UK CanSat competition teacher workshop SY200

UK CanSat Competition teacher workshop. Learn how to construct and code a CanSat kit and take part in this year's competition.

Summary

This workshop is aimed at teachers who have entered a team into the UK CanSat competition. The first day of the workshop will be made up of the Python programming constructs: sequencing, selection and iteration course (you may be eligible for a bursary for this course) and the Raspberry Pi Pico course   Following a day introducing the electronics and technologies that underpin a typical CanSat mission, the day will provide an overview of the competition and teachers will be able to assemble, solder and code example CanSat kits. During the workshop, teachers will be provided with the basic components of the CanSat to work on. Teachers will also explore a range of ideas that they can take back to the classroom to take their CanSat project to the next level.

The UK CanSat competition provides students with the opportunity to have practical experience working on a small-scale space project. Aimed at school and college students over the age of 14, CanSat is a European Space Agency competition.The CanSat competition provides students with their first practical experience of a real space project. They are responsible for all aspects of a typical space mission: selecting the mission objectives, designing the CanSat, integrating the components, testing, preparing for launch and then analysing the data.

ESERO-UK organises an annual UK CanSat competition, the winner of which will be invited to compete in the European CanSat competition. The competition is open to teams from any school or college in the UK. Team members must be over the age of 14 at the time of the competition.

In addition to the skills you will develop for the CanSat competition, the Python course is part of the Computer Science Accelerator programme. This is an accredited programme to upskill teachers in confidence and subject knowledge up to and including GCSE computer science. This programme is bursary funded for teachers at state-maintained schools in England. You may wish to engage with further Python CPD, available face-to-face, remotely or online – click here to view all our programming courses.

Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

  • Understand the requirements for the CanSat competition

  • Integrate and test electronic components of the CanSat kit

  • Write basic programs in CircuitPython to record data and communicate it via radio to a ground station

  • Use physical computing to engage students in programming projects and subject knowledge development

  • Create simple Python programs to control the Raspberry Pi Pico

  • Become familiar with the Python programming language

  • Develop some basic program constructs using variables, handling user input and output to the screen

  • Use mathematical and logical operators to build functionality into programs

  • Follow the flow of a program, identifying values held in variables at different stages of execution

  • Create and control indefinite loop structures in programs

  • Begin to evaluate programs and suggest improvements

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