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<\/a><\/figure>NASA announced the winners of the 30th Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a> (HERC) April 22, with Parish Episcopal School, from Dallas, winning first place in the high school division, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, <\/strong>capturing the college\/university title.<\/p>\n The annual engineering competition \u2013 one of NASA\u2019s longest standing challenges \u2013 held its concluding event April 19 and April 20, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.\u00a0The complete list of 2024 award winners is provided below:<\/p>\n High School Division<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n College\/University Division<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Ingenuity Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Phoenix Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Task Challenge Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Project Review Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Featherweight Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Safety Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Crash and Burn Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Norris and Joe Sexton Memorial Pit Crew Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Team Spirit Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Most Improved Performance Award<\/strong><\/p>\n Social Media Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n STEM Engagement Award<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Artemis Educator Award<\/strong><\/p>\n Rookie of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n More than 600 students with 72 teams from around the world participated as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Participating\u00a0teams<\/a>\u00a0represented 42 colleges and\u00a0universities and 30 high schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations from around the world. Teams were awarded points based on navigating a half-mile obstacle course, conducting mission-specific task challenges, and completing multiple safety and design reviews with NASA engineers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis student design challenge encourages the next generation of scientists and engineers to engage in the design process by providing innovative concepts and unique perspectives,\u201d said Vemitra Alexander, HERC activity lead for NASA\u2019s Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. \u201cWhile celebrating the 30th anniversary of the challenge, HERC also continues NASA\u2019s legacy of providing valuable experiences to students who may be responsible for planning future space missions including crewed missions to other worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n HERC is one of NASA\u2019s eight Artemis Student Challenges<\/a> reflecting the goals of the Artemis program, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. NASA uses such challenges to encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.\u00a0<\/p>\n HERC is managed by NASA\u2019s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement<\/a> at Marshall. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC \u2013 with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n To learn more about HERC, please visit:\u00a0<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/roverchallenge\/home\/index.html<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Gerelle Dodson Taylor Goodwin\u00a0\n
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NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4637
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.\u00a0
256-544-0034
taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n