[Satnews] The Irvine CubeSat STEM Program endeavors to provide STEM educational resources to high school students, with the intention of inspiring the next generation of innovative thinkers and an emphasis on creating opportunities for under-represented groups in STEM-related fields, including women and minorities.

Teams of as many as 30 students each at five high schools located in the City of Irvine—Beckman, Irvine, Northwood, University, and Woodbridge high schools—are joining forces to assemble, test and launch a CubeSat (nanosatellite) into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Teams were selected through a competitive application process in January 2016. The program officially kicks off on March 22, 2016, in The Cove @ UCI. Student teams will work after school during the course of a year, with a series of milestones scheduled to keep them on track.

An Industry Speaker Series will provide students with expert insight into space, technology and STEM, enhancing their understanding of real world application of the skills they are learning. Other events include field trips for testing and a design review, both intended to deepen student understanding and learning through hands-on experience. The crowning event will be the actual launch of the CubeSat into LEO aboard a rocket from Yasny in Russia, scheduled for the Spring of 2017.

IPSF is proud to be the official funding partner of the Irvine CubeSat STEM Program—to donate to this worthwhile program, please visit https://ipsf.net/givecubesat.html