Seniors Jasmin Rollins and Natalie Michael have gone above and beyond in academics this year. This journey for them started when both students noticed a poster involving a contest to make a device that would make water travel through space.

“We realized that we were very interested and it was a very good opportunity,” Rollins said. 

The competition is involved with the American Society for Gravitational and Space research. The students spent a lot of time after school and on weekends researching and constructing devices. 

“They put a lot of hard work in and I’m incredibly proud of what they accomplished and how they placed in the competition,” physics teacher Nathan Bodenschatz said. 

Bodenschatz is going to be their supervisor on the trip and he has supported them throughout this whole process. 

The basis of the task was to come up with a prototype that transports water in zero gravity so astronauts could have a sustainable food source in space. The team’s objective was to create three designs to provide that goal in which they sketched and created. 

The team created these prototypes by using a 3D printer. 

“The team’s prototypes were tested in NASA’s Glenn’s drop tower to determine their viability in a zero- gravity environment,” Bodenschatz said.

The team placed third in the national competition. They submitted a paper in February discussing their research and from there they got an email in May that told them they had placed third in the competition. 

The team will be traveling to Denver, Colorado on November 20-23  for the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Conference to present all of their research and explain how they came up with their ideas. They will also be telling them how their prototypes work. While there, the team will continue to learn more about NASA. 

“I am so glad I was able to do this, I am so interested in the advancement in technology and space so this is such an awesome opportunity,” Michael said. 

The team’s research will help expand the knowledge of the effects of gravity on biology and physical systems. 

To create these prototypes, the team had to put in the extra effort and work, this is a great opportunity for students to actually realize what it takes to go over and beyond.
“By doing this extra project it has shown me that putting in the extra effort really goes a long way,” Michael said.