Reaching for the Stars: Rachel M. ’28 and her Award-Winning NASA Project 

Rachel M. ’28 recently achieved global recognition at the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge, where her team, Astrion, earned awards for Best Use of Science, Galactic Impact, and Most Inspirational. Competing against more than 8,000 teams worldwide, Rachel’s project highlighted her passion for STEM and her determination to make a meaningful impact in the field of space technology.

What did this project entail, and how did you get involved?

I used to live in Toronto, Canada, where I was part of a robotics team. My former coach introduced me to the NASA Space Apps Challenge, an international online competition. Teams of high school and college students select a topic from several categories, then design a solution, such as creating a website, coding a program, and addressing the challenge’s question.

Our team chose the topic of exploring exoplanets—planets outside our solar system—and focused on NASA’s plans to develop a new telescope capable of identifying habitable exoplanets. We had to code a tool to support this device.

How long did this project take?

The hackathon, which was the core of the project, lasted 48 hours over a weekend. We worked over 35 hours during that time, often from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

How many people were on your team?

Our team consisted of six members, all in grades 9-10. We selected our topic by reviewing NASA’s list of challenges. The exoplanet project stood out as one of our top choices and ultimately seemed like the one we all wanted to do.

Did you face any challenges as a team?

One major challenge was the tight 48-hour timeframe to complete the project. Understanding exoplanets, which are thousands of light-years away, and determining their habitability was also complex. The closest planet we identified had an Earth Similarity Index (ESI) rating of 0.97.

I contributed to the research and helped design the website. I also supported other team members with their tasks. While our programmers had the tough job of creating a 3D, interactive visual representation of these exoplanets, dividing tasks based on our individual strengths made the process more manageable.

What was the final product you produced?

We delivered a 30-second video summarizing our project for the judges, a program that tagged exoplanets based on their habitability, and a website showcasing our research. The judges evaluated thousands of submissions to determine the best projects.

What are your future plans for this project?

If we had more time, we’d expand the website and program with additional details. Currently, we only summarize information for the top 40 exoplanets. We’d also incorporate more planets and use a machine-learning algorithm to enhance our program further. We’re still waiting to find out the winners of the final NASA award.

What are your final thoughts on this project?

I didn’t know much about the NASA Space Apps Challenge before participating, but it was a fun experience to collaborate with a team on such a meaningful project. It was my first time doing something like this, and I’d love to participate again next year with the same group. This experience deepened my interest in STEM and gave me insight into what it’s like to work in this field. My favorite part was collaborating with my team and combining our unique strengths to create this project.

Click here to view Rachel's team project and their project explanation video.