To put their creativity to the test, six students took part in NASA’s MITTIC Challenge in the fall of 2024.
Under the guidance of Kevin Liang, PhD, assistant professor of physics, the team was to innovate on one of NASA’s intellectual properties (IPs) and turn it into a profitable business idea that benefits the world. The team was led by Davis Joseph, Lily Harutyunyan, Ashley Kreth, Syeda Shobnam, Tiffany Shu and Gianna Forte—students from different departments who united under the name “Bubble Buddies.”
The students decided to work with a NASA IP that uses a high-temperature, high-pressure sensor. After innovating, this product helps people ferment foods at home. With the item in every household, anybody can make beer, wine, pickles, kimchi and more as the product helps eliminate the risk of carrying out the fermenting process incorrectly while also mitigating the process’ difficulties. And since fermented foods last longer and benefit people’s health, it is no surprise that the team made it past phase 1 of the competition.
Phase 2 of the competition called for a trip to Houston where the team and Dr. Liang had the chance to tour facilities at the Johnson Space Center, which are not normally open to the public. During their stay from December 3 to December 6, the team met with like-minded students from other universities. The students got to speak with the flight director at the Mission Control Center as she gave an inspirational speech about her career path. She spoke about her daily activities, which include monitoring launches and overseeing the crew aboard the International Space Station. They also watched a demonstration of the current NASA spacesuit where one student, Lily Harutyunyan, played a part in the demonstration as she tried on the thick, heavy gloves of the spacesuit. The students also watched an astronaut suit up and mechanically be lowered into the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, a giant pool of water where astronauts train for their spacewalks. The students then spent time at Rocket Park where they saw the rocket engines and fuel tanks once used for a NASA launch.
On the last day, teams from different universities pitched their ideas to the judges Shark Tank style. Phase 3 of the competition involves the winning and runner-up teams, having received prize money, get to visit Ames Research Center and present their product to potential investors. Although they did not make it past phase 2 of the competition, the Adelphi team and Dr. Liang had an exciting time. The most rewarding part of the trip, as Dr. Liang explains, was the “team bonding and camaraderie building” as the students, coming from different majors, including chemistry, biology and computer science, spent time “in hotel rooms, rehearsing their pitch to the judges and really researching and understanding the technology behind their product.”
The students were eager, excited and highly motivated as they worked together, which is, without a doubt, what gave them the opportunity to explore the Johnson Space Center. With consistent efforts, they continue to develop their idea into an investable product. They all mentioned how they may want to compete again in the future and expressed how great it feels to be a part of something that goes beyond the typical classroom experience.