What happens when curiosity collides with creativity at 95.000 feet? You get Surfin' the Sound Waves-- a winning experiment designed by HHCA's 8th-grade Physical Science students that's headed to the edge of Earth's atmosphere as part of the NASA TechRise Student Challenge!

At the start of the school year, NASA invited middle and high school students across the country to think like scientists and engineers, dreaming up experiments that could fly aboard a high-altitude research balloon. The goal? To ignite innovation and immerse students in real-world spaceflight technology.

Led by Mrs. Michelle Judd, HHCA Science Mentor and former NASA educator, HHCA’s 8th-grade students embraced the challenge with heart and hustle. Working in small teams, they spent weeks researching, designing, and asking big questions like:

• How does your investigation help explore space and/or study our home planet?
• How is your experiment connected to NASA's mission?
• How will your components fit in the 4x4x8-inch flight box provided by NASA?

From food preservation in space to testing sunscreen in high-radiation conditions, their proposals showcased impressive depth, faith-driven wonder, and scientific curiosity.

In January 2025, HHCA received thrilling news: One of our 8th-grade teams had been named a TechRise Challenge winner—one of just 60 teams selected nationwide from over 750 entries!

Each winning TechRise team received $1,500 to fund their experiment, a NASA-designed flight box, a confirmed spot on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight, and mentorship from Future Engineers advisors.

Meet the Winning Experiment: “Surfin’ the Sound Waves”

The selected HHCA project, “Surfin’ the Sound Waves,” was developed by a team of eight students: Keyli Andrade, Stone Burd, Georgia Chapman, Amanda Drury, Jeremiah Frazier, Pierce Hudgens, Eleanor Mitton, Ryan Strebe, and Tucker Zietz.

Their experiment explored how sound waves travel through the atmosphere at varying altitudes and air pressures. The students designed a system to play and record a short audio file every 5,000 feet as the NASA balloon ascends. A pressure sensor activates a microcomputer, which then plays the sound while a camera records the playback. After the balloon lands, the team will analyze the data to determine how the sound changed as air density decreased with altitude.

These students have stepped up to learn new skills, stepped out of their comfort zones to take on new challenges, and come together to create something extraordinary. I am so proud of all they have accomplished.

- Mrs. Judd, 8th Grade Science Mentor 

From the Classroom to NASA Collaboration

Since being named a winning team, the students have met weekly via video conference with NASA engineers and mentors from Future Engineers, learning the ropes of aerospace engineering. They’ve explored:

• Wiring diagrams and microcomputers

• Data collection and flight hardware programming

• Scientific budgeting and component sourcing

• Flight box design constraints

• Teamwork, time management, and project planning

They’ve also been learning real-world project management skills—budgeting, purchasing scientific components, managing timelines, and leading among their peers. Through this hands-on experience, they’ve grown as young scientists and as leaders, all while working with actual NASA engineers.

Ready for Launch

With their experiment fully assembled and programmed, Surfin' the Sound Waves was placed in its plexiglass flight box and shipped to NASA before the end of the school year. The launch took place June 16, 2025, in Arizona. Watch the informative program and launch below:

Surfin' the Sounds Waves: