DES MOINES, Iowa — A group of Des Moines teens have their eyes on the moon, competing in a NASA student challenge.
Earlier this month Local 5 spoke to Frostbyte, a team of five Des Moines students who are competing in NASA’s student app development challenge.
Last Friday, the group presented months’ worth of their work to the public. Their community said the team's hard work and representation are so meaningful.
"It's really, really nice working with our friends, and you learn how to do constructive group criticism, which is really important," said Sujal Pokhrel, a team member of Frostbyte.
He and fellow North High School students Romas Pokhrel, Jefrey Allen, Champ-Pacifique Mukiza and virtual campus student Moss Louvan make up Frostbyte.
They are the only team of students from Iowa competing in NASA’s app development challenge, where they use their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math to visualize the moon’s South Pole and display essential information for navigation and communication.
Frostbyte has been working on their app since October, with Friday’s public presentation the culmination of that work.
"Having that support feels really great as kids, and that just encourages not only me, but peers around me, to do the same," Pokhrel said.
Key school leaders watched as the team publicly launched the idea for the first time.
"It felt really good to know that we can actually talk to our board members, talk to our superintendent and know that they will listen instead of just hearing our idea and not do anything about it,” Pokhrel said.
DMPS Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts said team Frostbyte's work gave him goosebumps.
"To have our students who are looked at as scholars to represent this state in an academic pursuit is not only inspiring to all of us, but something we take tremendous pride in," Roberts said.
And the team's dedication and hard work is inspiring change in the district.
"We are going to make sure that we continue to support our students all the way through the finish line,” Roberts added. “In addition to this, I think one thing we are excited about is how do we make sure when we embark on this project next year, that it goes just beyond one high school."
Beyond the NASA challenge, Roberts is enthusiastic about ensuring all grade levels have access to STEM education.
"Excited to be a champion in the state of Iowa around science, technology, engineering and math,” Roberts said. “We are proud of our students."
The top teams will be announced in February. NASA will have the top teams entered in the contest visit the Johnson Space Center in Houston in April.