Community Outreach
For questions about the FASTRAC project, please contact Stephen Clark at 903-681-5964 or Stephen.Clark@bba04.mccombs.utexas.edu.
Reaching Out to UT Students
The education of new engineers is one of the most important goals of the university nanosat program. Student participation provides the manpower that enables the FASTRAC mission to be ready for launch under the proposed budget by December 2009.
Recruitment
Students interested in working on FASTRAC are asked to commit to a two-year work plan. Design team members are solicited based on academic performance, expertise and seniority diversity, ranging from sophomores to graduate students. A selection process is used where students may apply for FASTRAC by submitting applications with resumes and references. The students are not paid, but undergraduate team members can receive design course credit for their time. This approach enables the majority of the budget to be used for satellite fabrication and testing costs.
FASTRAC is particularly interested in students majoring in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science.
More than 100 students have participated in the project since its inception.
EXPLORE UT Event
The Aerospace Engineering Department participates in many successful presentations to various audiences, including heavy participation in the annual EXPLORE UT event. EXPLORE UT consistently hosts thousands of visitors from several counties surrounding Austin.
Reaching Out to the Public
FASTRAC provides opportunities to increase public awareness and participation in space flight research, and encourages individuals to pursue careers in science and engineering. The Texas Space Grant Consortium helps promote awareness of the FASTRAC program through their education and public outreach programs. The public can also access real-time satellite data and view the satellite's current position through this Web site, once the FASTRAC satellites are in orbit.
Assisting Amateur Radio Operators
The FASTRAC satellite signal is designed so that anyone with access to amateur radio equipment is able to receive the signal and relay the day they record to the project Web site. Amateur radio operators can click For Radio Operators on the main menu for information on how to upload satellite data to this Web site. Amateur radio operators will play a crucial role in the mission by gathering information on the health of the satellites when they are out of range of ground stations.
Mentoring Students
High schools are continually invited to participate in the FASTRAC program. These schools receive mentoring from university students to assist them in receiving signals from the satellites and encourage their participation in amateur radio.
Tours with Texas Space Grant Consortium
FASTRAC will be organizing several tours and presentations with the Texas Space Grant Consortium focused on middle and high school students.
Educating Kids
FASTRAC is involved with the Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK) program at the UT College of Engineering. SEEK organizes tour groups and mentoring between engineering teams and students from local middle schools. This program is very comprehensive and is a wonderful way to educate children in math and science.
Assisting Educators
Educators are invited to visit the For Educators section for lesson plans, class presentation opportunities and FASTRAC mission information.
Ensuring Media Awareness
The FASTRAC team is featured in several publications around the university and Austin-area communities. The team has been featured in departmental and college newsletters, as well as the university newspaper, the Daily Texan, reaching over fifty thousand students, faculty and staff. The FASTRAC Press Kit is available to journalists and the public.