Carrollton-Farmers Branch students etch names into next NASA space mission

Johanna Fraire, Denyse Silva and Daitan Vo are enrolled in the Biotechnical course at the high school and worked in class to figure out a method to sterilize 3D-printed medical tools in space. As part of the NASA HUNCH program, students build prototypes and develop solutions to problems faced in the NASA space stations.

“This was CFBISD’s first METSA team to get invited to the final critical design review in Houston,” said Yaritza Ortiz-Rivera, R.L. Turner High School science teacher and METSA instructor. “This is an experience like no other, a real-life opportunity with impact beyond the classroom in both the science world and the community.”

The NASA HUNCH program was designed for students of all skill levels to develop innovative solutions to problems posed by life on the International Space Station. Many of the projects are items that are personally requested by the International Space Station Crew to help ease living conditions aboard the station.

The program gives students the opportunity to make an impact on the lives of astronauts and students from all over the United States partner with mentors at NASA Research Centers across the country to develop unique solutions.

The students’ project they presented at NASA HUNCH was titled “3D Printed Medical Tool Sterilization” and was one of 33 from across the country chosen for presentation at the final critical review.

Throughout the academic year, METSA students presented different stages of their project to panels of professionals and incorporated their feedback into their work. The presentations were used to determine which projects would move forward to attend the NASA HUNCH finals and had the potential to solve the proposed problem.

There were several METSA groups who participated in the regional preliminary design review and moved on to the state critical design review. Fraire, Silva, and Vo advanced even farther to participate in the national and final review and joined other selected students from 46 participating states.

At the final review in Houston, the three students presented their solution to a pool of engineers, scientists, and astronauts and were advised to continue their project and perfect it for next year.

The group was awarded certificates and letters of recommendation for their work, and their signatures were stamped in a locker that will travel in the next space mission. The group has also been presented with an opportunity to have either their whole project, or part of their project fly into space for testing.

“We are extremely proud of the METSA students and their teacher, Mrs. Yaritza Ortiz-Rivera,” said Dr. Adam Grinage, Principal of R.L. Turner High School. “Our kids are going beyond just putting Turner on the map — they are putting Turner in outer space. How many people can say their names are affixed to a space mission? Their work is astounding.”

In addition to traveling to Houston for the NASA HUNCH finals, the METSA team also participated in the North Texas NASA-VIPS Innovation Day, which displayed more than 50 projects spanning biotechnical health, engineering, and computer science.

Each of the projects featured working prototypes that were demonstrated to NASA engineers and flight surgeons and many of the projects aligned with TEA (Texas Education Agency Pathways.

“The METSA students are now working on the entrepreneurial aspect of their innovation,” Ortiz-Rivera said. “They are seeking intellectual property protection and completing Lean Business Models under the guidance of the University of Iowa STEM Innovator, a STEM and entrepreneurial program.”