Three Pennridge High School students have earned national NASA recognition for their work in the 2025 NASA Drop Tower Challenge, writes Fideri News Network for North Penn Now.

Chloe Benner, Ananya Bhatt, and Surabhi Gupta, known as Team Cas, were also invited to present their research at the 2025 American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Conference in Arizona.

“I am very proud of these outstanding students for putting Pennridge on the national stage through their innovation and scholarship,” said Pennridge Superintendent Dr. Angelo Berrios. “Their success with NASA shows what can happen when students are trusted to lead real-world STEM research and think beyond our classrooms. Chloe, Ananya, and Surabhi are powerful examples for younger students, especially females in STEM.”

The students’ journey began with the highly competitive NASA program, challenging participants to design a paddle wheel able to rotate in water under microgravity conditions without motors, mechanical force, or chemical reactions.

After submitting an extensive proposal, Team CAS was accepted into the challenge and developed an innovative solution using the capillary action of sponges to create propulsion.

NASA and ASGSR officials praised the concept for its “creativity, scientific rigor, and elegant simplicity.”

Read more about Team CAS and how their research helped them earn national recognition in North Penn Now.

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