Statewide Design Challenge
Bring STEM to any school with a design challenge
Design challenges are activities or competitions that students participate in to solve real-world problems. Through the challenge, students engage in creative problem-solving, boosting skills like collaboration and grit.
For many schools, participating in the statewide design challenge was the perfect way to begin implementing high-quality STEM education best practices.
Annual statewide challenge
Each year, the Ohio STEM Learning Network hosts a design challenge where students collaborate to create a workable solution to key issues facing our world. Any school in Ohio can participate in the challenge.
Over the course of the challenge, we provide:
- Online resources for teachers and students
- Professional development events to support teachers
- Participation certificates for every student
- Regional and state level awards each spring
Improve sustainability of life, in orbit and on Earth
This year’s statewide design challenge continues a partnership with an exciting space program called Starlab. Students will explore what it means to live and work in space.
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? Develop a plan, system, or product to positively impact the sustainable use of materials, habitable space, and/or energy. Demonstrate how these improvements could translate to more sustainable living on Earth.
Potential focus areas for students include:
- Develop new ways to reuse or recycle materials.
- Improve the generation of oxygen so that it is more reliable or efficient.
- Improve how water from all sources is filtered, distributed and recycled.
- Improve how electricity is generated, distributed, used and conserved so that it is more efficient.
- Combine multiple space station functions to reduce the amount of physical space required for a system.
- Develop new ways to create, store and use food so that there is less waste.
- Reduce the by-products of growing plants (compost, water, growth media, non-fruit plant parts).
"What is the number of astronauts at a time on Starlab?" and other answers from SpaceBytes
Participating in the challenge? Your students can get answers from a multi-state network of experts in space-related industries.
Sticker Design Contest
Students are invited to create a sticker design based around the challenge.
The winning designs will be produced and distributed to all of the schools participating in this year’s design challenge.
Students do not need to participate in the statewide design challenge to enter a sticker design to the competition.
Starlab ExpertLink
The Starlab Partnership has been the catalyst for this year’s design challenge. The members of Starlab were integral in planning every aspect of this year’s design challenge and supplied all the expert knowledge contained within this booklet. We are grateful that the students of Ohio will benefit from the work of these real-world innovators.
Starlab ExpertLink is a multi-state network of experts in space-related industries who are willing to serve remotely on advisory panels to assist K-12 students in classrooms as they engage with this year’s design challenge related to Starlab and the George Washington Carver Science Park at The Ohio State University.
The ExpertLink panels will allow students to access professionals in careers that span industries engaged in low earth orbit research and development in fields that include aerospace engineering, agriculture, advanced materials, and biomedical sciences. Panels will meet via Zoom with a class. Based on project need, school request and panel availability, panels and students may meet over several months.
About Starlab
Starlab will be a free-flying commercial space station, following the International Space Station after the current station’s retirement in 2030.
Elements from Starlab will be a key part of the George Washington Carver Science Park, the first-ever science park with assets in space as well as on the ground. Scientists and engineers in Ohio will help develop Starlab through partners including Voyager Space, Nanoracks, Airbus, Zin Technologies in Cleveland, Hilton Hotels, and other companies.
Starlab and the George Washington Carver Science Park will be anchored at Ohio State University.