NASA selects Aguas Buenas students to present lunar project in Houston
- The San Juan Daily Star
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
By The Star Staff
A team of students from the Second Unit Bayamoncito School in Aguas Buenas was selected by the NASA HUNCH program to represent Puerto Rico in the national design and prototype competition at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Aguas Buenas Mayor Karina Nieves Serrano announced Tuesday.
“This achievement confirms the enormous talent of our youth and the potential that exists in our public schools,” the mayor said. “I congratulate these students and their teacher for elevating the reputation of Aguas Buenas with a project that stands out for its innovation and the passion and discipline they have demonstrated throughout the process.”
The project, which is a lunar vehicle concept called the Lunar Camper Venux, was developed by students Evan O. Román, Janielys Morales, Jensel A. Sierra and Valeria Núñez, along with their science teacher, Darlene Huertas Velázquez.
The group will travel to Houston to present their prototype on April 8 and 9, as part of the national fair of finalist projects of the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program, where they will present their ideas to astronauts, aerospace engineers and technical staff from the aerospace agency.
The Lunar Camper Venux prototype was selected for its originality, functionality and innovation as part of the Design & Prototype category, in which teams from schools across the United States participate. The official invitation was extended by Robert C. Zeek, the HUNCH program project manager, in a letter sent to Huertas Velázquez.
“These types of educational initiatives are what transform communities,” Nieves Serrano noted. “In Aguas Buenas, we will continue to support any project that inspires, educates, and brings out the best in our students. What these young people and their teacher have achieved is a source of pride for our community and all of Puerto Rico.”
NASA HUNCH is a national platform that seeks to introduce students to the world of engineering, design and applied science through real-life projects related to space missions.
The students received financial support from the Department of Education, NeoMed Center, BuenaCoop and Supermarkets Econo Aguas Buenas.
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