RISC Lab members mentor winners of the Space2101 Challenge

KAUST hosted 200 talented students from grades 7th to 9th, to participate in the Space 2101 Camp. This globally recognized program allows the students to discover the future of space exploration with hands-on activities and learning about innovation, mental health, and STEM skills. From February 5th to 9th, the students had the opportunity to meet and work with Susan Kilrain, Charles Gemar, and Daniel Tani, three astronauts from NASA, and Dr. Sian Proctor, an astronaut from SpaceX Inspiration4. A week full of talks, workshops, and hands-on activities.

The students were divided into 36 teams to complete a challenge that was to design an innovative and sustainable habitat to enable human well-being in a mission to Mars. The teams' work was presented and evaluated during the final ceremony by a panel of astronauts, scientists, and industry experts who selected the winning team of the competition. 

The winners of 1st place were the students Moneera Alroumi, Hemyan Aldossary, Kawthar Alhassan, Tayma Almulla, Abdulelah Altuwaijry, and Habib Bokhamsin. The team was mentored by the RISC Lab Ph.D. students Mohammed Aldosari and Angelica Coronado during the five days of preparation for the Team Habitat Challenge.

The winning team is awarded a trip to Florida, US, to watch a live launch at the Kennedy Space Center.