Explaining Amateur Radio to ASD Students

John Keslo, W1MBG, Jamey Finchum, KC1ENX, and I (all members of the Nashua Area Radio Club) recently had the chance to again visit the Academy for Science and Design (ASD) in Nashua, New Hampshire, to provide an Introduction to Amateur Radio for the students there. ASD’s goal is to be a world-class school specializing in science, engineering, mathematics, and design for students in grades 6-12.

ASD periodically holds SPARK (Symposium Promoting Advancement of Real-world Knowledge) conferences, which enable ASD students to learn about areas that might help them to develop careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math (STEM).

The students at ASD are extremely bright and are highly motivated to develop STEM careers. We had about 65 students elect to attend the two sessions that we presented, and the kids showed a lot of interest in our presentations.

Explaining Our High-Altitude Ballon Project

We began each session with some classroom time where we explained what Amateur Radio is about and some of our club’s Amateur Radio projects. We discussed and showed components of our High Altitude Balloon Project, our Satellite Ground Station, and our Field Day activities. The interest level among the kids was high, and lots of questions were asked.

GOTA Contact during ASD Spark

We also put together an HF GOTA station in the school’s lobby. This allowed the kids to get on the air and experience Amateur Radio firsthand. After the kids got over the usual “mic fright,” they had a lot of fun.

We look forward to our next opportunity to participate in ASD’s SPARK Day in the fall. This is one of the most enjoyable events of the year for me.

Fred, AB1OC