Detroit Mercy President Antoine M. Garibaldi is representing his fraternity Sigma Pi Phi (The Boulè) as competition coordinator for the Base 11 $1 Million Space Challenge. This Challenge works to spur the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent among U.S. students.
Hundreds of students on more than 30 teams across the U.S. and Canada have accepted the challenge to design, build and launch a liquid-fueled rocket to space. Companies are stepping up to help turn these passionate students into the next generation of aerospace leaders, creating the pipeline of diverse talent that industry so desperately needs.
The Base 11 Space Challenge inspires and empowers students from across the country with the real world, hands-on STEM training and experience necessary to become the diverse and highly-skilled engineering and computer science professionals that industry and our country so desperately need.
A prize of $1 million is available through this competition for a student-led university team to design, build and launch a liquid-propelled, single-stage rocket to an altitude of 100 kilometers (the Karman Line) by Dec. 30, 2021. Annual competitions and prizes mark milestone achievements in the process, including design of the liquid-fuel rocket, static testing of the engine and smaller pop-up innovation challenges. The biggest purse, which is fully funded, is the $1 million prize for launching the rocket to the edge of space.
The mission behind the Base 11 Space Challenge is to dramatically increase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent in the United States with greater representation and inclusion of women and minorities, while empowering the future workforce with the education and skills training necessary for jobs in the aerospace and related industries.
To learn how companies, colleges and organizations are working with students in this challenge, watch the video below. Visit the Base 11 Space Challenge website for more information.