Laredo College students often reach and land among the stars. This year, nine students participated in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lunabotics Challenge. This one-of-a-kind competition brought together 50 teams from across the nation in an engineering design event that created an unforgettable experience.
As one of only three community colleges in the competition, Laredo College was represented by Title III: Learning, Excellence and Academic Preparedness in STEM - Promoting Optimal Wellness & Emotional Resilience (LEAPS POWER) Program students. The challenge centered on the design-build-test process, where students addressed real-world engineering problems similar to those faced by NASA and the aerospace industry. These Palominos applied classroom knowledge to practical challenges, collaborated across disciplines and competed alongside teams from colleges and universities nationwide.
Program Director Rosemary Agüero-Riojas said the college’s participation marked a historic milestone and was initiated by a LEAPS POWER student whose enthusiasm encouraged classmates and faculty to register. The Laredo College team included students from multiple majors, including chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, pre-medical studies and computer science.
“One of the unique aspects of the NASA Lunabotics Challenge is that it mirrors real-world engineering projects, which require collaboration among individuals with different areas of expertise,” she said. “By working together, our students gained valuable experience in teamwork, problem-solving, communication and systems engineering while contributing to a complex NASA-sponsored project.”
The LEAPS POWER students earned the NASA Lunabotics Systems Engineering Paper Novice Award, placed 20th in the autonomy challenge and 40th in the berm construction challenge. Agüero-Riojas said she is proud of the team and excited to see future LC students participate in the competition. As the inaugural team, they have established a strong foundation on a national level, and their success will inspire other STEM students across Laredo and South Texas.
“For the first time, our students have formed and competed as a team in NASA’s prestigious Lunabotics Challenge, demonstrating that talent, innovation and determination know no boundaries,” Agüero-Riojas said. “We are incredibly proud of these students for embracing a challenge of this magnitude and applying their STEM knowledge to a real-world NASA project. Their success reflects the strength of our students, the dedication of our faculty and mentors and Laredo College’s commitment to providing transformative experiences that prepare students to become the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers and leaders.”