Student Challenge
Programme
Join the challenge!
Good ideas come from everywhere. We launch a challenge to students from all backgrounds to develop ideas for a sustainable future in space and on Earth! Inspiration, innovation and creativity are fundamental to train the workforce of tomorrow and build the New Space evolution.
What is the challenge?
For a sustainable future we will need to solve a wide range of issues on Earth and in space, creative ideas and innovation are crucial. The more innovative and creative these ideas, the better. NSE is looking to you to help us develop these ideas!
We believe that space data may help solve many societal challenges. Please indicate how space data and technologies fit in your solution? Highlight their impact on sustainability in your proposal and your ideas will earn extra points.
Challenge themes
In the context of NSE 2022 we are looking for your inventive solutions across one or multiple of the four key conference themes:
The Changing Earth
• Sea & Ice
• Land
• Atmosphere
• Marine Pollution
• Climate change
Space Pollution
• Space debris
• Asteroids (NEOs)
• Dark skies
• Space weather
.
Human Health
• Microgravity experiments
• Living in Space
• Pharmacology
• Food
• Biology
Space Ventures
• Space tourism
• New sustainable design
• Arts
• Innovative fashion
• Cultural heritage
Prizes that literally launch your space career!
The NSE 2022 has some amazing prizes. The first prize is a parabolic flight, where the lucky winner will experience “weightlessness”, the closest thing to actually flying in space!
The second and third prize will be an internship position at a prime space company and at a space start-up, respectively. The perfect way to launch your career in space!
The top-3 prize winners will be announced at the NSE 2022 conference in Rome in December 2022 and will be promoted on the event website and social media channels!
Please note that for the parabolic flight, students need to be at least 18 years old to be eligible.
How to participate?
To participate in the NSE 2022 student challenge you must follow this simple process, with the following deadlines:
It is mandatory to be registered for the Conference
STEM background is not mandatory
Send us a brief abstract of your idea for poster session or award
Poster session: The call for abstracts is open until 29 November 2022. Please bring your poster with you as all the participants are invited to join the poster session.
Award: the call for abstract is open until 10 November 2022 and it will be submitted to the “idea selection”
Idea selection
For the Award, a professional jury will evaluate the abstract submitted by 14 November 2022. Evaluation will be based on how innovative, creative, and relevant your idea is in the framework of the four challenge themes. Selected students will be invited to write a full paper on their idea and will receive a template for their paper to be included in the NSE 2022 digital catalogue. Please note that only full papers are eligible for the final competition.
Submission of your full paper
The paper, a detailed description of the selected ideas, is expected by 25 November 2022.
Please email: studentchallenge@nseexpoforum.comSubmission of a promotional video (optional)
The paper selected could create and submit a 1-to-3-minute video explaining why your idea is the next “game changer” for the selected challenge theme, by 29 November 2022.
Please email: studentchallenge@nseexpoforum.comAll ideas that are selected and submitted by the deadline will be posted and stored on the NSE website.
Please note that to be selected you must be registered for the conference, which comes at a small fee.
To be eligible for this challenge you must be an enrolled under-graduate, graduate, or PhD student at an official education institute. You must upload proof of your university enrollement upon submission of your abstract.
NSE Student Challenge 2022 Guidelines
The Project Idea brief description (abstract) should be less than 300 words long.
The following information must be included in the submission: paper title, name of contact author, name of co-author(s), university name, student status (undergraduate, graduate or PhD), full correspondence postal address, phone, email of the author and co-author(s).
Click the button below to open the NSE 2022 abstract submission form:
The video may be no longer than 3 minutes (shorter is better!) and contain at least the following information:
Introduce yourself
What is your name and/or your team’s name? What inspired your team to participate?
Lead us in
Which of the four themes is covered by your solution? What problem does it solve? What do people gain? Where is the opportunity?
Name your solution
Provide a title and tagline of your project to catch your audience attention.
Describe your idea
How space technologies and applications can help your solution. Can you please highlight the imact of sustainability on your project?
Look into the future
How does your idea change the world? What will your solution do for people, the world, and beyond?
Contact
Please email studentchallenge@nseexpoforum.com with the subject line “NSE Student Challenge 2022” for any questions you may have.
We will be happy to help!
Jury of the Student Challenge
Annamaria Nassisi
President of Jury
Manager Space Economy Observation and Navigation, Thales Alenia Space
Co-leader, WIA-E Rome LG
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Master degree in Physics and Geophysics at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome (Italy). After an experience as Research Fellow and Sofware analyst she joined the space sector in Selenia Spazio since 1989. She has spanned her experience in more application space field and covering a wide range of responsibilities.
She was a Free Lecturer for International Master on Capacity Building in Astronautics for “La Sapienza University” DIAEE (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Astronautica Elettrica ed Energetica) and authored several technical/scientific papers. She is also mentor of young people with a Master Degree in political, economic, law science and business schools to introduce them in the space arena.
She is estimated an expert in Earth Observation and Security expert, member of National User Forum, Member of IAF (International Astronautical Federation) and part of Security Committee and Earth Observation & GEOSS Committee, Member of IAA (International Academic of Astronautics) for Space Debris Permanent Committee. Within the gender diversity actions she promotes a female role model and since 2016 she was Board member (Director of Communication and Chair) Women In Aerospace Europe (WIA-E) and is Co-leader of the Rome Local Group.
She is also President of the Rome Club of FIDAPA BPW (Business Professional Women) Italy. She received in 2022 awarded with “Stella al Merito del Lavoro” (Star of Merit for Labour) by the President of the Italian Republic.
Visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamaria-nassisi-42834319/ for more details
Franco Malerba
Astronaut
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Franco Malerba is the first Italian astronaut.
He was the scientific astronaut on the first mission of the Tethered satellite aboard the space shuttle Atlantis (1992).
Graduated in Electronic Engineering and Physics at the University of Genoa (Italy), he has a long international experience gained working with international research Institutions (CNR, ESA, NASA, ASI) and with important hi-tech industries (Digital Equipment, Alenia Spazio).
He was an elected Member of the European Parliament (94-99) engaged in policies for science and technological innovation and later was the Scientific Attaché at the Italian Diplomatic Representation in Paris (05-13) working with the OECD, ESA, and IEA-NEA.
In 2001 received the honors of Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana.
Presently:
Member of the Order of the Italian journalists since 2001, free-lance columnist of scientific topics for the GEDI newspapers (La Stampa, Il Secolo XIX).
Lecturer at the University of Genoa and at the University of Leicester (UK),
Recital voice of the theatrical spectacle musical Journey in Space
Organizer and architect of the Busalla Space Festival since 2017.
Founding partner of two spin-off of the University of Genoa – DBSpace and SpaceV – both enterprises are innovative startups in the space sector.
Mauro Manente
CTO
Latitudo 40
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Mauro Manente is a software engineer with several IT and project management certifications. He is founder and co-founder of several startups. He worked for more than 20 years in technology companies related to the development of mission critical solutions for the space and environmental monitoring sector, developing the topics of cloud platforms and the application of artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning in different business sectors and processes.
From 2010 to 2016 he was CTO of Remocean, a start-up-Spin-Off company of the Italian Research Council (CNR) that developed an innovative system to determine sea state parameters from X-band radars. Since 2000 he has collaborated in several projects funded by the European Union – IV, V, VI, VII Framework Programme, H2020. Mauro Manente is CTO of Latitudo40 and is responsible within Latitudo 40 for the whole organisation of technical activities and development of technological solutions. He supports the other founders in pre-sales activities.
Loredana Santo
Professor
University of Rome Tor Vergata
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Loredana Santo is full professor of Manufacturing processes at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. She is the head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and head of the Space Sustainability Center. She has been principal Investigator of experiments on board of the International Space Station, keynote speaker in many international conferences, organizer of several international symposia and involved in international activities and projects.
Her scientific activity has been mainly focused on the following topics: innovative materials and processes, circular economy and Space sustainability. She is author of over 170 manuscripts accepted in international journals, books and conferences proceedings.
Bruna Corradetti
Assistant Professor
Center of Precision Environmental Health at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, USA)
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Bruna Corradetti is an Assistant Professor in the Center of Precision Environmental Health at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, USA). With a degree in Biotechnology and a PhD in Molecular Bioscience, her research focuses on the development of naturally inspired, immunomodulatory therapeutics for the treatment of chronic disorders. Her research is supported by national and international agencies, including the US Department of Defense and the European Commission.
She was recently selected as one of the 20 Texas-based Innovative Investigators to receive strategic support from the TMC innovation (USA) to advance groundbreaking cancer therapies and was recognized among the “100 Eccellenze Italiane” in 2017. As a Fellow of the Academy of Translational Medicine Professionals she has been the first woman to be nominated Scientific of the European Society for Translational Medicine.
For her commitment to inspiring and empowering young generations in science leading by example and teaching resilience, she received the BPW-CUP leadership award as a Role Model in the STEM disciplines in 2019 and was one of the winners of the “Premio Italia Giovane” in 2016. Her vision on the need to support early-career investigators by teaching how to navigate the hostile world of science has been the topic of the TEDx Talk she delivered in 2021.
Her scientific activity has been mainly focused on the following topics: innovative materials and processes, circular economy and Space sustainability. She is author of over 170 manuscripts accepted in international journals, books and conferences proceedings.