2024-2025 OSLN Design Challenge kicks off at Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Each year, the Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN) hosts a design challenge where students collaborate to create a workable solution to key issues facing the world. With the continued partnership between the Starlab - George Washington Carver Science Park (GWCSP) at The Ohio State University and OSLN, a second iteration of a space-related design challenge kicked off on 9/12 at Ohio State, this year focusing on sustainability in space.

The core question that over 120 schools and nearly 50,000 students will consider for the 2024-2025 challenge is, "How do we improve the sustainability of life in low-Earth orbit, such as living aboard the Starlab space station?"

Students and teachers are tasked with developing a plan, system, or product to positively impact the sustainable use of materials, habitable space, and energy and demonstrate how these improvements can translate to more sustainable living on earth.

The Ohio State University George Washington Carver Science Park will again support  the design challenge with Starlab ExpertLink, a program that remotely links panels of space experts to K-12 classrooms who are working on the Starlab-related challenge.

The group of Ohio educators heard invitations to take part in the challenge from former astronauts Nancy Currie-Gregg and Alvin Drew along with the director of NASA's Glenn Research Center, James Kenyon.  A panel was also conducted including space experts from Ohio State, NASA and Voyager Space to inspire ideas and give context to the complex sustainability issues students will address in the challenge.

The finale will feature the challenge's highest-ranked teams, who will be invited to a showcase on March 4, 2025 at Battelle in Columbus.