Going Stratospheric with NASA

At Fresh Produce, we have plenty of ideas about what we’d shoot into the stratosphere. That’s why we were delighted to partner with Future Engineers and NASA to promote their annual TechRise Student Challenge, which invites teams of 6th to 12th-grade students and their teachers to submit ideas for experiments that will be launched into the stratosphere on a NASA-sponsored test flight. Winning teams receive a prize box full of supplies, the opportunity to collaborate with NASA-grade engineers, and the chance to send their experiments soaring on a giant high-altitude balloon.

Brett got to fly out to San Francisco to hang with one of last year’s winning teams as they put the final touches on their experiment, “Stratospheric Serenade,” which measured how the tone of a violin string changes in various atmospheric conditions. He also spoke with the team’s teachers to learn how the heck their students got so smart. According to them, the great thing about TechRise is that NASA and Future Engineers provide such strong support that it doesn’t matter how much experience they or their students have with engineering—anyone can create something amazing. In fact, NASA assisted their team with everything from refining early concepts to soldering and the nitty-gritty of mechanical and electrical engineering.

As a team, we were blown away by what an incredible opportunity this is for students, including those in South Dakota (fun fact: one of last year’s winning teams was from Tiospaye Topa School in La Plant). We also just loved seeing young people get so excited about science. It gave us hope that the next generation will continue to let their curiosity guide their creativity and inspire new and interesting ideas. This enthusiasm also inspired our concept for the video, which centers on the notion that big ideas often start small—an insight we apply regularly at Fresh Produce.

Naturally, working with NASA was a big deal for us, and we were all eager to deliver on our role in the mission. Good thing we love taking on projects that make us uncomfortable, challenge us creatively, and allow us to work with ridiculously smart people, like high schoolers in California.

You can learn more about the NASA TechRise Student Challenge here, and teachers can register to participate here.