Momentum Program Partners with Blue Origin

Momentum Program Partners with Blue Origin

Momentum is a 6-unit interdisciplinary design course offered by the Office of Minority Education (OME) during MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP). The course is open to all first and second year MIT undergraduates and intends to prepare students for careers in science and engineering.

This year, the Momentum team, composed of Staff Associate Lauren Backus, Assistant Dean Greg Jain, Program Coordinator Hector Arroyo De La Paz, and Program Assistant Sita Costello, has partnered with Blue Origin to offer students a unique and dynamic learning experience. In teams of 4 to 5, students are tasked to deliver one of two projects — either a microgravity experiment for a capsule interior environment that requires a human operator present or a microgravity experiment that takes advantage of exposure to the vacuum of space during flight.

Additionally, throughout the course, students receive content lectures from MIT faculty and Blue Origin professionals. Students also participate in professional development workshops led by professionals both internal and external to MIT and will receive direct support and guidance from course assistants, who are experienced upper-level students and graduate students, to deliver successful presentations on Competition Day.

The program culminates on Competition Day, held this year on Thursday, February 1. It’s always amazing to see what the students can accomplish in just a few short weeks! A video recap of Competition Day will be posted on the Momentum website at the end of IAP. 

— Hector Arroyo De La Paz, OME