Celebration of Learning: Presentations of Learning from DreamUp to Space

The late-90s Chicago rock band OK-Go is famous for the unique videos they create. In one, they perform the whole video using six treadmills in surprising ways. In another, they present a nearly four-minute Rube Goldberg machine jaw-dropper. Their most recent video, “Love” uses robots, kaleidoscopes, and mirrors to beautiful and amazing effect. Watch just one video, and you can’t possibly miss that the four band members are aficionados of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (or S.T.E.A.M.).

iLEAD Exploration learners who have taken the iLEAD-designed and run course DreamUp to Space are lucky enough to have become very familiar with yet another cool OK-Go music video, “Upside Down and Inside Out,” which is used to help learners understand zero gravity and why astronauts float. (If you watch the video, don’t miss OK-Go: How We Did It to learn how the video linked above was made.)

DreamUp to Space involves many innovative and challenging assignments, including an analysis of the OK-Go video and so much more. Given that the final theme for Learner Outcomes this school year is a celebration of learning, please enjoy several exemplary offerings by iLEAD Exploration learners from DreamUp to Space.

International Space Station Model Design Challenge

Paper model by Katelyn Ewing:

Paper model by Evangeline Hayes:

Lego model by Leah Wright:

Explore the Hazards of Spaceflight

By Evangeline Hayes:

By Liam Wright:

Experiment Proposal

As the culmination of the DreamUp to Space course approached, learners began to dream about the following question: If I could send an experiment to space, what would it be? The learners worked individually or in teams to devise a five-part experiment proposal for the International Space Station.

After competing against five other 4th-8th grade finalists, the following proposal won, and a launch team stewarded by the principal investigator and author of the proposal, Annemarie Ewing, is preparing the experiment to go into space!

What Is the Impact of Microgravity on the Germination of the Variants UCAL2250, Ameristand 901TS, and Sholty of Medicago sativa?