Breaking the STEM bias with the Science of Rockets
This guest post has been written by Vito Bernardi from PFi Aerospace, one of our valued Industry Partners.
One small step through education biases, one giant leap for STEM education.
Current societal views impose the idea that developing a career in the space, aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries are reserved only for the highest performing academics. Yet, this notion has been invalidated through the sheer fact that advanced manufacturing, space, and aerospace industries are prevailing and provide ample opportunity for new entrants. Especially now with the recently established Australian Space Agency.
Navigating students through the right academic pathways according to their skillsets and abilities is essential as there is a desperate need for highly skilled technical staff across all industry sectors. Knowing this, PFi Aerospace has developed a STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) directed towards the upcoming generations of the workforce, specifically towards high school students and beyond.
Although STEM subjects are ever-present in schools, they often do not meld with one another, but rather are kept separate from each other like silos. This is where the Science of Rockets program comes into fruition.
The program integrates all STEM disciplines and is assessed within the Australian design curriculum to improve student skills through real-world problem-solving challenges. It combines with the United Nations Development Goals, taking on real-world issues and encourages enquiry-based learning.
Launching in Semester 1 - 2021, Science of Rockets will modernise current theory-based school curriculums and give a more hands-on approach to learning. The current structure was developed to identify with the Design Technologies Australian curriculum for Bands 9/10 as a 3-stage stream over 2-years.
The Science of Rockets takes students through a journey through a Design Cycle, it will highlight the importance of teamwork and integrated learning, incorporating topics such as engineering, infrastructure development, artificial intelligence, ethics, and advanced manufacturing. The curriculum itself is presented through the narrative of colonisation and will feature the study and use of PFi Aerospace’s Hybrid All-Inclusive Learning Instrument (HAILI). Through applied involvement with the HAILI rocket motor, it will bring the opportunity for students to manipulate technology with their bare hands.
“It’s not Rocket Science” – As a matter of fact, it is. But why rockets?
The idea of going to space, of exploring the unknown, is an engaging and inspiring subject matter that inspires curiosity. Thereof, the HAILI was born. A fully functioning hybrid rocket motor provides students with a safe method of learning space systems and advanced manufacturing principles. Lightweight and compact, HAILI becomes a practical tool for student education. HAILI’s user-friendly components allow students to hone their critical thinking, technology, programming for robotics, technology, and digital skills.
The advanced manufacturing, aerospace and space industries are quite literally taking off like a rocket, and this is the time when they most need highly skilled technicians to assist them to launch. Programs such as Science of Rockets, guides students past their studies and supports them into promising and exciting careers. All the while, tearing down biases that the manufacturing industry is dirty or positions in the STEM industries are out of their reach.
As former NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam stated about Science of Rockets:
“We have to make sure we introduce these kinds of things to young people so they can understand that it can be interesting, relevant and fun. That’s how you get the next technically educated workforce in Australia and across the globe.”
Science of Rockets is ready for launch and will be making its way to your local school district.
About PFi Aerospace
PFi Aerospace is an Advanced Manufacturing Gateway to Industry Schools Program Industry Partner. They are an R&D company working across Aerospace, Space and Defence. Australian owned and Queensland based, PFi Aerospace is proud to collaborate with local and international companies to enhance industry capability. PFi Aerospace has developed a STEM curriculum accompanied by a fully functioning hybrid rocket motor teaching device.