generator will be mounted to the motor casing. Heat from the motor will be converted directly into electricity. The goal is to see how much, if any, electricity can be generated from heat.

Student Launch Initiative - NASA Student Launch Initiative page -

2009 Launch Dates: April 15-20, 2009
Bragg Farms, Toney, AL

2008 - 2009 SLI Teams:
--Boy Scout Troop 143, Giddings, Texas
--Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
--Denmark High School, Denmark, Wis.
--Frenship High School, Wolfforth, Texas
--Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.
--Krueger Middle School, San Antonio, Texas
--Madison West High School Team 1, Madison, Wis.
--Madison West High School Team 2, Madison, Wis.
--Mulberry Grove High School, Mulberry Grove, Ill.
--Plantation High School Team 1, Plantation, Fla.
--Plantation High School Team X, Plantation, Fla.
--W.G. Enloe High School Green Team, Raleigh, N.C.
--W.G. Enloe High School Gold Team, Raleigh, N.C.
--Washington County 4-H, Slinger, Wis.

University Student Launch Initiative - NASA - This one also lists the teams, this time at the University level.

Rocket team preps for national competition - Al.com (The Huntsville Times)

Rocket Boys ready for Challenge - Al.com

Cansat Competition - SEDS India National Conference - SEDS India blog

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Partnership - Omega Envoy (Google Lunar X PRIZE Teams page)

Mars Rover Demonstration - Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium -

The Oregon State University Robotics Club’s 2009 University Rover Challenge Team will host a demonstration of their new rover design on Saturday, April 25. The team will test their new rover design while performing tasks in biology, geology, soil analysis, emergency navigation and construction.

Mavric - Mars Analog Vehicle for Robotic Inspection and Construction - This is the blog from one of the 2009 University Rover Challenge teams - this one from Iowa State University. Today's update from the blog: Construction Update #3

MDRS Crew 79 Final Commander Report - Mars Society - Part of the report covers work done in association with the Georgia Tech URC team.

Microgravity Research Competition Finalists - These are the finalists for the SpaceX/Heinlein Trust/Rice Alliance competition for a spot on a DragonLab flight.

... A finalist competition will be held on April 17 at Rice University and the winner will be announced on April 18.

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston -- Decoupling Diffusive Transport Phenomena

Universities Space Research Association -- Low-Gravity Colloidal Engineering

Durham VA Medical Center/Duke University -- Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus

In addition to this finalist competition, the Rice Business Plan Competition will be held April 16-18. That includes $80,000 in "specialty" prizes to be awarded by NASA.

Meanwhile, the 8th Continent Business Plan Competition (formerly Lunar Ventures) schedule includes:

Round 2: Semi-Finalist Teams Only
Step 5: Upload Full Business Plan by 4/10/2009
Step 6: Present your Venture at 8th Continent Business Plan Competition on 4/24-26/2009

2009 What if Competition winners - The 2009 winners were scheduled to be part of the Conrad Award Innovation Summit held a couple weeks ago.

Earth Day Photo Contest for Grades 5-8 - Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium - This is held by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies:

... a trusted leader in Earth and space science education, communication and outreach, and in fostering national and international cooperation in global Earth observations.

Cornell 100 MPG Car Design Team to Participate in Int’l Competition - The Cornell Daily Sun -

At its inception approximately two years ago, there were six students in the 100+ MPG Team. Now, headed by William “Trey” Riddle grad, the team boasts a membership of approximately 90 students, both undergraduate and graduate, and three faculty advisors...