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Biospace Challenge

High-Level Project Summary

BioSpace Challenge is a contest that tests your imagination and knowledge about the difficulties of life in space. It is also a solution to the problem of bringing the latest space discoveries to the public. It is an easy-to-access website aimed at all audiences. Therefore, it is made in a format that can be easily shared on social networks and other educational institutions to generate a greater impact. BioSpace Challenge uses learning methods validated by sociological studies presented in this document. What we want to achieve is to let people enjoy a personal challenge or compete with their friends while learning about space in an efficient way.

Link to Final Project

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UYOeXUaYVtk60RL93OXYniSd0KKGaMW1/view?usp=drivesdk

Link to Project "Demo"

https://pitch.com/public/5d621903-b60a-48fe-824f-8351266c10e6

Detailed Project Description

We will develop a website accessible to everyone. In this website there will be a test shuffled with other games about space topics, such as biological illnesses developed in the absence of gravity or technical reasoning like managing a space trip's resources. 

Users' experience begins with a detailed description of the adventure they are going to complete. 


Once the user completes the challenge, the platform allows them to easily share a funny image encouraging their friends to beat their score. Their success can be shared on different social media platforms with the hashtag #biospacechallenge. In the final results’ window there would also be a folder named "classified information", which contains the links to the open source information from where the information was taken, so the users can check more research about living in space.


Since it would be a viral challenge, people could lose their interest after a short period of time.That’s why some questions would be replaced every month, in order to add more variability to this challenge. Thus, after a year, all the questions would have changed and the challenge would be completely updated.



The main advantages of this project are:





  • Accessibility for teens and everyone who has a phone or any other electronic device.
  • It is dynamic so you can enjoy the learning process.
  • The result has a social media format that will help make our challenge go viral and to have some impact in society.
  • It motivates new generations to have more interest in space, this could help the scientific sector to attract young people.
  • Able to be upgraded, so new scientific events or the latest discoveries can be included.
  • The use of non-technical vocabulary makes it easy to understand. 
  • It can be used as a learning tool in schools.
  • Questions are linked to official NASA data and other open source papers so if you, as a user, want to learn more about a theme, the web will facilitate you with the information. (The information is taken from the official NASA database and other open source papers. Thus, people interested can easily access to those sources of information)
  • The learning methods used to create the challenge are endorsed by psychological studies.
  • It doesn’t require very advanced software, so it is feasible.
  • It is a creative and enjoyable solution to the problem.

Space Agency Data

We have used the data provided by NASA Space Apps in the 'Build a Space Biology Superhero' section. This information has been used to create examples of different questions a user may find on our Biospace Challenge.

We have also used information from Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand (cited in references) on the effectivity of different learning methods. This has helped us create different types of interactive ways to ask questions, making the challenge more interesting to the user.

Hackathon Journey

Our objective is to spread the science investigations through gamification methods. We want to make a challenge viral on social media, so teens and young adults find their interest in space science and learn about space biological stresses.

The motivation of this project comes from games and viral tests that connect users by encouraging them to overcome a personal challenge. In our case, the user would work as a scientist that modifies microorganisms for their adequate life during space travel. These modifications vary depending on the user’s answers to the questions about stresses astronauts may face during their journeys. The end goal is to obtain a colony of microorganisms with a high percentage of adaptability.

Therefore, it would be a viral challenge that everyone would like to try. At the same time, it is a source of scientific information about the stresses that any living being could find in space. Furthermore, the game’s questions would be made by applying dynamic learning tools.

To sum up, our main objectives are:




  • Make people interested in space.
  • Show scientific papers and information in a pleasant and interactive way.
  • Make it viral to reach the largest number of people.
  • Create a simple way to connect people.

References

  • Kawaguchi, Y., Shibuya, M., Kinoshita, I., Yatabe, J., Narumi, I., Shibata, H., Hayashi, R., Fujiwara, D., Murano, Y., Hashimoto, H., Imai, E., Kodaira, S., Uchihori, Y., Nakagawa, K., Mita, H., Yokobori, S. and Yamagishi, A., 2020. DNA Damage and Survival Time Course of Deinococcal Cell Pellets During 3 Years of Exposure to Outer Space. Frontiers in Microbiology, [online] 11. Available at: <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02050> 













  • Humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov. 2022. HRR - Gap - DUST 11: What is the potential for acute toxicity of lunar dust (all relevant endpoints), and acute/chronic cardiovascular toxicity of lunar dust? (Previous title: AEH 11). [online] Available at: <https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/Gaps/gap.aspx?i=296> [Accessed 2 October 2022].





  • Seyal, A. and Rahman, M., 2015. Understanding Learning Styles, Attitudes and Intentions in Using e-Learning System: Evidence from Brunei. World Journal of Education, [online] 5(3), pp.61-68. Available at: <http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/wje.v5n3p61>.





























  • https://pitch.com (for the 'Demo')

Tags

#website #biology #challenge #viral #space

Build a Space Biology Superhero

Space exploration involves overcoming numerous challenges: extreme gravity, disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms, limited supplies, and access to medical care, etc. Your challenge is to design a platform that allows users to explore space travel stresses, understand how diverse organisms deal with these stresses, and then build a “Space Biology Superhero” by combining features from these organisms.