Huge congratulations to the students in Mrs. Brandi Norman’s middle school STEM class for being selected as winners of the NASA TechRise innovative science experiment challenge! 🎉 Their exciting, student-designed project will explore life high above Earth by sending a high-altitude balloon into the sky to collect air samples and study the types of bacteria found in the troposphere versus the stratosphere. Talk about science that’s out of this world! 🌤️🛰️
Thanks to a $1,500 award, these young scientists will use air filters and onboard sensors to measure temperature, pressure, and altitude, investigating how extreme, Mars-like conditions impact where microorganisms can survive. Their hypothesis? Fewer — but tougher — bacteria will thrive at higher altitudes. ❄️🔬 This real-world research gives students the chance to think, test, and discover just like professional scientists.
By blending biology, engineering, and space science, this award-winning project showcases the creativity, curiosity, and determination of our Red Devils learners. ❤️👩🚀👨🔬 We can’t wait to watch their experiment launch and wrap up this spring with an estimated completion date of May 15, 2026. The sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning! 🌟🚀 #HPSTEM #RedDevilPride #FutureScientists