MVCTC Computer Coding & Web Applications Team Advances for Third Year to NASA HUNCH Program Finals

04/22/2021

Englewood, Ohio – The Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) Computer Coding and Web Application Program students have worked with the NASA HUNCH Program throughout the school year, developing a mixed reality simulation of what life on the International Space Station (ISS) would be like with artificial gravity. The Computer Coding and Web Application team consist of seniors Qian Cong (John) Li (Miamisburg), Justin Butler (Huber Heights), and Ethan Howard (Eaton).

The week of April 19, Mrs. Goodall and her students were notified that they are in the Top Three Nationally in the NASA HUNCH Design and Prototyping Category! The students will participate in the final design and prototype review on April 29, 2021.

The announcement they received from NASA HUNCH stated, "Congratulations for being chosen as a Finalist for NASA HUNCH Design and Prototype 2021. Your design was chosen as a Finalist because your team has fulfilled all or most of the requirements for your project along with quality in design and manufacturing the prototype. Your team demonstrated good testing of your prototype and knowledge of the problems and extensive understanding of the environment for your project. There was a lot of really amazing competition for these spots and all people from the semi-finalist."

The NASA HUNCH program gives students opportunities to apply their knowledge from the classroom to work on real NASA projects requested by the NASA engineers or the astronaut crew on the International Space Station.

This year's program simulates a new wing to the International Space Station and the effect of artificial gravity on the objects contained in the wing. The new wing needed bathrooms, bedrooms, a science lab, and an exercise room. Students needed to identify potential problems and opportunities for improvement should an artificial gravity environment be implemented.

The invited teams will present their Design and Prototype project virtually this year to NASA engineers and astronauts.

Mrs. Goodall shared, "I am pleased with how well they not only overcame the struggles that generally occur in a group capstone but with the additional difficulty of COVID-19 challenges. Working through challenges and learning how persistence pays off is something that the students learned."

John Li stated, "It was exhausting but exciting to work with NASA on such an ambitious project. We've had to brave uncharted territory and come back with a polished project."

Ethan Howard shared, "Working on the NASA HUNCH project has been a wonderful learning experience."

INFORMATION ON NASA HUNCH from https://www.nasahunch.com/

"The HUNCH mission is to empower and inspire students through a Project-Based Learning program where high school students learn 21st-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."

NASA HUNCH DESIGN & PROTOTYPING

The Design and Prototyping HUNCH Program is a way for students of all skill levels to develop innovative solutions to problems posed by life on the International Space Station. Many of the projects are items personally requested by the International Space Station Crew to help ease living conditions aboard the station, giving students the opportunity to really make an impact on the lives of Astronauts. Other projects come from Flight Crew Systems and Operational groups at NASA that need more idea development.

Students from all over the United States partner with mentors at NASA Research Centers across the country to develop unique solutions. This wide swath of ideas allows us to pull in the best ideas at each center, bringing students together nationwide to collaborate and present the very best they can offer at our Design Reviews. This year we are preparing a new schedule of design reviews to help keep the process moving forward and bring the best ideas to the forefront. Our goal is to bring the best ideas from each project together for a final review at Johnson Space Center, where they can be reviewed in greater detail.

MVCTC Computer Coding & Web Applications

The MVCTC Computer Coding and Web Applications program teaches systems analysis and design and C++ programming. Programming skills include logical functions, mathematical and string operations, and control structures, multi-dimensional arrays, sorting and searching, object-oriented programming, data structures, and the Standard Template Library. Students will create an online database-enabled Web portfolio in their junior year using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL. Students can earn college credit towards a fast-track programming certificate through Sinclair Community College.

Dedicated to providing premier educational choices and advanced employment preparation for youth, adults, and organizations, MVCTC has proudly served the Miami Valley since 1971.

For more information about MVCTC, please visit www.mvctc.com.

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