Aerospace Education Competitions (AEC) run Space Settlement Design Competitions® – events that provide interactive, high-tempo, and dynamic environments for students to further their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills.
We emulate, as closely as possible for high school students, the experiences of working as members of industry design and proposal teams, providing unique opportunities to develop their academic and business skills while fostering and igniting career aspirations for the next generation of young professionals. Students learn and practice management, team-building and communication skills.
“The exposure that I gained there changed the entire course of my life and currently I am pursuing graduate study in the Electrical Engineering dept. at the University of Florida.”
Alumnus Student 2008“Competition…has allowed for and continues to develop enormous growth in my knowledge in the areas of aerospace, materials sciences, and engineering applications.”
Student 2003“The hardest part is to keep everyone communicating and on deadline so everybody knows what everybody else is doing and we get done on time. It takes a lot of cooperation from everybody.”
Student 19951- Work with, and compete against, students from across the globe
2- Be mentored by industry experts, who may support your college applications
1- Be a real-world engineering professional in a simulated professional team
2- Learn and implement industry-level leadership and management
1- Learn the excitement of cross-disciplinary projects as you design a space settlement.
2- Compete for the opportunity to be invited to NASA Kennedy Space Center for the challenging International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) Finals.
1- Challenge your students with scenarios taken straight from industry.
2- Opportunities to deploy SSDC content into extension classes, either within curriculum or outside-school activities
3- The most unique, individual learning opportunity available for STEM students
1- Get recognized for supporting your students – many SSDC events qualify for ongoing professional development (PD).
2- Work with some of the most forward thinking and engaged STEM professionals on the planet
1- You don’t need to be a rocket scientist – you supply the passion and we’ll supply the support!
2- Proven educational benefits from our events back into standard classroom subjects
“It’s an amazing idea & engages students in learning to a degree I have rarely seen anywhere else. The students really do get a taste of real-world work pressures and collaboration.”
Advisor 2005