Kids In Hyde Park Elementary School’s Science Club Pitch Lunar Colony Designs To NASA
Introduction to the Challenge
HYDE PARK — A group of South Side kids have shared their ideas for a lunar colony with researchers looking to take U.S. astronauts back to the moon as part of a nationwide engineering challenge. Fourth- and fifth-graders at Bret Harte Elementary, 1556 E. 56th St. in Hyde Park, created their moon bases as part of the Competition for the Advancement of Technology in Space, funded through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA.
The Project Details
For the past three months, the kids have used robotics kits, Lego sets, 3D printing pens and their creativity to design a habitat, food source, lunar rover and circuits for their base. Bret Harte partnered with the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry for the challenge. “The kids are so into it, and it’s so exciting to see them just loving what they’re doing,” said Jason DuPuis, senior manager of student experiences for the museum. “It’s been an awesome experience.”
Presentation to NASA
The students on Monday presented their projects to NASA personnel, who will evaluate the teams as they compete for distinctions like best overall, best use of technology and most innovative.
Jason DuPuis (center left), manager of student experiences for the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, instructs Sina (center right) and other Bret Harte science club members as they prepare to finish their lunar bases for the Competition for the Advancement of Technology in Space on April 10, 2025. Credit: Maxwell Evans/Block Club Chicago
Student Experiences and Interests
Bret Harte is one of six schools nationwide to participate in this year’s challenge, which aims to develop kids’ interests in science, technology, engineering and math. “The whole concept of engineering and building has got me interested,” said Ivan, a fifth-grader who helped design furniture for his team’s base and arranged its living space. “When I go to college, I’ll probably be more focused on that because of this experience.” The 3D printing pens, which allowed students to create plastic objects by drawing them, were especially popular during the program. Science club member Cynthia created an entire living space with a bunk bed, table and chairs using the pens.
Enjoyment and Creativity
Sima, a fifth-grader who designed his base’s power generator, said he’s been able to develop his interest in planets through the program. But not everything in the program was done with a career or even an academic focus, students said. Lulu, a fourth-grader who hoped her pastel-rainbow greenhouse would win over the judges, said she enjoyed having more time to spend with her friends through the program. For fifth-grader Sina, the club was just as much about fun and creativity as it was impressing the judges from NASA. “I’m not really [a] kind of engineer person,” said Sina, who also is interested in genetics and basketball. “I might go towards that, but really, at this point, I just want to play with Legos.”
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