Arif and a group of his peers presented their research comparing solar panel efficiency at various altitudes at the prestigious SmallSat Education Conference. Arif was part of a group of high school seniors from western New York that conducted a study during a summer internship at the University at Buffalo Nanosatellite Laboratory last summer.

Arif and his group conducted a high altitude balloon study, in which the balloon went up 100,000 feet into space. The balloon had six different solar panels attached to it, which allowed the group to measure whether efficiency increases as solar panels go into space. They learned that energy production did increase as the panels went further into space toward the sun.

Arif and his group then studied how to make solar energy production more efficient through their findings. The group’s research was presented at the SmallSat Education Conference held at the Kennedy Space Center in late October, as the abstract was one of 700 applications internationally that was accepted by NASA.

Arif described his research as “an innovative way of looking into technology in remote areas and rural counties where electricity is not really easy to access.” He said the research could potentially open doors to provide electricity and internet access to areas where those amenities are not typically available. The group modeled its experiment off research being done by SpaceX with Starlink Satellites.

Submitted Photo Fredonia senior Neshwan Arif is pictured second from right during his presentation earlier this year at the Kennedy Space Center.

The SmallSat Education Conference is a platform for students, educators, and administrators to learn about CubeSats, ThinSats, and High-Altitude Balloon Programs. According to the SmallSat Education Conference’s website, the space education-based conference “provides hands-on training for educators and students, networking opportunities with industry experts, and insights from exhibitors and vendors.” It is managed by the Aerospace and Innovation Academy, the Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team, and BLUECUBE Aerospace.

While at the conference, Arif was in the presence of some of the brightest minds in the world when it comes to space education. The conference featured NASA engineers, SpaceX representatives, and government officials.. The keynote speaker of the conference was Charles Bolden, the former NASA director under the Obama administration.

“It was a really eye-opening experience,” Arif said. “I’ve never been with such an upper level community. … It was lots of people with severe intellect. I was really lucky to be in their presence. I attended lots of workshops and I gained so much experience and knowledge. I opened some opportunities for my collegiate level education.”

When describing his experience, Arif acknowledged that it might sound intimidating, but he believes many others could have conducted the same study he was involved in “if they really opened their minds.” Arif believes it is “within reach” for many other high school students to go “above and beyond” the research he was involved in.

“I really hope that more people do as they grow. They can find these opportunities, just like I did,” Arif said.