A man of many abilities. Engineer, professor, entrepreneur, inventor and speaker, Rodrigo Simon, from Birigui, Brazil, was responsible for organizing, with the Michaelis Foundation, one of the largest Science Days of 2019 in Araçatuba, which was attended by more than 20 thousand people. Honored by the City Council with the diploma of honor to merit in 2016, Rodrigo has been encouraging STEM learning through numerous projects.

Married to Lucinéia dos Santos and father of two girls, Rodrigo's story begins in São Caetano do Sul. Due to a rare disease that prevented him from having contact with pollution, at the age of 4 he moved to Birigui. At the age of 10 he became interested in working with his father. “On weekends we would go to a farm, and I really enjoyed fishing. We had a fair there. I used to sell cheese on the street, fruit and even ice cream”, he said. At this point, selling had fascinated Rodrigo more than studying.

It was only at the age of 13 that this scenario began to change, when Rodrigo took a computer course and three years later he was offered a teaching position. The experience led him to study computer engineering at college and, after the mother of one of his classmates excluded him from a video for considering him a “poor student and example for his son”, Rodrigo decided to focus more on studying “to make my parents proud”.

A game changer worthy of admiration, Rodrigo had many difficulties studying the subject of electronics at the university , which is now the one he currently teaches at. In 2017, through the faculty where he works, he took his students to participate in the International Innovation and Technology week in the United States. In October of this year, he went with students to present projects at Cape Canaveral.

In his professional career Rodrigo has already had the opportunity to present his “Pool Airbag” project in the United States and to enter his creation “Smart Chair” in the Shark Tank Brazil program. However, in a conversation with his daughter, he was asked: “Daddy, why aren't you famous?”. At the time, the question took him by surprise, but today Rodrigo speaks with pride about the learning that his daughter brought to his life. “My concept was to be a millionaire, but I realized that it is no longer my focus. What I want today is to live”, he said with a smile on his face.
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In 2016, Rodrigo carried the Olympic torch and, in order to leave a legacy to his family, he donated the object to the city of Birigui, where it will be exhibited at Espaço Rodrigo Simon. Fulfilled, the professional has yet only one dream he aims to fulfill in the short term: “I want to bring Science Days to my city, Birigui”.
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For more information about Science Days, please visit: http://www.sciencedays.org/sdc-brazil
 
Luma Keily
International Correspondent

Science Popularization. It was with the common goal of inserting STEM and Space education in an interactive and creative way in the lives of countless students, that the Brazilian Space Agency joined forces with the Michaelis Foundation to develop a greater partnership. The international collaboration that started in 2018, and is growing ever since, will now provide particularly for the Science Days and Science Days Challenge participants a greater access to the New Space opportunities.

In a gesture of gratitude for the support, the Foundation gave life to the “AEB Globe Award”. The award is a tribute to the “Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program”, an initiative that was integrated in Brazil in 2015 after an agreement between the AEB and NASA.

The Brazilian Space Agency, within its activities that captivated values ​​of fostering vocations and encouraging young people to follow careers related to space activities, is happy to join forces with the Michaelis Foundation and promote events of this nature, including now with a more specific award for those who stand out. We are sure that this type of opportunity can decisively influence young Brazilian values ​​– Carlos Augusto Teixeira de Moura, President of the Brazilian Space Agency

Focusing on a major analytical work, the program encourages students to collect environmental data - following specific protocols - for use in academic work and scientific research. This way, the teams that perform a broad verification process when developing their projects, will receive the Science Days “AEB Globe Award”.

During the Science Days’ events, AEB will be present through exclusive lives. The lectures will bring details of the Globe Program, with the purpose of making students aware of the existence of Brazilian actions that aim to bring young people, of all ages and through educational programs, closer to the vast scientific universe.

“We are very excited about the expansion of our alliance between Brazil and the United States, we are sure that it reinforces our commitment to continue creating more access for students and educators and a path to the New Space area! Together, we are building a bridge that is allowing the new generation of space explorers to reach for the stars, offer7ing tools and opportunities to fulfill their space dreams, despite any challenges that may come their way.” – Jefferson Michaelis

We would like to give a special thanks to AEB ( https://www.gov.br/aeb/)

For more information about Science Days Brazil please visit: http://www.ScienceDays.org
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Press Information: International Correspondent – ​​Luma Keily

A common passion that brought together more than 80 students in a single virtual space meeting. Through the experiences of the vice president of Vaya Space in Latin America, Darcton Damião, high school students from different Brazilian schools had the opportunity to learn about the space industry.

In a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) approach to learning, Space Talk promoted a debate about the New Space, the new revolution in the aerospace field. "We live in a unique time in history, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience this transformation as it happens", said Darcton, when analyzing the change that allowed small companies to have access to the field.

Science popularization. According to the professional's experiences throughout his career, Darcton stated that this is the great benefit that he evidenced with the origin of New Space. According to the mentor, the new generation of space explorers will have the opportunity to enter the sector in the near future, as a result of this “metamorphosis” of the area. He pointed out that “Brazil is in the top 5 of countries that have all the criteria for the use of satellites and launching systems.

At the end of the event, the organizations sponsoring the project - KSCIA International Space Academy, Michaelis Foundation of the United States and Facens - announced the plan for a face-to-face meeting in 2022, the Space Talk Experience. The event will address, in addition to space exploration, innovation in new technologies and the vast universe of natural sciences.
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To learn more about the foundation and its activities, please access:  http://www.michaelisfoundation.org/
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 - Luma Keily
MFGE International Correspondent
 

The search for extracurricular projects that arouse the interest of students. One of the few educational institutions chosen to participate in the International Journey of Science and Technology in the United States, The Santa Rosaria School, located in the city of Sorocaba, offers high school students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the universe of space exploration.

In order to insert elementary school children in similar activities, the school's director, Raul Fonseca, joined the Michaelis Foundation to bring Space Day into the classroom. For the professional, learning STEM is the path to a promising future for young people. “The entry of many private companies in the sector will certainly lead to the generation of many specialized jobs”, he mentioned when analyzing the aerospace market.

Among the activities related to innovation and science, young students had the opportunity to create and launch cardboard rockets, learning in practice about concepts of propulsion and kinetics. Raul stated that “the event brought a lot of learning and encouragement for new discoveries for the students” and added that it was possible to see the happiness stamped on the faces of the participants.

With the achieved goal, Raul revealed that, at the end of the activities, the students “stated that they are getting ready for the International Journey”. Very excited, one of the students revealed that he really enjoyed seeing "space flow artifacts, replicas of space suits and helmets, and even photos of people who have already gone into space and stepped on the moon."

Check out excerpts from the event through the following video: https://fb.watch/9ebj-iTN0i/

For more information about SPACE DAY go to: http://sciencedays.org/SpaceDay

Do you want to have a Space Day at your school too? Please contact us at the following email: [email protected]

Luma Keily
International Correspondent

The fascination for exploring the mysteries of space. Without the need to get on a rocket and travel for hours (or days) to reach the International Space Station (ISS), students at the Acadêmico School had the opportunity to experience outer space without leaving Earth, and in a single day!

Promoted by the Michaelis Foundation, Space Day features activities such as: a mega quiz with questions about the space program, an interactive map that reproduces the terrain of Mars (developed by astronaut Buzz Aldrin), a space talk about the new generation of space explorers, among others. “Educating goes beyond the walls of the classroom. We have to promote curiosity, knowledge, and motivation”, said the director of the institution, Ana Karina”.

Through our projects, we increasingly seek to bring STEM teaching to Brazilian schools. Together, we want to show future generations that anyone can be an astronaut, all it takes is to have willpower, creativity and the ability to dream big. It's never been easier to reach for the stars. – Jefferson Michaelis

Touch artifacts that were part of NASA missions, launch rockets and experience the challenges of an astronaut's life. Among so many activities, students were encouraged to learn together. The educator pointed out that to be part of it (activities), you have to give your very best. “Learning is a broad process and requires teamwork. That way, it is much more significant”, she explained.

A pioneer in the Limeira region (in Brazil) to address the theme of space education, the Acadêmico School has already participated in other actions of the foundation and had the opportunity to take up to 16 students to an annual immersion in the US, at the Center for Space Education. For Ana Karina, the partnership in collaboration with KSCIA reveals “the importance of bringing the universe of space exploration, the concept of Space Education and new career possibilities in private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin” to schools across the country.

On behalf of our entire team, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the KSCIA International Space Academy. We are deeply grateful for your enormous contribution to our project. With your help, we can continue to inspire kids to look for the stars!

For more information about SPACE DAY go to: http://sciencedays.org/SpaceDay
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Luma keily
International Correspondent for MFGE