SJS-MIT Research Collaboration 2020-21

The collaboration this year will consist of two major activities:

• Participation in the Future City Competition sponsored by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers for grades 4 through 8; and
• Original research conducted by 7^th and 8^th graders as part of MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering outreach.

The theme for both of activities this year will be Lunar Exploration and Habitation. Participation will be co-curricular and will include an in-class academic component and an after-school activity using the STE resources of SJS and MIT.

Future City – This year, teams from around New England will plan, design, and present a lunar habitat to a panel of engineers, architects, and scientists as part of a national competition.  This activity includes construction of a scale model with at least one moving part, a computer simulation using SIM City, a written proposal, and an oral presentation.  The program begins in September with final deliverables due in December and a presentation in January.

MIT Research – This activity is part of the Outreach of Prof. Buehler’s Lab.  This year, we will evaluate and test simulated lunar soil as a building material for 3D printed dwellings.  This is part of a NASA initiative and will include original research conducted throughout the school year.  Preliminary research findings should be compiled in January and drafted in poster form to collaborators.  A summary article will be submitted to Microscopy and Microanalysis in February and a formal presentation presented to the Lab in May.  If accepted, the paper will be presented at the International Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference in Pittsburgh in August and published in September.  Collaborators will include Prof Buehler, Dr. Kunal Kupwade-Patil of ICON buildings, and Mr. Vernon Robertson of JEOL, USA.  8^th Grade students will be invited to continue their research as MIT student interns with graduate and undergraduate researchers during the summer.