Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is USIP?
USIP, short for Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project, is a multidisciplinary research group made of undergraduate students and faculties in University of Houston. This group is the result of educational incentive by NASA where students engage in a two-year period of experiments and instrument-building
What do you ALL do In THIS GROUP?
We are currently doing various researches that studies atmospheric and auroral phenomena. Due to our contractual agreement with NASA, the resulting projects should have the potential to be used by NASA or other space/atmospheric-related studies. Other than that, the students have the flexibility to pursue experiments that they are interested in, whether existing or completely new.
Most of our current projects include using miniaturized off-the shelf electronics and integrating them into payloads that are self-built by us undergraduate students and are completed within 2 years time-frame. Why SHOULD we care? What's in it for US?
Firstly, it's fun! The extent of which you get to do things hands-on and also get to interact and collaborate with people outside your social sphere are very rewarding. You get to meet experts You also have the chance to participate in national conferences, which not only allow you to meet experts in each respective fields but also network with potential employers. (That's something you can proudly add to your resume!!)
But more importantly, it is to pursue more in-depth researches on global atmospheric phenomena. We have been taking our atmosphere as granted, but with recent talks about global warming, tropical storms and other environmental problems, it is quite apparent that we need to do something about it! However, the higher-ups (policy-makers, etc.) needs information to make judgments. What YOU find in the researches, no matter how small it is, contributes to the overall judgement-making process. Think of it as you and your colleagues providing the stepping stones and pathway of information for future use. FUN FACTS
Our USIP group is supported by NASA, as our project reviewers, as well as by six other professors in University of Houston, with Dr. Edgar Bering III as our group's main mentor.
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Image Source(s):
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6k6DT5V4AAiKnQ.jpg
https://www.nasa.gov/images/content/256357main_Symbols1-xltn.jpg
http://nsmn1.uh.edu/ebering/IMG_0414.JPG
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