RN students will undergo an unprecedented exchange at NASA

The barriers implemented by distance and inequality can be removed through education. Students graduating from the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, Ruan Cordeiro and Marília Rangel were selected to learn about the American Space Agency (NASA), responsible for space exploration and research. The exchange, which will last ten days, was achieved after the duo from Rio Grande do Norte won the Pale Blue Dot Challenge, which consists of creating a visualization of the data made available by the agency itself to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The competition was attended by 1,500 people spread across the world.

Ruan and Marília participated in the H2Plástico project, with the aim of researching places with a high risk of contamination due to ingestion of microplastics. In the project, they used satellite data to analyze the concentration of microplastics in order to create graphs and a detailed report on the topic. Having graduated in computing from the institute at the end of last year, Ruan explained that the document created during showed data relating to the Brazilian Coast. “We talk, for example, about the impacts of this waste on the population of Natal, Bahia. We show the problems as well as the solutions,” he said.

The journey that will take the duo to NASA in August this year started simply. Born in the city of São Pedro, Ruan said that he had a simple background and few resources that led him to become interested in programming, an area in which he carries out projects. He reported that the desire to visit other countries seemed like an impossible dream, considering his family’s simple conditions and late contact with technology.

Ruan said, despite having always been interested in computing, his first contact with the internet only occurred at the end of elementary school. “Opportunity had the meaning of being scarce for me. I didn’t see that much, and when there was, I always did my best. Even so, the idea of ​​having an intercultural experience seemed impossible, especially for someone with low income and from the countryside,” he reported. Upon entering IFRN, the then student learned programming and joined the Young Ambassadors program, which allows students to visit the United States on a short-term exchange.

It was in this project that Ruan met Marília Rangel, in the year 2023. She reported that the possibility of visiting abroad was also remote for her. With an educational base coming from the municipal education network, the path to its future was already mapped out, and would not cross the country’s border. “I would go to school, high school, higher education and I would work. I had no idea that my path could have so many aspects,” she said. After managing to join IFRN and going through the mechatronics technical course and helping with project development, Marília discovered the exchange program. Despite not believing she could make it, she applied and was able to join.

Joining the Young Ambassadors enabled the dream they both had in common to come true. Last year, Marília visited the US state of Alabama. Ruan went to Michigan State. In these regions, they visited universities and educational centers. However, even after going to another country, students consider this exchange trip a special event. In addition to the vast program, which will also include interaction with professors who are part of the space agency, as well as the structure itself, they will get to know the city of Washington, the American capital. There, they will meet politicians linked to space exploration work.

The entire journey, in the view of the young ambassadors, symbolizes a transition to maturity and also strengthens, in themselves, the feeling of recognition, through a project with international approval. “Most of the other teams were made up of people who already worked with data, in large companies. Let’s understand how NASA’s missions work and also how their contributions to society occur. Arguing about our project at that moment will be an enriching experience.”