NASA to Test Student Experiment this Summer
Cheers and screams of mild disbelief poured out of Michele Reschly’s classroom at Patton Middle School today, as a student team in the Advanced STEM class learned it had been selected as a national winner in the NASA Student TechRise Challenge. The competition invites middle and high school students across the country to design experiments for suborbital flights.
Students Eleanora Bent, Aimee Contreras, Joss Dossy, Leslie Grimaldo, Addie Patton, and Miriam Schultz put together the winning proposal which explores the use of local animal fur as a form of heat insulation. The group proposed studying how natural materials can retain warmth in extreme conditions. Over the coming months, the team will refine their design, collect data, and engage in hands-on engineering and problem solving.
The Patton team is one of just 60 winning entries across the entire country. As part of the award, the team will receive $1,500 to buy materials and build their experiment. Once complete, they’ll send their project to NASA, where it will be tested during an actual flight on a high altitude balloon. There were only 25 spots nationally for experiments involving the balloon.
“I grew up here and went to school in this district, and I would have done anything for an opportunity like this,” explained Ms. Reschly. “Now we have classes like this, where students can research and write proposals and be part of an experiment with NASA! They will learn how to solder electronic components and assemble sensors and microcontrollers, skills I don’t have the resources to teach in my classroom.”
The winners were officially announced during a livestream today. To make the moment even more special, Ms. Reschly hosted a classroom watch party where students viewed the announcement together; during the event, the Patton team was surprised with the news that their experiment had been selected as a national winner.
The NASA Student TechRise Challenge, sponsored by NASA and managed by Future Engineers, aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers by giving students the opportunity to conduct research in near-space environments.
“This is such an exciting opportunity for our students to see their ideas come to life in a real-world setting,” said Allison Eitzen, Patton Middle School Principal. “They have worked incredibly hard, and we are so proud to see their creativity and curiosity recognized on a national level.”