By Cindy Savoldi – Photos by Evan Daniel
The classroom was a buzz of activity as I entered the lunch hour meeting for the Holly Springs High School Engineering Club. Clusters of students worked independently on various tasks. I was greeted by club moderator Tiffanni Craig, who enthusiastically explained the dynamics of the club.
“I am a physics teacher here at Holly Springs High School,” said Craig. “I loved that I didn’t have to know engineering to get this club started, and to start on this project. It’s actually based on a ton of physics, so my background has been very useful. I’ve enjoyed learning about it because it is really just the application of physics. I have been blown away by their ideas and their initiative to make things happen, and I definitely never imagined we’d win an award from NASA our first year!”
In January 2022, Holly Springs High School Engineering Club was one of 57 schools selected by NASA in an inaugural nationwide TechRise Student Challenge. The contest was designed to “attract, engage and prepare future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals, while gaining real world STEM experience by building experiments that autonomously operate and collect data from the edge of space aboard a suborbital rocket or a high-altitude balloon.” (See the full press release at https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/stem-student-experiments-win-flight-opportunity-in-nasa-tech-contest. HSHS is in the suborbital category.)
“I told the students at the beginning of the year of the various contests NASA was sponsoring. I taught them two lessons on the physics of circular motion and explained how to create artificial gravity. When they heard about a contest focusing on artificial gravity, they started looking things up, decided on the concept to build a centrifuge, and turned in their application to NASA,” explained Craig.
Craig’s enthusiasm for the project is palpable and her connection with the students is evident. Students asked her questions and advice with various problems throughout the meeting. She leads but gives them the opportunity to problem solve on their own.
The original concept was developed by the club’s aerospace cohort and the CAD designs were drawn by Club Vice-President Josh Mills. The experiment centers on creating artificial gravity with a centrifuge. They will be 3D printing a centrifuge that will spin fast enough to create 1G of artificial gravity. The spinning in the centrifuge creates the force which then allows them to test that artificial gravity in a zero-gravity environment. The experiment will be at zero Gs for 3-5 minutes and will be launched in January 2023 by NASA.
The club has several goals. “First, we hope it works!” joked Craig. “Most of all we will hope to measure the actual 1G of force so they can compare it to the outside dynamics of the rocket itself, since [the rocket] is also spinning. We hope to accurately negate the motion of the rocket and get good numbers to give us good data. Hopefully the experimental design of the payload will be useful to NASA. We are excited to see what the data says. NASA is looking for ways to create artificial gravity on a much larger scale to support long-range space missions.”
Craig further explained, “SpaceX is trying to go to Mars. They need some type of gravity to help the astronauts make the journey, as it is estimated to take an average of nine months to get there. Not being in the same gravity as on earth has negative side effects on the human body including reduction in bone density, muscle atrophy, and shifts in the blood pressure gradient. Hopefully the data we gather will help NASA gather the needed information to keep their astronauts healthier on those longer missions.”
Once the experiment was decided upon, it was time to get to work! “We had a little less than a month to submit our proposal, and about twenty people to get the job done,” said Club President Sebastian Roman. An engineering plan was drawn up and they divided into groups to cover all the details of the proposal. In addition to an aerospace cohort, others were formed for 3D printing, bio-medical, software, mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering, along with leads for things not directly involved in engineering but still critical components to the success of the project. These included public relations, and photography and videography. “We know that recording the processes in this experiment are important,” said Lead Videographer Evan Daniel. “I hope to make a documentary of the entire process once it is complete.”
“When I opened my email in January,” said Roman, “and saw that we were one of 57 schools selected by NASA, my mind was blown! I couldn’t believe it! I really love the accomplishment, but I am so proud of what we have done as a team!”
In honor of the club’s achievements and for representing North Carolina in space, Rep. Erin Pare invited the students to be recognized by the NC General Assembly. When asked what it was like to have the General Assembly applauding for them, Public Relations Lead Mia Ryan said, “It was mind blowing! It did not feel real at all!” She added, “It has been a really neat experience to see our club getting acknowledged by so many people for our achievements. To be able to go and stand on the floor of the General Assembly was surreal. We stood on the floor as they read our names and they all applauded for us! Doing all this work and getting recognized is such a good feeling!”
Roman has several years’ experience in the HSHS Robotics Club and has applied a lot of that experience to the Engineering Club. “Our club has grown to about 30 members. My role is to make sure everyone has fun, that we are doing something, and that they are enjoying what they are doing.” The groups are given tasks under the guidance of Craig, and cohort leaders give instruction on completing them. From there, the groups get to work. NASA provided all winning teams $1,500 for the project. The various cohorts research what parts they need, review their needs with Craig, and Craig orders the parts with the funding awarded.
The club has an assigned team at Future Engineers to assist them throughout the process. They report to them every two weeks to check their design and to help them meet their deadline in the beginning of June. “We have to allow time for parts to arrive, building the prototype, and time to correct any problems or errors,” said Roman. “It is a strict deadline. We have to be sure and pace ourselves.”
“I love that we are making breakthroughs for students our age,” said Ryan. “Not a lot of kids our age are doing things like this. We are working really hard as a team to collaborate. It is absolutely amazing to see it all coming together. This is such a great opportunity for students to have. I want more people to know that opportunities like this are out there.”
Team member Melissa Roberts added, “This is exciting to me because I’ve always loved aerospace, but in middle school the problems were just on a piece of paper. What I love about this is that this is real-life application that I can see.” 3D Printing Lead Rebekah Phillips loves seeing the application as well. “I love being able to apply physics and math in something that is real. On paper, it’s hard to picture how things really occur.”
Other discoveries of club members include learning how to work as a team for a common cause. “It is really exciting to see the collaboration of everyone in different parts of the club. The teamwork is amazing,” said Savannah Hazel. “Collaborating with people who have similar interests really brings the group together,” added team member Evie Harrison. “I didn’t realize so many people were also interested in aerospace,” said Roberts. “It is fun to meet people with similar interests.” Roman added, “Engineers are usually a pretty small minority. Finding this many people with like interests has been really fun.”
When asked about things learned from the experience, Aerospace Lead Chris Beyrent said, “I’ve always been interested in engineering but there hasn’t really been a way to express that and to put the passion into it. Having this club has allowed us all to focus that passion and create something really cool. I also love that this club started with just a few people and an idea, and it’s moved pretty quickly to actually doing something very efficient and now we are doing something with NASA! I hope others use this as an inspiration not only to high schoolers, but also younger students. I hope we show them that if they are really passionate about something they can get together and do something that can really make a difference.”
For Mills, “One of the most exciting parts of this for me is that the technology we are pioneering could be used on future projects like Mars missions or maybe even—if we ever get there—leaving the solar system.”
“It is a really good experience to know what you are going to do going into college,” explained Brooke Lyle, Club Software Lead. “Seeing the different opportunities in aerospace engineering versus mechanical or chemical engineering has been really valuable for me.”
Addressing the importance of documentation, Daniels said, “I’ve always been focused on film making. Being a part of this project has allowed me to broaden my interests and now I am learning the fundamentals of engineering!” Roman added, “It’s important to have someone documenting what we are learning. We (the engineers) are all so immersed in doing each of our parts in the project. Without having someone behind the scenes documenting, no one would know our struggles, our failures, and our successes. Having Evan document this, we can show people the process—what it really takes to make something like this happen.”
With several of the club leaders graduating in June, building a strong foundation for the club is a high priority. “Our experiment will not launch until January of 2023, after I have graduated,” said Roman. “The graduating seniors want to leave the club in good hands! Even though many underclassmen have limited engineering experience, we hope to mentor them so that by their junior and senior years the club has strong leadership.”
“The things the underclassmen are doing are incredible!” added Beyrant, a senior. “I wish I had had this opportunity four years ago! We look forward to coming back next year when it launches, and to seeing what the Holly Springs Engineering Club members do in the future!”
Craig knows the sky is literally the limit with these future engineers. “I am learning engineering from my students. It is a fabulous collaborative work. I cannot wait to see where life takes these amazing students!”
