Houston, No Problem: Avon HS Engineers Reach Finals In NASA Contest

AVON, CT — Three Avon High School seniors and their engineering teacher traveled to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after earning national finalist honors in the NASA HUNCH competition for a lunar sample collection prototype designed in class.

Seniors Hannah Chiu, Keshav Kamathia and Reese Montminy, working under the guidance of technology education teacher Matt Dadona, developed ENDYMION, a 3D-printed Artemis Lunar Sample Container intended to help astronauts safely collect, seal and transport lunar rock and soil samples back to Earth.

The team was one of nine finalist teams nationwide in the Lunar Sample Return Container category of NASA HUNCH, which stands for High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware.

Avon High was the only Connecticut school recognized in the competition's "Design and Prototyping" category.

The students presented their design during the final review process at Johnson Space Center in late April.

The prototype underwent months of development and testing, including submersion testing to evaluate its multi-layer sealing system.

"This team is a great example of what young engineers in Connecticut are capable of," Dadona said. "NASA HUNCH inspires the kind of project-based learning that prepares students for careers in engineering and advanced manufacturing, industries Connecticut depends on."

The Houston trip coincided with a significant moment in NASA's Artemis program.

According to the school, the presentation took place just weeks after the Artemis II crew returned from the first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo era.

"We didn't really process the fact that we were in Houston until we made it back," Chiu, Kamathia and Montminy said in a joint statement. "It is still surreal that we got to, in high school, design something that NASA engineers appreciated."

NASA HUNCH is integrated into Avon's Mechanical Engineering curriculum, where students use computer-aided design software, 3D printers and advanced manufacturing equipment to develop solutions to real-world engineering challenges faced by NASA.

The engineering pathway at Avon Public Schools begins in middle school and continues through advanced high school coursework.

The district also operates the ACHIEVE Internship Program, which connects students with local employers for career-focused experiences.