NASA HUNCH brings real-world space exploration to Midland Public Schools

Midland Public Schools welcomed two distinguished guests from the NASA HUNCH program on Jan. 23 Dr. Florence Gold and NASA engineer Nancy Hall, who have been collaborating with the Dow High Space Farmers program, visited several campuses throughout the week.

HUNCH, which stands for High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware, began in 2003 when NASA engineer Stacy Hale, working at Johnson Space Center in Houston, was tasked with finding a cost-effective way to build training hardware for astronauts. Hale came up with the idea (on a hunch) that high school students could develop this training hardware for NASA. NASA would supply the raw materials, blueprints, and even engineers as mentors, but the schools would supply a safe working environment for the students.

Dow High’s Space Farmers is an after-school club that uses simulations to provide fresh vegetables and fruits in long-term space missions. The club conducts International Space Station-simulated space botany experiments and engages in STEM practices.

Two projects were selected to present at the Human Research Program Investigators Workshop in Galveston, Texas. Of the 25 teams selected, the Dow High Space Farmers represented two. 
MPSNancy Hall from the NASA HUNCH program speaks with members of Midland Public Schools’ curriculum department.
During Gold’s and Hall’s visit to Dow High, students had the chance to present their work to the scientists on a more in-depth scale. First, the group toured Central Park Elementary, gave a brief lecture at the auditorium, then traveled to Dow High to visit one of Corey Spurling’s engineering classes, and finally ended the day meeting with the Space Farmers. On Friday, they took a tour of Jefferson Middle School and engaged in various community activities throughout the weekend.

“Some ideas or inventions that students across the country come up with could be battle-tested by being sent to the International Space Station (ISS),” says Hall. “In addition, all the HUNCH projects have an underlying theme in that they are something that NASA either needs or will need in the future as they plan missions to the ISS, Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

“The NASA HUNCH program allows our high school students to engage in project-based learning and skills through designing and fabricating real-world products for NASA,” says Viloshinee Murugan, secondary curriculum specialist for Midland Public Schools.

“Through this collaboration, students can work on projects with direct applications in space, such as creating a cortisol biosensor sweatband for mental health monitoring, a conversational app using AI, or medical adapters for ear health.”
Murugan also noted the rare opportunity that the HUNCH program allows for students to work with NASA astronauts.

MPSRepresentatives from the NASA HUNCH program, Nancy Hall and Dr. Florence Gold, talk with Jordin MacGregor, a senior at Dow High School in Corey Spurling’s Engineering class.“One interesting observation from the presentations was the active involvement of students in various STEM projects,” she says. “For example, the Dow High Space Farmers, a part of this collaboration, has conducted over 30 space botany experiments for NASA. That’s unheard of!”

Today, there are 571 classroom programs across 38 states, and H.H. Dow High School’s Space Farmers program is one of them. “Our students’ participation and success in the NASA HUNCH program illustrates the strength of our STEM courses and programs,” says Dr. Ken Weaver, Associate Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Midland Public Schools.

“This program allows our students to showcase their education and interests to others while contributing to the scientific community. I was impressed with their depth of knowledge and acquired skills as they presented their work with the NASA HUNCH program. We are all proud of our students and thank their families for the opportunity to work with their children,” he says.