Arizona State University is partnering with the Chinese government-run web site, China.com.cn, to host the China Youth Space Academy. In this first-ever event, thousands of Chinese high school students compete to show their knowledge of space exploration subjects. The winners will come to the United States in January 2008 to join a group of Arizona high school students for a 10-day hands-on space exploration experience.
| The China Youth Space Academy (CYSA) |
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Educating the next generation of space explorers
Overview: Arizona State University (ASU) in partnership with China.com.cn (the Chinese government-run web site) and Flying Spirit International Ad (Beijing) Co. Ltd (ShangTuoZhiYang) collaborate to host the first-ever China Youth Space Academy (CYSA) program.
Beginning January 27, 2008 and running for nine days, 16 students drawn from all over China will meet with seven equally skilled students from Nogales (Ariz.) High School. Together, the space-minded students will take part in the China Youth Space Academy. This exploration experience at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility (part of the School of Earth and Space Exploration ) will have students investigating Mars first hand using the Thermal Emission Imaging System camera on the Mars Odyssey orbiter. While in Arizona, the students will also take field trips, visiting Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon, Lowell Observatory, Sedona, and other geologically interesting sites. The field trips provide students with added information for their studies, while also giving the Chinese students an authentic American experience.
More than 12,000 Chinese students registered to take an online test that evaluated the students' knowledge of the solar system and space exploration. Then 40 semi-finalists competed in November 2007 for two days to produce the 16 winners. Both the online test and the final competition, which included designing a human outpost on Mars, were developed by ASU staff in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, with the competition questions and challenges reflecting the combined science and engineering focus of the school.
The Nogales students also have a long space exploration pedigree. Students from this high school, working with the Mars Student Imaging Program at the Mars Space Flight Facility, have taught NASA administrators and other government officials how to take images of Mars using the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. They have also organized space-related events in Nogales and have helped teach other students throughout the area about space exploration and science.
Goals: The Space Academy program was created to excite high school students from the U.S. and China about careers in space science and engineering. The overarching goal of this event is to educate the next generation of space explorers while simultaneously educating students, their parents and the public on the importance of scientific research and exploration. This international collaboration in public service was designed also to promote inter-cultural communication and technological exchange between the U.S. and China, especially involving younger generations. Such collaborations are a necessity in today's society, and will only increase in importance. Effectively tackling global issues of concern demands efforts from around the world. Cross-cultural learning helps prepare students for a more successful future.
The Sponsors: china.com.cn is an organizational part of the Chinese Foreign Languages Administration Bureau and is directed by the State Council Information Office. It is China's most important government communication tool to the world, providing news and other information services in ten languages using eleven platforms, including Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Korean, and Esperanto.
Arizona State University is one of the premier metropolitan public research universities in the United States. Internationally distinguished companies such as Intel and Motorola have hired more graduates from ASU than other institutions. The School of Earth and Space Exploration is ASU's research and educational center for earth and space science and engineering. Among its components is the Mars Space Flight Facility, the world's premier university-based program on Mars research.
Flying Spirit International Ad (Beijing) Co. Ltd (ShangTuoZhiYang) is a well-known real estate adviser and marketing and media relations agency. It provides comprehensive services to branding and real estate development companies including advertising strategy, creative design, printing and production and media releases. It also provides public relations services from strategy development to execution, as well as marketing strategies and media resources integration.
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