09/06/2022

Competition selects students for visit to aerospace center.

A estudante Nicole Oliveira foi a primeira a receber o certificado de Sócia-Mirim da AEITA

Registration is open for the first edition of the Junior Member Award, organized by the Association of Engineers of the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (AEITA). Ten elementary school students will be selected to receive the title of Junior Member of AEITA. The winners will participate in a series of visits to São José dos Campos, in São Paulo, the Brazilian aerospace hub and home to Embraer, ITA, and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), as well as other research institutes and cutting-edge technology companies. All costs of the trip, which will take place between October 9th and 12th, including transportation, accommodation, and meals for the students and their guardians, will be covered by the association.

Until June 30th, students aged 7 to 14 from all over the country who are interested in areas related to science, engineering, and inventiveness can register on the Prize website . Candidates must answer questions about their interests and motivation at school and for the future. In addition, the student must record a video presentation and submit a testimonial from a teacher talking about the student. Pre-selected candidates will then undergo an individual interview. Applications will be analyzed by a committee composed of engineers from ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica) and project supporters. The results of the award will be announced by July 31st, through email contact with the winning students and their guardians.

In addition to visits to ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica), the Brazilian Aerospace Memorial, INPE (National Institute for Space Research), and Embraer, the winners will also participate in a one-year remote mentoring project with engineers and researchers from ITA. “The idea behind the Junior Members Award is to introduce young people who enjoy science and technology to a different Brazil that, unfortunately, many people don't know. A Brazil that makes airplanes, rockets, and satellites. So, our initiative aims to give these young students the right to dream, as well as offer support and encouragement for them to pursue careers in scientific and technological fields,” said Danilo Miranda, director of AEITA and coordinator of the project.

The Junior Members project emerged from student Nicole Oliveira's visit to São José dos Campos in February of this year. Nine-year-old Nicolinha has already discovered more than two dozen possible asteroids . The young girl maintains a science outreach channel on YouTube and Instagram, where she talks about her discoveries and interviews prominent figures in the field of science and technology. Her trajectory, achievements, and especially her dream, led AEITA to grant, for the first time, the symbolic Junior Member certificate. From then on, the association decided to make this initiative permanent and systematic, annually distributing the Junior Members Award to a group of young Brazilian students.