We claim The High Hopes Project in a model global STEM project. Just to highlight one aspect of this project as a collaborative model (and there are many) we are sharing this:
In order to fly the “High Hopes” of the world to 30,500 meters (100,000 feet) where they will be released, we challenged Sparks High School Students to design the payload, it includes a mount for a camera to catch the action when it opens to release the “High Hopes” (submit yours here so we can include them!)
Next, Sparks Middle School students are designing the release mechanism to open the payload at the right time – as close to 30,500 meters as possible. They are learning how to write the code for an Arduino to record the altitude the model rockets they are learning to build fly. Then they will take that learning and use it to program an Arduino to open the latch they design at the pre-determined altitude:
And the students at Cottonwood Elementary School are bio-engineering the paper the world’s “High Hopes” will be printed on so it bio-degrades as quickly as possible after it reaches the ground. In addition they are engineering some of the paper “High Hopes” to fly or helicopter or flutter to the ground.
The three schools are collaborating to send your “High Hopes” really up high, release them to fly and flutter to the ground, and finally become one with the Earth.