Combining Undergraduate Student Curriculum, Research, and Outreach: High-altitude Balloon and Rockets

Abstract:

The Society of Physics Students chapter at Utah Valley University (UVU) recently established a high altitude balloon project to provide students with research opportunities. This highly successful program involves students not only from physics but also from other STEM fields and non-STEM subjects, and as such acts as a unique outreach program for the department of physics. Examples of experiments performed with the balloon project are: 3D-acceleration measurements, altitude/pressure/temperature measurements, ozone monitoring, bio-aerosol collection, and solar panel performance output. All these experiment are designed and build by groups of students either as part of research projects or through class participation as the projects link with the curriculum in several courses.

Most recently, a group of UVU students have initiated the implementation of small rockets capable of carrying payloads to this high-altitude program. Both balloon and rocket platforms are fundamental in-situ measuring techniques for numerous geoscience subjects, and are arguably best illustrated by the NASA balloon and sounding rocket programs.

In this presentation, we give an overview of the program and how it is 1) being implemented into the curriculum, 2) provide unique research opportunities for students, and 3) specific outreach activities.