MGA students from the Association of Information Technology (AITS) and CyberKnights student organizations worked together to solve the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystems (PACE) Challenge on Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, at the School of Computing's computer lab in the Professional Science Center.
Two student teams tackled the NASA challenges by generating an IT solution. Students utilized all their knowledge and classroom lectures to aid in developing their solutions.
The first team created an interactive website to teach K-12 and higher education students about plankton on Earth. The system utilizes NASA’s satellite, “PACE,” to observe plankton from orbit. As the satellite travels around Earth’s orbit, the system allows users to view various formations of plankton around the world. Teachers can use the platform to create engaging lectures for their curriculum with out-of-this-world visualizations of the planet and its biodome.
The second team focused their energies on participating in the Symphony of the Stars: Harmonizing the James Webb Space Telescope in Music and Images challenge. The objective of the challenge was to create a multimedia presentation that included pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope. The team created a narrative using pictures and music to showcase the exploration and discovery of space brought by the James Webb Space Telescope. This challenge required students to focus on graphic design in a way that is the best method of conveying information to general audiences in an entertaining and informative way to educate them about the potential benefits space exploration, technology, and development can afford.
