Abstract

Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) and Minnesota West Community and Technical College (MN West) are starting a collaboration project involving high-altitude ballooning. This partnership will bring together two different populations of students: those attending a four-year university and those at a two-year community college. The initial goals of the program are modest, involving several students from each institution to plan and conduct some simple flights with basic sensor packages as proof-of-concept. It is hoped the collaboration will strengthen ties between the two institutions and give STEM students a chance to participate in a hands-on technical project that will deepen their technical skill set and demonstrate the benefit of collaboration and teamwork. The Worthington campus of Minnesota West is 60 miles south of SMSU, and the teams will use a variety of methods to stay in contact including email, ITV, Adobe Connect, and face-to-face meetings.

How to Cite:

Seifert, P. & Murphy, K., (2016) “The Southwest Minnesota Ballooning Collaboration”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2016(1). doi: https://doi.org//ahac.9515