AMSAT announces Youth Initiative at Hamvention
/During its Hamvention forum on Saturday 21st May 2022, AMSAT formally introduced plans for its Youth Initiative. In the planning stage for two years, the program will now proceed in a series of phased releases.
Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP, Development provided highlights of the program saying, "The Youth Initiative takes a radically different approach to introducing youth to Amateur Radio and Satellites. It approaches youth in terms that are already central to their everyday lives. Whether it be climate change, pollution control, preservation of natural resources, meteorology, or a career in broadcasting or transportation industries or in the military, the use of satellites is pervasive in virtually everything we do. Our message to youth is 'Satellites in Space Help Us Live Better Lives Here on Earth'. Once we have gained the youth's interests, we can engage them in experiences and exercises that then use amateur satellites and amateur radio as their 'laboratory' or 'classroom'.
“Also unique is the fact that this is a community-based program that makes the experiences available directly to youth, their parents and all youth organizations. While our program will be promoted though our trademarks, KidzSat for grades 5-7 and BuzzSat for grades 8-12, all content is openly and freely available.”
Karnauskas then went on to summarize key components of the Youth Initiative that serve as the engagement points with youth, including:
KidzSat.com and BuzzSat.com websites that provide age-appropriate activities and exercises that cultivate the general interests listed above into understanding of how satellites play a role in our daily lives. Activities range from simpler "merit badge" level to a complete course on satellite meteorology. Participating youth can earn certificates of completion that would be useful in college admission or job applications.
A network of online SDR's that serve as ground stations for youth to experience, first-hand, receiving images and telemetry from actual satellites as they pass overhead. Accompanying activities guide youth through decoding and analyzing the images and data. A fleet of 200+ ground stations is planned so that virtually every youth has access to real-time satellite experiences. It is hoped that from this starting point, a fair share of kids will become interested in the communications process and go on to set up their own dongle-based ground station and even on to an Amateur Radio license.
A fleet of CubeSat simulators referred to as "Non-Orbiting Earth Science Experiments" (NOESE). The NOESE "birds" transmit online telemetry for five separate values associated with climate change. Participants will learn how to download telemetry, convert it into useful data and have opportunities to study the information for short or long term study. The NOESE simulators will be deployed with the SDR ground stations so that a nationwide network of data collection points is available for local access and for comparison.
LEO satellites with advanced educational payloads. The websites, SDR ground stations and NOESE simulators are all designed to cultivate interest in youth to getting on the air and interacting with AMSAT satellites. Nicknamed "LOWER" (Lower Orbit Within Everyone's Reach" this family of satellites will feature higher power output to make reception by beginners an easy task. Educational payloads will be mainly based on store-and-forward imaging and digital messaging, an experience that youth are already comfortable with. And, of course, these satellites will host a combination of FM repeater and CW/SSB transponders for general Amateur Radio use.
Karnauskas concluded the presentation by saying, "The Youth Initiative is not only the right thing to do, it is the essential thing. By focusing on what our Articles of Incorporation direct us to do, advancing scientific and educational skills and knowledge, we appeal to a broader segment of society that can provide the financial support and critical resources that AMSAT needs to flourish."
