NASA is inviting students in grades 5-8
to participate in the Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design
Challenge. The challenge uses real-world scenarios that meet science
and mathematics content standards. Students can participate in a
formal, informal or home-school setting.
Teams of up to six students
will design a water recycling system for the unique environment of the
moon. Teams will then test their system on a simulated wastewater
stream. Proposals and results are due Feb. 1, 2010.
The winning teams will be announced
in May 2010. The top three teams will receive awards. The first place
team will receive an expense-paid trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. During the winning team's visit to Kennedy, students will
gain firsthand knowledge about NASA's missions, receive
behind-the-scenes tours of NASA's launch facilities, and learn about
future aerospace and engineering careers.
For more information and contest rules, please visit http://wlmr.nasa.gov/.
On Oct. 28, 2009,
Dr. Jay Garland will be hosting a webcast tutorial for educators on the
WLMR design challenge from 4-5 pm EDT. The presentation will provide an
overview of the contest objectives and schedule, demonstrate methods
students will use to create and analyze the wastewater, and answer
questions from the audience. The webcast can be accessed at http://dln.nasa.gov.
Also available online is the Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge Educator Guide. This guide is
a starting point for middle school students to research and answer the
challenging questions of how to maintain human habitations on the moon
and other planets in the solar system. The guide focuses specifically
on the need for water recycling. The guide includes background
information on topics relating to the moon, Earth’s water cycle and
water recycling. Several basic classroom activities on water recycling
are also included.
The guide is available for downloading at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/WLMR_Guide.html.
Questions about the Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge should be directed to Jay Garland at jay.l.garland@nasa.gov.