Ava.challenge

28/05/2026

Join us in today's webinar where we discuss how to approach solution brainstorming for the 2026 AVA Challenge!

14/05/2026

Upcoming webinar for the AVA Challenge!
Join us as we speak with Brian Yecies from the School of the Arts, English and Media at the University of Wollongong. We'll explore how to brainstorm creative ideas as part of the design thinking process.

May 28 at 12pm AEST

Schools, join the webinar in the comments below!

The AVA Challenge is a free school STEM challenge and a complete unit of work for all Australian Grade 5 to 10 students, designed in partnership with the NSW Department of Education STEM Enrichment Team through Professor Scott Sleap, Rodney Cheal & Sandra Moore.

This year, our students are focused on the following challenges:

WHAT WE EAT
Responding to Shortfall 1525:
Food and Nutrition for Mars and Sustained Lunar

WHERE WE LIVE
Responding to Shortfall 1601:
Enabling Observation of Whole Top-to-Bottom Dynamic Ecosystems

GOING OUTSIDE
Responding to Shortfall 1304:
Robust, High-Progress-Rate, and Long-Distance Autonomous Surface Mobility

The AVA Challenge is supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space Magnitude.io, Fizzics Education, in collaboration with FOODiQ Global, Rootlabb & Dassault Systèmes.

The leadership team: Ted Tagami, Keira Chrystal, Khushi Daga, Patrick Oppel, David R Reynolds, Ben Newsome CF with advisory by co-founder Professor Scott Sleap.

10/04/2026

Curious about what the astronauts on board the Artemis II are eating? 🌕🧑‍🚀 Take part in our Grow for Launch Program and receive a free kit to grow your own plants for a lunar mission!🚀

🌱 What meal would you want to eat in space?

ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space
FOODiQ Global

07/04/2026

3D printed habitats for the Moon!
Find out how Crest Robotics has designed Charlotte, a robotic 3D printing robot designed to build habitats both on Earth and the Moon. It was awesome to see them at the International Astronautical Congress last year!

Link to the article below

03/04/2026

LiDAR from space by Spiral Blue.
Enabling ground visualisation for regional and remote areas.

Taofiq Huq, founder of Spiral Blue, explains how lasers and space edge computing are being used to scan forest structures, measure biomass & more

01/04/2026

Artemis teaching ideas!
Making the Artemis missions tangible for students
For many students, the connection between the space industry and their everyday lives can seem very far away. The Apollo missions were something that they’ve seen on TV or in a movie, the shuttle era was something that happened when their parents were young, and for some students, they haven’t even heard of the Artemis missions. And yet, the Artemis missions are a huge leap forward as we take humans back to the lunar surface.

So with this in mind, what can we as educators do to inspire our students? Link in the comments below!

01/04/2026

Fueling the Cold: Eric Philips on Polar Survival
Australian polar explorer and private astronaut Eric Philips discusses the extreme calorie requirements of the Arctic and Antarctic, and why a high-functioning team is a “survival essential.”
Learn more in the link below!

01/04/2026

Let's Go! In just a few hours (09:26 AEST), Artemis II will launch from Kennedy Space Center on the way to the Moon! Follow along LIVE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo

There is still time to join us this season For the https://avachallenge.org where we explore the unique challenges of creating a permanent station on the lunar surface.

We're sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in 50 years. Come watch with us.NASA's Artemis II mission is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy S...