The Design Contest
The University of Toronto Space Design Contest (UTSDC) is an annual contest intended to provide high school students the opportunity to work together to solve a creative and innovative design challenge, while simultaneously promoting the benefits of development in space. Teams of up to five students prepare a solution for that year's Request for Proposal, submit a short report, and have the opportunity to present it in the Design Fair hosted in May. The contest is divided into two categories: Junior (Grades 9 and 10) and Senior (Grades 11 and 12).
By participating in this contest, students will have the chance to exercise their creativity and technical knowledge, while developing teamwork, management, and presentation skills.
Why Participate?
The University of Toronto Space Design Contest is more than just a design contest - it's an experience. You'll meet individuals from a variety of research areas in Space Systems Engineering and visit the places in Canada where it all takes place. Throughout the year, you'll hear presentations from researchers at the University and in the aerospace industry. At the Design Fair and Conference, you'll stay at the University of Toronto and tour our world-class aerospace facility, the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. Between these activities and presenting your projects at the Design Fair, we also have social activities lined up - after all, you'll be meeting like-minded youth from across North America.
Three nights/four days accommodation, all meals, all activities and tours, and the chance to dream of the future of humanity in space are included in the price of registration! Hurry up and join!
Registration and RFP
The Request for Proposal (RFP) is the all encompassing document explaining all the details and registration requirements of the U of T Space Design Contest. This year's RFP can be found here. Further details on the contest challenge will be e-mailed to registered teams.
Key Dates
The following is a list of key dates and deadlines for the contest:
December 3, 2009 Welcome Night and Information Session (subject to change)
December 11, 2009 Early registration deadline
January 8, 2010 Late registration deadline
February 20, 2010 Space Workshop
March 29, 2010 Report submission deadline
May 13-16, 2010 Design Conference
Events
Welcome Night and Information Session
The Welcome Night provides an extensive introduction to both the contest in general and the specific challenge that is put forward in the RFP. This event will feature a presentation by faculty members at UTIAS and a guest speaker to give an overview of NEOs. Students, parents, and teachers are welcome to attend!
Date - Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time - 6 p.m.
Location - Room 1050, Earth Sciences Centre, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto
RSVP - ask@utspace.com by November 26, 2009
Space Workshop
New to this year is our Space Workshop, which will be a full-day event held at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. Along with a keynote speaker from the aerospace industry, professors and graduate students will be available throughout the day to assist teams with their projects. In the afternoon, teams will have individual consultations with a professor to review their progress and to have any questions answered. You won’t want to miss this event!
Date - Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location - University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, 4925 Dufferin Street, Toronto
RSVP - ask@utspace.com by February 6, 2010
The Design Conference
This is the primary event of UTSDC, where teams will showcase their designs and compete for the winning design proposal. It is a four-day event held on the St. George Campus of U of T where students have the opportunity to tour our aerospace facilities and attend presentations from world-renowned individuals in the aerospace industry. In the past, this event has featured speakers such as Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette and Dr. Bob Richards (Co-Founder of the International Space University).
The Design Fair is where teams will be judged on their technical mastery and creativity. The fair is where presentation display boards will be set up and evaluated by members of UTIAS and industry representatives. In addition to the fair, there will also be a formal team presentation given to a panel of judges.
This conference is an overnight event. Accommodation will be conveniently located in one of U of T's residences.
Design Fair and Conference Itinerary
Coming soon. Please stay tuned.
