By: Jack Leska
Students from River Hill High School were selected as winners of NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge. As one of the 60 winning TechRise teams nationwide, and the only one from Maryland, NASA is supporting the development and demonstration of their payload, including a test flight on a high-altitude balloon. The support includes awarding the students a $1,500 budget and weekly meetings with NASA mentors.
The student-led Engineering Design Club will send DNA samples to the stratosphere to study how different packaging strategies affect DNA integrity during near-space exposure.
The team learned of the competition last year but missed the deadline. When this year’s opportunity opened, they began working immediately. When school started in the fall, over the course of a month, ten students conducted research, debated ideas, and refined their proposal.
Founded in the 2024-2025 school year by Luca Selaru, its founder and current president, the Engineering Design Club has grown from five students to more than twenty active members across all grade levels (9-12). The club is entirely student-led, with co-president Nicolae Selaru and vice-president Jack Leska working alongside Luca to expand programming and competitions. The group now offers both beginner workshops and advanced competitive events weekly.
While members have participated in – and won – local engineering challenges, such as a pumpkin drop and bridge-building competitions, NASA TechRise is the largest national competition the club has entered.
“This is different because it’s real flight hardware,” Nicolae said. “We’re not just building something for a classroom. We’re building something that’s actually going to near-space.”
Their experiment, titled DNA Packaging Resilience at High Altitude, focuses on a practical engineering question: if DNA is used as data storage and an information carrier, how should it be packaged to remain intact after exposure to elevated radiation? The question is more so relevant due to several initiatives to build AI-related data centers in space.
During the flight, DNA samples will be stored under different conditions including liquid buffer, gel matrices, and dried forms with and without a hydrogen-rich polyethylene (HDPE) protective layer. The goal is to test which strategy protects best from DNA structural damage induced by radiation in the stratospheric radiation environment.
After recovery, students will analyze the samples using laboratory techniques to measure changes in DNA structure and functionality. By comparing different storage methods, the team hopes to determine which packaging strategy best preserves DNA integrity and readability.
By testing different DNA “packaging” methods and lightweight shielding materials, our experiment also connects to astronaut safety and aerospace design. If certain materials reduce DNA damage in a high-radiation environment, the same principles could inform how future suits, containers, and payload housings are built to better protect sensitive biological samples and medical materials during high-altitude or space missions.
For the students, the experience has already expanded their understanding of science. “To build this payload, we need engineers, coders, biologists, people wiring circuits, and people organizing the team,” a member said. “It’s shown us how interconnected different disciplines often are in projects such as this one.”
River Hill is the only team selected from Maryland this year, and club members say they are proud to represent their school, county, and state. Principal John DiFato called the achievement “a testament to the curiosity, creativity, and scientific rigor of our students.”
As the team prepares their payload for flight later this season, they hope younger students see what is possible. “We started this club just last year,” Luca Selaru said, “If you’re willing to learn and put in the work, opportunities like this are real.”