CCSD STEM Events

Culinary Challenge

Teams from Eaglecrest High School & Grandview High School will compete with culinary projects. 

This year the challenge will be to make an ENTIRE meal that consists of an entree, a side dish, and a dessert.

For the Entire Meal:
Calories - 900-1100 
Fat - 40 grams or less
Saturated Fat - 10 g or less
Sodium -  800 mg or less
Dietary Fiber - 8 grams or more
Sugar  - 25 grams or less

**Menu items may not contain raw fish or shellfish or uncooked meats and or desserts, sauces, or dressings using raw eggs or egg whites.

Leading Teacher: Mary Anderson

Participating Students:   

 Design and Prototype Teams 

ABOUT

High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware or HUNCH is an innovative school-based program that partners NASA at Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Langley Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Glenn Research Center, Kennedy Space Center, and AMES Research Center with high schools in states across the nation.

The mission of the HUNCH program is to empower and inspire students through a Project Based Learning program where students learn 21^st century skills and have the opportunity to launch their careers through the participation in the design and fabrication of real world valued products for NASA.

The partnership between CCSD and NASA started in 2008, and evolved in developing NASAHunch program in our High Schools. The program allows our students to participate in solving real problems presented by astronauts while using STEM practices that challenge them to create, innovate and care about the world around them.Students are forming teams and competing nationally in the Culinary Challenge and the Design & Prototype challenge. 

Learn more about the NASA HUNCH Program: https://nasahunch.com/program/

The problems being solved by our teams:

Magnetic Boots for Space X Human Landing System
If space craft are made out of ferromagnetic materials, could we come up with a magnetic boot that would allow astronauts to walk around and work on the outside of the ship instead of floating? This would allow astronauts to maneuver with their feet and carry things with their hands similar to what they do on Earth."

Lunar Habitat Shoes
The Lunar habitat will be a fairly unique location where NASA may need a specialized shoe to aid the astronauts in this
new environment. Because of the 1/6th gravity you will also have 1/6th friction for walking around. Static electricity
sparks can cause fires. Because the lunar dust is sharp like shards of glass, the floor needs to be easy to clean."

Zero-G Bulk Transfer System
The current solution to controlling the many little nuts, bolts, almonds, M&Ms, Leggos, … is to wrap them
in small plastic bags but all of these small packages add to a very large amount of trash. Is it possible to
control the many, many particles that can be inhaled, float into eyes, clog up electrical connectors,
obstruct air vents and cause many other problems in zero-g without sending more trash to the ISS or
other space craft? Because of the lack of gravity, we end up having to send up many plastic packages to
control the small particles. If we could come up with a system that would allow the transfer of small
particulate from a large, flexible, bulk bag to a smaller container we could save NASA from sending up a
lot of packing material that turns into trash and adds to other trash issues on the International Space
Station

Lunar Supply Pod Airlock
HUNCH needs a safe place where the crew can unload the Lunar Supply Pods. If the crew unloads them outside in the vacuum of
the lunar surface, the space suits are going to be too big and bulky to be able to crawl into and out of the supply pods and dust
would probably get on all of the supplies. The supply pod needs to be brought into a controlled environment to make it easy for
the crew to unload the supplies and bring them into the habitat where they can be used. "

Fungas NanoLab
Scientists and Researchers are wanting to send up experiments to the ISS but they don’t have enough experience designing labs. HUNCH wants to make it easier for Researchers to do their science without having to do all of the engineering by making a generic lab that is easier for them to work with. Molds and fungus are found growing on the ISS and the crew cleans the station often to keep them from proliferating but few have tried to grow mushrooms yet. As people expand into the solar system, fungus will come with us whether by design or accident. Studying how it does and does not grow in zero-g and the spacecraft environment may be important to the health and safety of the space craft and crew."