Students at O/N BOCES partner with NASA by making a part for Space Station
Provided photo: First row from left include Evan Pease (Lockport), Matt Miner (Lyndonville), Conner Deitz (Lockport), Gene Gordon (NASA HUNCH), Noah Skinner (Medina), Vinnie Molisani (Albion), Brayden Flynn (Royalton-Hartland) and Diamond Chandler (Lockport). Second row includes Jacob Foltz (Newfane), Peter Kieffer (Newfane), Anthony Cercone (Lockport), Zack Walker (Royalton-Hartland), Nick Radder (Albion), Tyler Chraston (Royalton-Hartland), Jaiden Just (Lockport), Tim Goerss (Newfane), Gavin Cunningham (Lockport) and Joe Wright Jr. (Lockport).
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – The Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering students, at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center, will have their names in space next year!
Teacher Bill Rakonczay’s students signed a locker that will be going to the International Space Station (ISS) thanks to their partnership with NASA’s HUNCH program.
The students made a part for the stowage lockers and to recognize their hard work. Gene Gordon, a NASA HUNCH mentor, stopped in to have the seniors sign one of the lockers.
The HUNCH mission is to empower and inspire students through project based learning program where high school students learn 21st Century skills and have the opportunity to launch their careers through the participation in the design and fabrication of real world valued products for NASA.
Space flight equipment is one of HUNCH’s largest programs allowing students to create high quality hardware items for the International Space Station. Since the projects are likely to fly to the ISS, they need to be of the highest quality and meet stringent tolerances applied to all hardware for the ISS.
What a great experience for the students and something pretty amazing to put on their resume! Mr. Gordon thanked everyone for their hard work and told them how much he enjoys working with high school students who are passionate about career and technical education. He also gifted a video screen to Mr. Rakonczay so that he could show the students’ work to visitors to the building.
