FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014

CONTACT: Daisy Gonzalez-Diego
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
305-995-2060

Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho, District 3 Board Member Martin Karp, FIU President Mark Rosenberg, Students from David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus, and Florida International University (FIU) College of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Students from these schools will unveil a satellite device that will be sent to space on a future mission.

Friday, November 21, 11 a.m.

FIU Electrical and Computer Engineering Center (ECE), 10555 W. Flagler St, Miami, FL 33174.

The idea of developing a satellite device to send into space began at David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center (DLK8) with a parent volunteer, John Escobar, who taught robotics and technology in an after-school club. Mr. Escobar contacted Interorbital Systems regarding sending a student payload into space and convinced Optomize, Inc. of Weston, Florida to sponsor the $8,500 cost.  Dr. Martin Karp, Board Member representing District 3 has been an active supporter of the idea. DLK8 is the first K-8 center to be involved in the very complex construction of a working satellite. Students from Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay and FIU’s Electrical Engineering program also were recruited to assist in development.  After two years of electronic design and redesign, trials and successes with radio communication, image processing and programming, the project was completed. The satellite will be launched next year and will transmit pictures, speed and temperature readings as it orbits the earth every 90 minutes.