HAMBURG, N.Y. — A group of high school seniors recently walked and talked among doctors, scientists and astronauts from around the world.
The high school seniors from Hamburg joke they’re on plan "x" of the project they recently presented to NASA scientists. Work on their out-of-this-world sleeping mask started last September. The after-school get-togethers and long hours, they say, have proven well worth it.
In a biology classroom at Frontier Central High School in Hamburg High School, seniors Brady Bozard, Marisa Grieser, William Migas and Kenny Wolcott are shooting for the stars.
“It all starts with Google. You type in a couple of words, 'What is it like to sleep on the ISS,' " Migas said.
“We searched specific parts of the masks, such as red light and earbuds," Bozard said.
“And the rest is history,” Migas added.
The group recently went to NASA’s Human Research Program Investigators, or HRP, Workshop in Texas. It was the first time in the conference’s two-decade history that students were invited.
“It was really special,” Bozard said.
More than 200 teams competed for just 25 spots. They all have different dreams after high school.
“I want to pursue a biomedical degree,” Grieser said.
“To be the president of the United States,” Migas said.
“I want to study aerospace or astrological engineering,” Bozard said.
“I want to join the Marine Corps,” Wolcott said.
Together, they're tackling mental health in space with a focus on lack of sleep.
“Mental health is an important factor for not only people in space, but also on Earth,” Migas said. "So it's universal, and that's pun intended.”
Using a chemotherapy hat as the base, the mask combats galactic radiation, which can hurt astronauts’ retinas and impact sleep.
"It’s all designed to create comfort and alleviate ocular damage,” Grieser said.
“So we have a red light that goes on the front to help increase melatonin production,” Wolcott explained.
“Earbuds to help drown out the loud noises from the machines and generator,” Grieser said.
The team presented their mask in a science-fair fashion, getting feedback.
“It was really cool having people try it on and agree that it was something they would use,” Grieser said.
Now they’re working to make it better.
“The HUNCH program that we're involved in is actually approving and sending resources up to the ISS,” Migas explained.
For science teacher Mike Delmont, saying he’s proud is an understatement.
“It's super cool. And then seeing them present it to scientists and engineers and knowing what they're talking about and using those like, you know, fancy like science-y words,” Delmont smiled.
It was a humbling experience, with lessons that will launch them to infinity and beyond.
“There are obstacles that you're going to have to overcome, and you just have to keep pushing forward,” Bozard recalled. “That's what a lot of astronauts talked about down there.”
“It doesn't really matter where you come from, it's just how you get there,” Wolcott said.
On Friday, they’ll find out if they’ll be heading to the Johnson Space Center in April to participate in the NASA HUNCH finals program, a conference just for high schoolers.
Delmont has two other teams competing. One includes using shark skin to prevent biofilm formation that forms in the ISS water supply. He had to request that the school district use its NASA fund to buy two dead sharks.
