Grant: Engaging and Educating Youth in Amateur Radio Through Hands-on Space Science Activities

Grant date: June 2021
Amount: $17,831

About the Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC)
BARC consists of roughly 200 radio operators from Northern Utah. The club is service-oriented and provides communications and other support for several large-scale events in the valley including the 206-mile LOTOJA bicycle race and the 100 mile Bear 100 foot race. The club has also been involved in offering hands-on activities for youth to introduce them to amateur radio. BARC offers free membership to all students who are currently attending K-12, colleges, and universities.

Youth Engagement
The goal of this project is to introduce youth to amateur radio and engage them through three hands-on activities themed around space science and technology.

  1. Set up and maintain a portable ground station and provide the expertise to help schools make ISS contacts.
  2. Host two different six-week hands-on workshops for youth ages 11- 17 where they will assemble a payload/satellite and launch it on a high altitude balloon up to 100K feet, and successfully recover it.
  3. Work with teachers, Cache Makers and other youth groups to offer events where students can learn how to find, track, and communicate through amateur satellites.

Learn more about Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club Inc. at barconline.org