STEM EDUCATION IN ROMANIA VIA SPACE-THEMED HANDS-ON CONTESTS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

摘要

The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA), the coordinator of space activities in Romania, has education as one of its core activities. Together with the European Space Agency, ROSA partnered in establishing ESERO Romania (the European Space Education Resource Office - Romania) as a project aimed at attracting the youth of primary and secondary school age towards STEM disciplines by making use of the fascination for outer space of many youngsters. Among the activities of ESERO Romania is the organisation of hands-on competitions for secondary school students whereby outer space exploration is used as a theme. One such event is the national CanSat competition whereby students build a soft drink can-sized payload which simulates a real satellite with all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power, sensors and a communication system. Another event is the national planetary rover competition "Exo-Ro", whereby mixed teams of students (boys and girls) need to build a rover able to navigate a rough terrain and determine whether the conditions thereby arc suitable for human life. This interactive presentation will feature these educational activities.