Conference for Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) in D.C. July 2-3

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) is a U.S. national Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education initiative created by a partnership of  the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) and NanoRacks, LLC that gives 300+ students the opportunity to design and propose real experiments to fly on the International Space Station. (Earlier rounds of the program put experiments on Shuttle flights.)

The program is having a conference in D.C. this week: 2014 SSEP National Conference, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, July 2-3, 2014

Details

All students and student teams that were engaged in SSEP experiment design and proposal writing—across all eight SSEP flight opportunities to date (SSEP on STS-134 and STS-135, and Missions 1 through 6 to ISS)—are wholeheartedly invited to attend their conference with their teachers and school administrators, and their families.

The conference provides a formal gathering place where students present on their experiment designs, and those teams that flew experiments report results. We want to immerse students in the experience of a real science conference. It is fitting. If the SSEP is dedicated to letting students step into the shoes of scientists and engineers, then a conference should be part of the experience.

The SSEP National Conference is taking place in one of the most visited museums on the planet, and in the new Moving Beyond Earth gallery. A stanchioned-off, ‘standing room only’ section of the gallery will remain open to the public so that the conference can be part of the public visitorship experience. This is a truly remarkable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for attendees.

The conference was also scheduled immediately before July 4th in the nation’s capital, so that attendees can stay on and watch the 4th of July fireworks on the National Mall.