Pullman native competing in NASA competition

PULLMAN-A team of Cedarville University engineering students is shooting for the stars with its senior design project, working toward competing with dozens of schools at NASA's 2023 Student Launch competition in Huntsville, Alabama, on April 15-16.

For the competition, 10 mechanical, electrical and computer engineering students will design and program a rocket that may soar up to an altitude of 6,000 feet and then land successfully, simulating potential exploration rockets on Mars. Last year was Cedarvill's first year competing in NASA's competition, winning second best rookie team and the second place reusable rocket award.

"I'm really glad I ended up in this group for my senior design project," said senior computer engineering major Nathan Angstadt from Feasterville Trevose, Pennsylvania. "We've spent a lot of time already predicting how high the rocket will go and designing the payload to receive control commands. Working on this has showed me how amazing of an opportunity this is."

Joining Angstadt on the team are two electrical engineering majors, Johnathan Gregory from Hudson, Ohio, and Jordan Edwards from Marysville, Ohio. The rest of the team is made of mechanical engineering majors Annie Rourke from Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Eric Hansen from Strongsville, Ohio; Jocelyn Gross from Pullman, Washington; Kaitlyn Kijak from Windsor, Connecticut; Laurin Mesberger from Cedarville, Ohio; Nicole Heath from Brookline, New Hampshire; and Weston deRu from Bartlett, Illinois. Dr. Thomas Ward, professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Timothy Tuinstra, professor of electrical engineering, advise the students.

Learning to build a functional rocket requires the students to be creative and adaptive to new skills.

"We are taught about rocketry in our classes," said Angstadt. "It's so interesting how we take what we have learned in the classroom and apply it to something completely different. I think it's really representative of what the real world will be like. You can't be taught about the specifics of every possible career field, so I'm glad I can take what I have learned and apply it to something else."