Space weather refers to the dynamics of the Earth’s space environment due to solar disturbances that directly impact technological systems such as satellite navigation and communication systems, power grids, and ground–and–aircraft–based HF radio communication. The team will help design a sensor package for a space weather instrument suite for research and citizen science applications. The team will help design the packaging for the sensors, develop the web–based interface to connect the sensors to the database, visualization tools and other ancillary data to contribute to the study of space weather.
Space weather impacts are a natural hazard that disrupts technological systems that society greatly depends upon including communication, navigation and power distribution systems. Following the inspiration of the meteorology community and Weather Underground that connected backyard weather stations into the global weather system, this project will deploy magnetometers and other sensors everywhere to make a dense distributed array to enable new science and understanding of the Earth’s space environment. Commercializing a low-cost space weather sensor package would enable deployment at a wide range of locations including K12 schools and citizen scientist’s backyards. The UARTS Faculty Engineering/Arts Student Team (FEAST) will help design the packaging fora space weather sensor package for research and citizen science applications. The team will also help develop the web-based interface to connect the sensors to the database, visualization tools and other ancillary data to contribute to the study of space weather.
Meeting Details
TBD depending on SwUM (Spaceweather Underground Michigan) team’s schedule
Modality: In-person (interested in the project but unable to be on campus? Contact us to inquire!)
Students apply to a specific role on team as follows:
Prototype Hardware System (3 Students)
Preferred Skills: Embedded systems, sensors, system characterization (power, communication, magnetometer, GPS)
Likely Majors/Minors: ASTRO, CE, CLIMATE, CS, EE, ME, SPACE
Plug & Play Instrument Package (3 Students)
Preferred Skills: Embedded systems, design, UX/UI
Likely Majors/Minors: ARCH, ARTDES, EARTH, ENVIRON, IOE, ME, SI
Web & App User Interface & Database Back-end (3 Students)
Preferred Skills: Web design, app design, UX/UI, databases
Likely Majors/Minors: ARTDES, CS, DATA, EARTH, ENVIRON, IOE, PAT, SI
Faculty Project Lead
Mark Moldwin is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering and Applied Physics within the University of Michigan’s Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. He is currently the Faculty Director of M–Engin, a program within UM’s M–STEM Academy to support undergraduates academically and professionally, the Executive Director of NASA’s Michigan Space GrantConsortium and President of the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Education Section. He is the principle–investigator on several NASA, NSF and DOD projects (including the NASA Artemis Lunar Gateway HERMES project, NSF’s iMAGS project, and the Office of Naval Research’s SENSOR project). He has been recognized for his research, teaching and service by numerous awards and is currently the 2019–2020 US–Norway Fulbright Arctic Chair.
Students: 9
Likely Majors/Minors: ARCH, ARTDES, ASTRO, CE, CLIMATE, CS, DATA, EARTH, EE, ENVIRON, IOE, ME, PAT, SI, SPACE
Meeting Details: TBD based on facility availability
Application: Consider including a link to your portfolio or other websites in the personal statement portion of your application to share work you would like considered as part of your submission.
Summer Opportunity: Summer research fellowships may be available for qualifying students.
Citizenship Requirements: This project is open to all students on campus.
IP/NDA: Students who successfully match to this project team will be required to sign an Intellectual Property (IP) Agreement prior to participation.
Course Substitutions: CoE Honors