Hey! What Are You Looking At?

The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) archives space agencies' data from missions studying electromagnetic radiation from extremely energetic cosmic phenomena (e.g., gravitational wave detections, gamma ray bursts, and supernovae). The Canadian Astronomy Data Center (CADC) is another repository containing missions studying comets, asteroids, and exoplanets among other things. Your challenge is to create a visualization tool that can help people interested in these phenomena to access the data quickly and easily.

Over the moon

Summary

Our project relies on a game, where the user will be able to search for many areas and it's scientific discoveries, missions and importance. Each user have the possibility to play alone or with it's friends. Many subjects will be available with related missions, discoveries and how that is important for society nowadays. For example, a player opts for playing a category named "Planets". This user will play many missions showing information and curiosities about planets, showing all the scientific basis and sources (if the player wants). Beyond that, rankings will be available to show each player's level of exploration. Every player is going to be rewarded for every mission.

How We Addressed This Challenge

We had some ideas to get the kids interested, including an interactive app, where we can show this information in an attractive way and arouse interest in the users' knowledge.

We chose to make a mobile application, as it is a platform with easy access to this general public, where we can use this information interactively

Our solution to this problem was gamefication, creating an attractive environment where information can be passed on in a didactic way, stimulating the greatest interest in science. The game will have a system of missions and rewards, the user will be inserted in a story to contextualize the information, they will have events such as, for example, when an eclipse occurs, with exclusive missions and a system of badges with the name of scientists, who will reward the player for participating in specific missions. Like, for example, Katherine Johnson, a black scientist who worked at NASA, Marie Curie, a Nobel Prize-winning female scientist, Neil deGrasse, a famous black astrophysicist, and so on. This will contribute to sustainable development goals, quality of education and reduction of gender inequality.







The main part of the game is the missions, where the information is effectively taught to the user.

Our main focus is on children and adolescents, presenting scientific information to an audience that easily arouses this interest.

Our mission is to rescue this exploitative feeling of children, especially those aged 11 to 15, playing. Our solution proposes to reward processes, not achievements, thus creating a much more motivating environment for users, who teach scientific methodology, and not just to memorize facts as in many cases.

How We Developed This Project

https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_kjs-A2M=/






When we started browsing, we realized that the sites were slow and complex, and we noticed that people are losing interest in science due to the unfriendly environment it provides.







Some points that lead to this lack of interest are:

People do not know where science works, for example, agronomist scientists, in corporations. They only think of the scientist in an academic way, discouraging children from pursuing this career

Little is said about the achievements of scientists in our society

According to research, girls gain interest in science, mathematics and technology in general at age 11 and lose at age 15, due to family discouragement and lack of models of female scientists

During our research on these sites, they were very slow, overloaded with information and uninviting, especially to people without this technical knowledge

How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project

On our Miro Board we describe how the study and experience with the data provided by NASA made us open our mind to the access of data and on our solution we intend to use the data for educational and informational purposes

Tags
#socialImpact, #education, #gamefication
Judging
This project was submitted for consideration during the Space Apps Judging process.