UASpace is an undergraduate student organization in the College of Engineering that successfully built and launched a satellite in 2022, officially making The University of Alabama a space-faring university for the first time. This group has been an excellent way to get undergraduate students interested in space, and with hands on experience of research and development, design, testing, iterating, and project management. While establishing UA as a space-capable university opens up many doors for research and scientific exploration, UASpace looks to have a broader impact beyond the students who are active members of the design teams as students.
UASpace was founded with the goal of using its capabilities and reach to make a difference in K12 students in the Black Belt of Alabama. The Black Belt is a historically under-educated and under-employed area of Alabama, with a poverty level of 27.7%. UASpace aims to be part of the solution of lifting up these under-served students. As part of this goal, UASpace has three specific objectives:
- Introduce students in under-served areas of Alabama to higher education opportunities
- Make students aware of STEM opportunities, projects, careers, and areas of study
- Create and develop materials and events to provide early student engagement with STEM subjects and STEM projects
For our BAMA Blitz passion project, UASpace is looking to acquire funds to build a ground station, which is a ground-based antenna and radio system that can talk back and forth with satellites, aircraft, or anything with a radio transmission signal. This system will be portable. It will be able to be taken to different schools and counties and used for demonstrations and hands-on STEM projects. Students will be able to use this system to point towards different objects, track them in the sky, and program messages and commands that can be sent back and forth. UASpace aims to use the technologies that are required for us to be successful in our missions as a platform to inspire and educated the next generation of students who will hopefully see a future for them at The University of Alabama.
