Four Lenape Middle School students hope participating in the NASA TechRise challenge will open doors in the STEM field, writes Emily Neil for the WHYY.
The team was one of sixty nationwide who won an opportunity to participate. The competition is designed for sixth- through 12th-grade students.
The Central Bucks School District students’ team worked with Jennifer Conver, a gifted support teacher at Lenape Middle School, and NASA mentors to make a rocket-powered lander that will be tested by NASA scientists on a surface that mimics the moon.
Mia Sasser, Kayleigh Razon, Emma Lofts, and Aanika Oka, all 15-year-olds, have been working together since January constructing what they refer to as the SOBIE (surface object identification) experiment.
Challenges such as this one are especially important for girls who are interested in STEM and science, explained Razon.
“I feel like we need to build the foundation for where girls feel welcomed and the STEM community,” she said.
“That’s what I really hope this project shows is to open more opportunities to little girls who are more curious about what areas they want to do when they grow older.”
Read more about the Lenape Middle School students and their STEM in WHYY.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge 2023-24
