Canadian students invited to contribute to experiments in space

Living Space experiment will team students with astronaut David Saint Jacques aboard the International Space Station

OTTAWA, Oct. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - The power of science is as infinite as space. It is important to engage Canada's youth in science, and give them the tools to make science part of their lives.

Today the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and Bonnie Schmidt, Founder and President of Let's Talk Science, officially launched a new youth science research project that will provide Canadian students with a unique opportunity to collect and compare environmental data from Earth and from space.

Environmental factors play a role in the health of Canadian students in their classrooms, and astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Living Space project will let students analyse and compare temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels in their classrooms with data from other classrooms in Canada as well as with astronaut Saint-Jacques' data from the ISS. 

The students will be able to study how environmental conditions vary in different places and explore how these factors can affect mental and physical health. The students will also have the opportunity to learn basic coding skills by setting up devices and programming sensors to collect data. 

Canadian educators can register their classrooms on the Living Space website. While in space, astronaut Saint-Jacques will connect with one of the classrooms to discuss the results of their research during a live event from the ISS.

Quotes

"When I was in school, I never would have dreamed that I could have the opportunity to contribute to experiments in space. Now, our government is making this a reality for future Canadian scientists, engineers and leaders in innovation through the Living Space project. By investigating scientific concepts and learning digital skills, like coding and analyzing data, our children will have limitless opportunities to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow."

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Science is for everyone, both here on Earth and in space! I encourage students across Canada to participate in this exciting project using real data from the International Space Station. Initiatives like these help pave the way for Canadian youth to become the doctors and nurses, the engineers and architects, the teachers, the explorers and researchers of tomorrow."

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan. Minister of Science and Sport

"Living Space gives educators the opportunity to integrate science and coding in a unique and engaging way in their classrooms. During the project, students will learn important skills such as analytical thinking and digital skills like coding. They will collect and analyze data, and compare it with information from other Canadian classrooms and with data from the International Space Station. In 2013, over 300 classrooms took part in the Let's Talk Science activity RaDi-N2 & You with Chris Hadfield while he was in space, and we are proud to continue building on this foundation of science learning in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency."

Bonnie Schmidt, founder and President of Let's Talk Science

"I want to engage young Canadians in my mission. I was inspired by the Apollo moon missions, and that gave way to an insatiable curiosity about technology, our planet and the universe that fuelled my education and career path. I hope that through this mission and activities like Living Space, the Canadian Space Agency and I can inspire young Canadians in the same way. I can't wait to see the results of their research projects."

David Saint-Jacques, Canadian Space Agency astronaut

Quick facts

• David Saint-Jacques will fly to the International Space Station on his first mission as part of Expedition 58/59.
• Living Space was developed by Let's Talk Science in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and expanded with support from CanCode and Fair Chance Learning.
• The CSA is coordinating and collaborating with partners to deliver a wide variety of activities during David's mission to engage young Canadians in science and technology:
• Little Inventors – Inventions for Space: A creative challenge for children across the country to come up with ideas to make life in space easier and more fun. The top inventions will be turned into prototypes by expert makers and artisans. Two will even make an appearance in space!
• Astro Pi Challenge: A European science and coding competition where students are invited to develop code that could be run on the Space Station's unique Raspberry Pi computers. Two different complexity levels make Astro Pi accessible to students with or without coding experience.
• Mission: Astronaut: Children and the young at heart will be invited to discover what living and working on the Space Station is like through a new space-themed game.
• Radi-N2 and You: While David measures radiation levels aboard the ISS, classrooms across Canada can do the same on Earth.

Links

• Expedition 58/59
• Living Space
• David Saint-Jacques' training for his space mission – Video
• Overview of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques' space mission – Infographic

Website: http://asc-csa.gc.ca
Email: [email protected]
Follow us on social media

SOURCE Canadian Space Agency

Canadian Space Agency, Media Relations Office, Telephone: [phone]