Harlingen Collegiate High School seniors recently earned the opportunity to present their engineering and biomedical science projects at NASA’s Johnson Space Center through the NASA HUNCH program.
Twelve students participated in the nationally recognized program, working on real-world challenges developed by NASA engineers.
Two Harlingen Collegiate High teams advanced to the NASA HUNCH Final Design Review at Johnson Space Center, an honor reserved for select student teams from across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Seniors Jorge Cantu, Joaquin Barros, and Jaedyn Baker presented their Artemis Lunar Sample Box prototype.
“Knowing that my work was connected to NASA gave me a great sense of recognition and appreciation for the work I put in,” senior Joaquin Barros said. “Being able to have my ideas applied in the real world, or to have our names possibly referenced in the future for NASA, is something I like to think about and look forward to seeing.”
Seniors Natalie Flores, Ariel Mata, and Ramses Mares presented their Medication Packaging Designs project.
“The most exciting part of presenting at Johnson Space Center was seeing all the solutions teams from around the country developed to solve similar problems,” senior Ramses Mares said. “It was an honor to realize that NASA engineers and astronauts wanted to hear my ideas and solutions. This experience reinforced my desire to pursue a career in STEM and showed me how student ideas can contribute to solving real-world challenges.”
Under the guidance of Engineering Pathway teacher Mercedes Espinoza, students spent months researching, designing, building, and refining their prototypes while receiving feedback from NASA engineers throughout the process.
The NASA HUNCH experience serves as a senior capstone project for Harlingen Collegiate High students in the Engineering Pathway, allowing them to apply years of learning to authentic challenges while exploring future careers in STEM.
“Our students have the opportunity to present their ideas directly to professionals who work in the field every day,” Espinoza said. “To hear NASA engineers praise their work always makes me proud. Whether they presented at Johnson Space Center or not, every student who participated accomplished something remarkable.”
