Students Aobo Guo, Arielle Stambler, and Karen Inoshita are semifinalists in the 2009-2010 Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology for their team research paper “Effect of Solar Exposure on the Atomic Oxygen Erosion of Hubble Space Telescope Bi-Stem Thermal Shield Aluminized-Teflon FEP.”
The Polymer Erosion and Contamination Experiment (PEACE) team student’s paper summarizes research, overseen by engineers at NASA Glenn, which they conducted to determine whether or not solar radiation exposure increases the atomic oxygen erosion yield of aluminized Teflon fluorinated ethylene propylene (Al-FEP), a commonly used spacecraft thermal control material.
These results have implications to spacecraft design for environmental durability. The Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology is the nation’s most prestigious high school science and mathematics research competition. A total of 2,151 students entered 1,348 projects from across the country (14 percent more students and 12 percent more projects than 2008). Only eight students from the State of Ohio were awarded Siemens semifinalists, and one was awarded finalist this year.
Guo, Stambler, and Inoshita’s paper was the only team research paper from Ohio given this honor. Their research was . The students will each receive an award package, along with national recognition for their science research. Lists of the regional semi-finalists and finalists can be found at the Siemens Foundation web site.
Over the past 6 years there have been 13 PEACE team Siemens Competition honorees: seven semifinalists (two in 2006, two in 2008, and three in 2009), three regional finalists (2003), and three national winners (6th place nationally, 2007). This work is supported by the ISS Research Project.
